Feature Request Template: Free Download + Best Practices

"Can you make it better?" "We need more features." "This should work differently."

Sound familiar? These vague feature requests plague product teams daily. They're well-intentioned but nearly impossible to act on. What does "better" mean? Which features? Work differently how?

Structured feature request templates solve this problem. They guide requesters to provide the context you actually need: what problem they're facing, why it matters, and how they're currently working around it. This transforms vague complaints into actionable product insights.

This guide provides free, downloadable feature request templates in multiple formats, along with best practices for collecting, organizing, and acting on feedback. Whether you're a product manager setting up your first feedback process or refining an existing one, you'll find templates and tactics you can implement immediately.

Why Structured Feature Requests Matter

The difference between "add dark mode" and a properly structured feature request template is the difference between guessing and knowing what your users actually need.

The Cost of Vague Requests

Vague feature requests create multiple problems:

1. Wasted time clarifying: Your team spends hours in back-and-forth trying to understand what the requester actually needs
2. Misaligned solutions: You build what they asked for, not what they actually needed
3. Missed context: You don't know why they want it or how many others face the same problem
4. Poor prioritization: Without context, you can't distinguish genuinely important requests from nice-to-haves
5. Frustrated users: They submitted feedback weeks ago and never heard back

What Good Feature Request Templates Capture

A well-designed feature request form template captures:

The Problem (not the solution): Users are often wrong about the solution but always right about the problem. "Add a CSV export button" might really mean "I need to analyze this data in Excel."

Context and use cases: Who needs this? When? How often? What's the impact if it doesn't exist?

Current workarounds: How are people solving this problem today? This reveals pain level and validates that the problem exists.

Priority indicators: How important is this really? Is there a deadline? Does it affect revenue or user adoption?

Supporting details: Screenshots, examples, related feedback, and customer information.

With this information, you can prioritize intelligently, design better solutions, and close the loop with requesters—turning feedback into a competitive advantage.

The Feature Request Template

Here's a comprehensive template that balances thoroughness with simplicity. You can customize it based on your needs.

## Feature Request Template

### Basic Information
- **Request Title:** [Clear, descriptive name]
- **Submitted By:** [Name/Email/Customer ID]
- **Date:** [Submission date]
- **Customer Type:** [Free/Paid/Enterprise/Internal]
- **Priority:** [Low/Medium/High/Critical]

### The Problem
**What problem are you trying to solve?**
[Describe the pain point in detail. Focus on the problem, not the solution you have in mind.]

**How are you currently working around this?**
[Describe what you do today. Manual processes, spreadsheets, other tools, etc.]

**How often do you encounter this problem?**
[ ] Daily
[ ] Weekly
[ ] Monthly
[ ] Occasionally

**What's the impact of this problem?**
[Time wasted, money lost, deals blocked, users frustrated, etc.]

### Proposed Solution
**What would you like to see?**
[Describe your ideal outcome. What would the feature do?]

**How would this help you?**
[Expected benefit. Time saved, revenue enabled, improved experience, etc.]

**Can you provide an example or mockup?**
[Screenshots, sketches, examples from other products, etc.]

### Context
**Who else would benefit from this?**
[Other users, teams, use cases. Is this unique to you or broadly applicable?]

**Are there any deadlines or time constraints?**
[Deal closing, event date, seasonal need, etc.]

**Related feedback or issues:**
[Links to similar requests, bug reports, or discussions]

**Anything else we should know?**
[Additional context, constraints, preferences]

---

### For Internal Use (Product Team)
- **Status:** [Submitted/Under Review/Planned/In Progress/Shipped/Declined]
- **Assigned To:** [Product Manager/Team]
- **Related Product Area:** [Feature/Module]
- **Estimated Effort:** [Small/Medium/Large]
- **Business Value:** [Low/Medium/High]
- **Strategic Fit:** [Core/Nice-to-Have/Out of Scope]
- **Target Release:** [Version/Quarter]
- **Internal Notes:** [Team discussion, technical considerations, etc.]

Feature Request Template Variations

Different situations call for different levels of detail. Here are template variations for common scenarios:

Simple Template (3 Questions)

Perfect for getting started or for users who you know won't fill out long forms:

## Quick Feature Request

**What's the problem?**
[Describe what's frustrating or what you can't do today]

**What's your ideal solution?**
[How would you like it to work?]

**How important is this to you?**
[ ] Nice to have
[ ] Important
[ ] Blocking my work

When to use:

• First-time feedback process
• In-app feedback widgets
• Quick suggestion box
• Users with limited time

Pros: High completion rate, low friction Cons: Less context, requires follow-up questions

Detailed Template (For Enterprise)

For high-value customers or complex requests where you need comprehensive information:

## Enterprise Feature Request

### Requester Information
- **Company:** [Company name]
- **Contact:** [Name, email, phone]
- **Account Type:** [Plan level, contract value]
- **Submitted By:** [Name and role]
- **Date:** [Submission date]

### Business Context
**What business problem are you trying to solve?**
[Strategic goal, revenue opportunity, operational efficiency, etc.]

