Incident post template for indie SaaS
When checks flip down, customers need words — not only a red dot. A short incident thread on your status page cuts support load and looks professional. Use this template on StillOnline; pair it with owner alerts so you draft the post before social media does.
StillOnline does not write customer copy for you, but it gives the timeline, probe history, and subscriber emails once you publish updates. Link the StillOnline bot once so Telegram wakes you before you open the dashboard.
Quick answer
Publish four phases on your StillOnline status page — Investigating, Identified, Monitoring, Resolved — with short UTC timestamps. Owner alerts from the StillOnline bot should fire before you draft text; subscribers on a public page get email via Google when you update the incident. Share the /s/... link in support macros or social during the outage, not as a hidden footer link.
Phases (keep titles consistent)
Readers scan timelines during stress. Stable phase names beat creative titles.
| Phase | Customer-facing title | What to say |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Investigating | We see errors / monitoring alert; looking now. No root cause yet. |
| 2 | Identified | We know the cause (e.g. DB connection pool); fix in progress. |
| 3 | Monitoring | Fix deployed; watching metrics and probes. |
| 4 | Resolved | Stable since [time UTC]. Summary + optional next steps. |
Post updates as new entries on the same incident so the timeline reads top-down.
Copy-paste starters
Adapt brackets to your product; keep tone factual.
Investigating
We are investigating elevated errors on [product]. Some users may see [symptom]. Next update in 30 minutes or sooner.
Identified
Cause: [one line]. We are [rolling back / scaling / fixing config]. ETA [time] UTC.
Resolved
Service restored at [time] UTC. Cause: [brief]. Duration: [X] min. We will [postmortem / prevent recurrence].
Avoid blaming vendors without confirmation; do not share secrets or customer data.
Owner workflow (you)
Speed beats polish on the first line; you can refine after probes stabilize.
- Telegram / email alert from StillOnline — link the StillOnline bot once: Telegram guide.
- Open the dashboard → confirm which check failed.
- Publish Investigating on the status page within about 10 minutes.
- Update when facts change; Resolved when probes are green for 2–3 cycles.
- Share the page link in support auto-reply and social if needed.
Scheduled work? Use the maintenance guide instead.
What not to post
These mistakes erode trust faster than a long outage.
- Stack traces, API keys, internal hostnames.
- “Fixed” before checks recover — breaks trust.
- Silence for more than an hour on a red page — update or mark investigating.
After the incident
Close the loop for customers and for your future self.
- Optional short postmortem on your marketing site; link from the resolved update.
- No public StillOnline page yet? Public status page guide.
Related guides
FAQ
Does StillOnline auto-create incident posts when a probe fails?
StillOnline ties incident state to check results, but you write customer-facing text in the dashboard. Open Investigating within minutes of the StillOnline bot alert — template above; Telegram owner alerts.
Can I use the same StillOnline incident template on a private status page?
Yes — the phases are identical; only who can open /s/... changes. Private visibility is Pro — public vs private status page.
StillOnline probe is down but the product feels fine — what do I post?
Fix the check URL if it is wrong, or post an honest partial outage. Silence on a red public page hurts trust more than a one-line Investigating update.
How fast should the first StillOnline incident update go live?
Aim for Investigating within about 10 minutes of owner alert. Subscribers on a public page email when you publish — public status page guide.
Can StillOnline owner Telegram alerts remind me to post during an outage?
Yes — the StillOnline bot repeats while a check is down so you do not miss a long outage. Draft text on the status page when you confirm the impact — Telegram guide.