In this article we will go over how to send push notifications on your iOS and Android applications, and cover best practices on how to use them effectively.
Sending a Push Notification
1. In the Powr CMS, from the the left menu go to Platforms >> Push Notifications
2. Click on the Send Push Notification button located on the top right
3. Prepare your Push Notification
From here, you can set the following:
- Platforms: Select if the notification goes to iOS users, Android users, or both.
- Message: The text your users will see when receiving the notification.
- When: The date and time the notification is sent.
- Send Now - send the push notification immediately
- Send on (select a date and time in the future)**
- Content Type (Optional): You may add a specific video, movie, series, episode, channel, or Live event to open and autoplay when the user clicks the notification. If left blank, the push notification will simply direct the user to the Discover page of your app.
**Scheduling Push Notifications
**Please note that as we transition to Firebase push notifications, you will need to follow the steps provided in the CMS to schedule push notifications in advance to reach your users:
- Go to https://console.firebase.google.com/ to continue your schedule
- Select your project
- Navigate to Engage > Messaging
- Click on New campaign and select notifications
- Enter notification text and select Next
- For Target, select Topic and one of the following Message topics:
powr-[sitename]-ios- for IOSpowr-[sitename]-android- for Androidpowr-[sitename]-all- for Android and IOS
- Schedule the message
- On Additional Options, add the following Key/Values on Custom data fields (optional)
Custom Data Fields - Key/Values
-
Open application:
empty custom data. -
Play video by id:
channelId: <channel_id>
contentType: "video"
videoId: <video_id>Channel content type must be
"videos", video type must be"video", video associated channels must include channel, ignored otherwise. -
Channel details page:
channelId: <channel_id>
contentType: "channel" -
Movie details page:
channelId: <channel_id>
contentType: "movie"
videoId: <video_id>Channel content type must be
"movies", video type must be"movie", movie associated channels must include channel, ignored otherwise. -
Series details page:
channelId: <channel_id>
contentType: "series"
seriesId: <series_id>
Channel content type must be"series", series associated channels must include channel, ignored otherwise. -
Play series episode by id:
channelId: <channel_id>
contentType: "episode"seriesId: <series_id>
videoId: <video_id>Channel content type must be
"series", video type must be"episode", episode associated channels must include channel, ignored otherwise. -
Open EPG:
contentType: "epg"epgId: <epg_id> -
Open EPG with specific channel:
contentType: "epg"epgId: <epg_id>channelId: <epg_channel_id> -
Live events:
channelId: <channel_id>
contentType: "live"
videoId: <video_id>Channel content type must be"liveEvents", video type must be"liveEvent", live event associated channels must include channel, ignored otherwise.
Best Practices
Since a Push Notification is a direct alert to users, it is an extremely effective way of getting their attention. Here are two simple tips to follow:
1. Promote specific new content:
Users won't mind Push Notifications if they are promoting something they want to watch. The most effective notifications are ones that link to a specific piece of new content that will be appealing to the majority of your audience.
2. Start Slow:
Begin with one Push Notification every week or two. Check the analytics, and make sure the notification is receiving engagement and not leading to a spike in uninstalls. If they are performing well, you can begin to experiment with more frequent notifications.
Note: To enable this feature on your mobile apps, please contact your Solutions Engineer.
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