**What's the financial impact?**
[ ] Blocks deal worth: $______
[ ] Costs us ______ hours/month
[ ] Prevents ______ users from adopting
[ ] Other: ______

**What's your timeline?**
- Ideal date: [Date]
- Hard deadline: [Date]
- Reason: [Why this timing?]

### The Problem
**Describe the problem in detail:**
[Current process, pain points, friction]

**How many users/teams does this affect?**
[Scale of impact within your organization]

**Current workaround:**
[What you do today and why it's insufficient]

**Frequency:**
[ ] Multiple times per day
[ ] Daily
[ ] Weekly
[ ] Monthly

### Proposed Solution
**Describe your ideal solution:**
[What would it do? How would it work?]

**Success criteria:**
[How will you measure if this solves your problem?]

**Examples or mockups:**
[Attach screenshots, sketches, or examples]

### Technical Context
**Does this need to integrate with other tools?**
[APIs, SSO, existing systems]

**Any compliance or security requirements?**
[GDPR, HIPAA, SOC 2, etc.]

**Performance or scale requirements:**
[Number of users, data volume, response time needs]

### Stakeholders
**Who needs to approve/review this internally?**
[Names and roles]

**Who will be the primary users?**
[Roles and number of users]

### Alternatives Considered
**Have you evaluated other solutions?**
[Other tools, workarounds, or approaches you've tried]

**Why didn't those work?**
[What was missing or inadequate?]

---

### Internal Assessment
- **Strategic Priority:** [P0/P1/P2/P3]
- **Revenue Impact:** [Blocks $X, enables $Y]
- **Development Effort:** [Story points/weeks]
- **Technical Dependencies:** [Other features, infrastructure]
- **Competitive Intelligence:** [Do competitors have this?]
- **Product Strategy Alignment:** [Core roadmap/Future/Out of scope]

When to use:

• Enterprise customers
• High-value deals
• Complex features requiring significant investment
• Features with compliance or integration needs

Pros: Complete context, better prioritization, stakeholder alignment Cons: Lower completion rate, feels bureaucratic

Bug vs. Feature Template

Help users distinguish between bugs and feature requests:

## Is This a Bug or Feature Request?

**Are you reporting something that's broken?**
- If yes, use our [Bug Report Template]
- If no, continue below

## Feature Request

**What can't you do today?**
[Describe the limitation or missing capability]

**What would you like to be able to do?**
[Desired functionality]

**How important is this?**
[ ] Would improve my experience
[ ] Would save me significant time
[ ] Blocking me from using the product
[ ] Required for us to purchase/renew

**Anything else?**
[Additional context]

When to use:

• When users often confuse bugs with missing features
• Public-facing forms where you need to route submissions

Internal Request Template (Sales/Support)

For internal teams submitting on behalf of customers:

## Internal Feature Request

### Customer Information
- **Customer Name:** [Company]
- **Account ID:** [CRM/System ID]
- **Account Value:** [ARR/MRR]
- **Plan Type:** [Tier]
- **CSM/AE:** [Name]
- **Renewal Date:** [Date]

### Request Context
**Who requested this?**
[Name, title, role at customer company]

**Is this tied to a deal?**
[ ] Yes - Deal size: $______ Close date: ______
[ ] No - General product feedback
[ ] Renewal risk - Renewal date: ______

**What's the customer's exact use case?**
[As much detail as possible]

**Customer's stated problem:**
[In their words]

**How are they working around this today?**
[Current process]

**Impact if not addressed:**
[ ] Deal will be lost
[ ] Deal will be delayed
[ ] Customer will churn
[ ] Customer will reduce usage
[ ] No immediate business impact

**Direct quote from customer:**
[Exact wording from email/call]

### Competitive Context
**Are they evaluating competitors?**
[ ] Yes - Which ones: ______
[ ] No
[ ] Unknown

**Do competitors have this feature?**
[Which ones and how it works]

### Internal Notes
**Our assessment:**
[Sales/support team's view of urgency and validity]

**Similar requests from other customers:**
[Links to related feedback]

**Suggested priority:**
[Low/Medium/High/Critical]

When to use:

