Template · Updated
Getting started guide template
Your getting started guide is the most read article in your help center, and the one that decides whether new customers succeed without writing in. This template keeps it short, concrete, and focused on the first win.
Short answer
A getting started guide takes a new customer from sign up to their first real result in as few steps as possible. Lead with the outcome, list what they need before starting, give numbered steps that each do one thing, and end with the next two or three things to try. Stop when the customer has value, not when setup is complete.
When to use this template
Use this template for the first article a new customer sees: the quick start linked from your welcome email, your app's empty states, and your help center home. Write one per product if you have several, and keep each to the shortest path to a real result. Detailed setup belongs in separate articles linked at the end.
What goes in it
A title that names the outcome
Say what the customer will have at the end and roughly how long it takes: “Send your first invoice in 5 minutes”, not “Getting started”.
Before you start
List anything they need first, like an account, a role, or data to import, so nobody gets halfway and stalls.
Numbered steps, one action each
Each step is one action with what they'll see afterwards. If a step needs explaining, it's probably two steps.
The moment of value
Name the result when they reach it: the invoice is sent, the dashboard has data. That's where the guide ends.
What to do next
Two or three links to the next most useful articles, not your whole table of contents.
The template
Copy it into your help center editor and replace the bracketed parts.
# [Do the main thing] in [N] minutes
[One sentence: what the customer will have at the end.]
## Before you start
- [Requirement, e.g. an admin account]
- [Data or access they need]
## Steps
1. [First action]. You'll see [what happens].
2. [Second action].
3. [Third action].
4. [Final action]. [Name the result: “Your first X is ready.”]
## What to do next
- [Next most useful task](link)
- [Second task](link)
Stuck? [Contact support](link) and include [what to send].Example: Ledgerloop's quick start
# Send your first invoice in 5 minutes
By the end, a client will have an invoice in their inbox and you'll see when they open it.
## Before you start
- A Ledgerloop account
- Your client's name and email
## Steps
1. Click New invoice. A blank invoice opens with your business details filled in.
2. Add your client. Type their name; if they're new, add their email.
3. Add a line item: a description, quantity, and price.
4. Click Send. Your client gets an email from billing@example.com with a link to pay.
## What to do next
- Set up recurring invoices for clients you bill monthly
- Turn on automatic payment reminders
Stuck? Email help@example.com with the invoice number.Mistakes to avoid
- Explaining the whole product before the first step, so the reader never reaches the first win.
- Ending at the end of setup instead of at the moment the customer gets value.
- Combining several actions in one step, so readers lose their place.
- Screenshots of the whole screen, which go stale with every small UI change.
- Linking twenty “next steps” instead of the two that matter most.
How to keep this article current
Quick starts walk through more screens than any other article, so they drift first: a renamed button or a moved menu breaks step two for every new customer. usedocs proposes an edit to the quick start when a merged pull request changes a screen or label it describes, and its scheduled check flags steps that no longer match the code. If new customers keep asking the assistant about a step, that question becomes a gap with a drafted fix.
FAQ
How long should a getting started guide be?
Short enough to finish in five to ten minutes. If it's longer, split detailed setup into linked articles.
Should a getting started guide include screenshots?
One or two tightly cropped screenshots of confusing screens at most. Text steps are easier to keep current.
Where should the getting started guide be linked?
From the welcome email, empty states in the app, and the top of your help center home.
Should I have one quick start or several?
One per main product or audience, each covering the shortest path to a real result.
How often should I update it?
Whenever a release changes a screen it describes, and at least monthly, because every new customer reads it.