• Sales and support teams submitting on behalf of customers
• Tracking deal blockers and churn risks
• Enterprise sales motions

Pros: Captures business context, ties feedback to revenue Cons: Requires training internal teams

Downloadable Feature Request Templates

Templates are most useful when they're easy to implement. Here are multiple feature request template formats to suit different workflows:

Google Form Template

Best for: Teams using Google Workspace, public-facing forms, automatic spreadsheet collection

Key features:

• Pre-built questions with validation
• Automatic responses spreadsheet
• Email notifications
• Shareable link

Setup instructions:

1. Copy our template: [Google Form Template Link]
2. Customize questions for your product
3. Set up response destination (new spreadsheet)
4. Enable email notifications
5. Share link or embed in your site

Customization tips:

• Make "Problem description" required
• Use dropdown for priority (prevents typos)
• Add conditional sections (show enterprise questions only for enterprise users)
• Include "Customer Type" to segment feedback

Notion Template

Best for: Teams using Notion, collaborative triage, linking to roadmap

Key features:

• Database with filtered views
• Linked to roadmap and customers
• Comment threads for discussion
• Status workflow

Setup instructions:

1. Duplicate our template: [Notion Template Link]
2. Create database properties for your workflow
3. Set up filtered views (by status, priority, team)
4. Connect to customer database
5. Share form link

Views to create:

• All Requests
• Needs Triage (newly submitted)
• Under Review
• Planned
• In Progress
• Shipped
• Declined (with reason)

Airtable Template

Best for: Advanced workflows, integrations, voting, automations

Key features:

• Form + database in one
• Automations for notifications
• Integrations with other tools
• Vote tracking

Setup instructions:

1. Copy base: [Airtable Template Link]
2. Customize form fields
3. Set up automations (notification on submission)
4. Create interface for public voting
5. Share form URL

Automation examples:

• Notify PM when high-priority request submitted
• Send acknowledgment email to requester
• Update Slack channel with new requests
• Tag similar existing requests

Markdown File

Best for: GitHub, GitLab, developer tools, open source projects

Download: [feature-request-template.md]

---
name: Feature Request
about: Suggest an idea for this project
labels: feature-request
---

## Problem
**Describe the problem you're facing:**
A clear description of what the problem is.

**Is this problem related to a specific use case?**
Describe the scenario where you encounter this.

## Proposed Solution
**Describe the solution you'd like:**
A clear description of what you want to happen.

**Describe alternatives you've considered:**
Other solutions or features you've considered.

## Additional Context
Add any other context, screenshots, or examples.

Usage:

1. Download template
2. Add to .github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/ directory
3. Commit and push
4. GitHub will offer it when users create issues

PDF Template

Best for: Enterprise sales, offline forms, print, formal processes

Download: [Feature-Request-Template.pdf]

When to use:

• Enterprise procurement processes
• Executive review meetings
• Print for customer meetings
• Formal RFP responses

Feature Request Best Practices

Templates are just the starting point. Here's how to use feature request templates effectively to maximize the value of user feedback:

For Requesters: How to Write Good Feature Requests

1. Focus on the problem, not the solution

Bad: "Add a dark mode toggle in the top-right corner" Good: "I use your app late at night and the bright interface strains my eyes. I'd like a way to reduce eye strain during evening work sessions."

Why it matters: Your solution might not be the best one. Describing the problem lets the product team design the optimal solution.

2. Include context and use cases

Bad: "Need better filtering" Good: "I manage 500+ items and need to find specific ones quickly. Currently I scroll through pages or use basic search. I need to filter by status, date range, and tags simultaneously—I do this 10+ times per day."

Why it matters: Context helps prioritization. Is this a daily pain for one user or occasional annoyance for many?

3. Be specific about impact

Bad: "This would be nice to have" Good: "This costs me 2 hours per week in manual work. If I had this feature, I could process reports 5x faster and serve more customers."

Why it matters: Quantified impact helps product teams prioritize objectively.

4. Provide examples or screenshots

Bad: "Make the dashboard more intuitive" Good: "I'm confused by the dashboard layout. [Screenshot attached] I expect the summary at the top, but it's in the sidebar. Here's how Competitor X does it: [Screenshot]"

Why it matters: Examples make abstract requests concrete.

5. Mention if others have the same problem

Bad: "I need this" Good: "I need this, and I've heard 3 other customers on the forum mention similar issues: [links]"

Why it matters: Shows demand breadth, not just one person's preference.

For Product Teams: How to Handle Feature Requests

1. Acknowledge every request

Even if you can't build it, acknowledge receipt:

• Automated: "Thanks for your feedback! We've received your request and will review it with our product team."
• Personal (for important customers): "Thanks for sharing this. I can see why this would be valuable for your workflow. We're discussing it with the team."

Why it matters: Users want to know they were heard. Silence breeds frustration.

2. Ask clarifying questions

Follow up to fully understand:

• "Can you walk me through your current process step-by-step?"
• "What would success look like for you?"
• "Are there specific tools or examples you like?"
• "How many people on your team would use this?"

3. Explain prioritization decisions

When you can't build something (or not yet):

• "We've decided to prioritize X instead because it affects more users"
• "This is on our roadmap for Q3"
• "This doesn't align with our core focus on [use case]"
• "Here's a workaround you can use in the meantime"

Why it matters: Transparency builds trust. Users accept "not now" better than silence.

4. Close the loop when shipped

Notify requesters when their feature ships:

• Email: "Remember when you requested [feature]? We just shipped it in v2.5!"
• In-app: "New: [Feature] you requested is now available"
• Changelog: List customer-requested features prominently

Why it matters: This is the payoff for engagement. Users who see their feedback implemented become advocates.

5. Close declined requests with reasons

If you won't build something, explain why:

• "This is out of scope for our product direction"
• "We explored this but decided the complexity outweighed the benefit"
• "This is better suited for an integration with [other tool]"
• "We're solving the same problem differently with [approach]"

Offer alternatives when possible:

• Workaround documentation
• Integration with another tool
• Redirect to community plugins
• Point to competitor that offers this

Common Feature Request Template Mistakes

Too Many Required Fields

Problem: 15 required fields means most users abandon the form.

Solution: Require only 2-3 fields:

• What's the problem? (required)
• What would help? (required)
• Your email (optional, for follow-up)

Make everything else optional. You can always ask for more detail later.

Data: Forms with 3 or fewer required fields have 40% higher completion rates than forms with 10+ required fields.

No Acknowledgment System

Problem: Users submit feedback and never hear back. They assume it went into a black hole.

Solution: At minimum, send an automated acknowledgment: "Thanks for your feedback! We've received your request and our product team will review it. You can track status here: [link]"

Better: Personally acknowledge high-priority requests within 24 hours.

Template Without Process

Problem: You have a great template but no system for reviewing, prioritizing, or acting on requests.

Solution: Define the workflow:

1. New requests reviewed weekly by PM
2. Triaged into: Planned / Under Consideration / Declined / Duplicate
3. Planned items added to roadmap
4. Status updates sent monthly to requesters
5. Shipped features announced to requesters

Document this process so team members know their role.

Asking for Solutions Instead of Problems

Problem: "What feature do you want?" leads to feature bloat and misaligned solutions.

Solution: Ask "What problem are you facing?" and "What are you trying to accomplish?"

Users are experts in their problems, not in product design. Guide them to describe the pain, not prescribe the cure.

No Duplicate Detection

Problem: 50 people request "dark mode" separately, making it look like 50 separate issues instead of one popular request.

Solution:

• Before submitting, show similar existing requests
• Deduplicate during triage (merge similar requests)
• Use voting instead of separate submissions
• Link duplicates: "This is a duplicate of [Request #123]"

No Follow-Up for Incomplete Requests

Problem: Request is too vague to act on but you never ask for clarification.

Solution: Set up a "Needs More Info" status and automate follow-up: "Thanks for your request! To help us understand your needs, could you provide: [specific questions]"

If no response in 2 weeks, auto-close with: "We haven't heard back, so we're closing this request. Feel free to reopen if you'd like to provide more detail."

Integrating Templates With Your Workflow

Templates work best when they feed into your existing process, not as an isolated system.

Form → Feedback Tool Pipeline

Manual approach:

1. Feature requests submitted via form → spreadsheet
2. PM reviews weekly and copies to roadmap tool
3. Updates spreadsheet status column manually

Automated approach:

1. Form submission triggers webhook
2. Creates item in feedback tool via API
3. Auto-tags based on form responses
4. Notifies PM in Slack
5. Status syncs back to form responder

Tools that support this:

• Zapier/Make (no-code automation)
• [Product] API (programmatic integration)
• Notion API + Automations
• Airtable Scripts

Example Zapier flow:

Google Form submission
  → Create item in [Feedback Tool]
  → Send Slack notification
  → Add to Google Sheet (for backup)
  → Send confirmation email to submitter

Automatic Tagging/Categorization

Use form responses to automatically tag requests:

Form field: "What part of the product is this about?"

• Options: Dashboard, Reports, Integrations, Mobile App, API

Automation: Automatically add corresponding tag/label

Form field: "What's your role?"

• Options: Product Manager, Developer, Designer, Sales, Support

Automation: Tag with persona segment

This enables filtering and prioritization by audience or product area.

Duplicate Detection

Basic approach:

• Search existing requests before allowing submission
• Show "Similar requests" during form completion
• Link to existing request if duplicate

Advanced approach:

• Use text similarity algorithms
• Auto-suggest merging similar requests
• Consolidate votes from duplicates

Example: As user types "add dark mode support", show:

Similar requests:
• Dark theme option (23 votes)
• Night mode for mobile (12 votes)

Click one to add your vote instead of creating a duplicate.

Linking to Customers

For B2B products, link feature requests to customer records:

Manual approach:

• Add "Company Name" field to form
• PM manually looks up customer in CRM
• Tags request with customer ID

Automated approach:

• Email domain automatically links to company
• CRM integration enriches with ARR, plan, renewal date
• Sales team can see all requests from a customer

Value: Prioritize based on revenue impact, see patterns by customer segment, notify account team when requests ship

When to Graduate From Templates

Templates are great for getting started, but there are signs you need a dedicated feedback management tool:

Sign 1: You Can't Keep Up With Volume

Template stage: 5-10 requests per week, manageable in spreadsheet Time to upgrade: 50+ requests per week, multiple sources (email, chat, form)

Why: Spreadsheets become unmanageable. You need search, filtering, deduplication, automated workflows.

Sign 2: You Need Voting/Prioritization

Template stage: You read every request and prioritize based on gut feel Time to upgrade: You need quantitative data on what's most requested

Why: Voting reveals true demand vs. vocal minority. Templates can't aggregate votes.

Sign 3: Multiple Stakeholders Need Access

Template stage: One PM manages all feedback Time to upgrade: Sales, support, engineering, executives all need visibility

Why: Spreadsheets don't support role-based access, comments, or notifications.

Sign 4: You Want Public Roadmap

Template stage: Internal-only feature tracking Time to upgrade: Customers want to see what's planned and vote

Why: Templates don't provide user-facing roadmap views or voting interfaces. Learn more about building a public roadmap for developer teams.

Sign 5: You Need Integration With Development

Template stage: Copy-paste from spreadsheet to Jira/Linear Time to upgrade: You want two-way sync between feedback and development tools

Why: Manual sync is error-prone. Dedicated tools integrate with GitHub, Jira, Linear.

Sign 6: You Can't Track Impact

Template stage: "We shipped 23 features this quarter" (but don't know which were requested) Time to upgrade: You need to measure: request → shipped → customer satisfaction

Why: Templates don't track lifecycle or measure feedback loop closure rate.

Migration Path: Template → Feedback Tool

When you're ready to move beyond templates:

Step 1: Export existing data

• Export spreadsheet/form responses
• Include requester email, date, status, priority

Step 2: Import into feedback tool

• Most tools support CSV import
• Map columns to fields (title, description, status, etc.)

Step 3: Set up integrations

• Connect development tools (GitHub, Jira, Linear)
• Set up Slack/email notifications
• Configure SSO if needed

Step 4: Migrate submission process

• Update form links to point to new tool
• Embed widget in product or site
• Train team on new workflow

Step 5: Archive old system

• Keep spreadsheet for historical reference
• Update all documentation with new process
• Monitor adoption for first 2 weeks

Timeline: Most teams complete migration in 1-2 weeks.

Conclusion

Feature request templates transform vague complaints into actionable product insights. By guiding users to describe problems (not solutions), provide context, and quantify impact, you collect the information needed to build the right things.

Key Takeaways:

Start simple: A 3-question template is better than no template. You can always add detail later.

Process matters more than format: The best feature request form template in the world doesn't help if you don't review, triage, and respond to requests.

Close the loop: Acknowledge submissions, explain decisions, and celebrate when requested features ship. This turns feedback into a growth flywheel.

Graduate when needed: Templates work great at small scale. When volume grows or you need voting, invest in a dedicated tool.

Download the Templates:

• [Simple Template (3 questions)] - Great starting point
• [Comprehensive Template] - Full detail for complex needs
• [Google Form Template] - Ready to customize
• [Notion Template] - Database + form in one
• [Markdown Template] - For GitHub/GitLab
• [PDF Template] - For enterprise processes

Ready to move beyond templates? [Product] provides built-in feature request templates, voting, GitHub integration, and public roadmaps—all in one tool. Start with our free tier and scale as you grow.

[Try [Product] free →](#)