In Intercom, go to Outbound, click + New message and choose Product tour. Give it a title, click Add steps, enter the website to build on, open it, and use the tour builder to add posts, pointers or video pointers. Then set the page and audience to show it to, and set it live.
Before you start: desktop web apps and the Messenger
Product Tours let you build a series of in-app messages that guide customers around your product, without code. They're designed for desktop web apps. If you want something similar in a mobile app, Intercom points you to Mobile Carousels instead.
The tour builder only loads on a site where the Intercom Messenger is installed. If you haven't installed it yet, do that first.
Building the tour
- Go to Outbound in the main menu, click + New message, then choose Product tour. You can also start from a pre-made template.
- Give the tour a short title and description. Customers see these when you share it.
- Click Add steps, enter the website URL to build on and click Open website.
- On your site, a blue banner at the bottom is the tour builder. Navigate to the page where the tour should start and click Begin tour here.
- Add your steps and write the messages.
- Choose the page and audience to show the tour to, test it, and set it live.
One detail that confuses people: the URL you enter in step three is only where you build. It isn't the page where the tour appears to customers. That's set separately when you choose the target page. If you need to build on a different site later, change it under Edit Tour, Settings, the pencil beside Build the tour on, then Change Website.
Posts, pointers and video pointers
| Step type | Where it appears | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Post | The centre of the page | A welcome or a summary |
| Pointer | Next to a page element | Showing where a button or setting is |
| Video pointer | Next to a page element, with a video | A quick demo of a feature |
Videos can be embedded from Loom, Youtube (not Youtube shorts), Vimeo, Wistia and Vidyard. Custom fonts can't be uploaded, so the tour uses Intercom's styling. Pointers can't select elements inside modals or pop-ups, so plan steps around the main page.
Customers can move forward by typing in or clicking elements on your site, and they can snooze or restart a tour. Snoozed or restarted views aren't counted as extra views in your stats, so the numbers reflect real people.
Showing the tour to the right people
You can show a tour automatically by choosing a target page and then an audience, such as new sign-ups in their first week. Or share it as a link, or inside conversations, messages and bots, which is useful when a customer asks how to do something your tour already covers.
An example tour for a booking app
- A post welcoming the user and saying what the tour will show.
- A pointer at the Create service button.
- A video pointer at the availability settings, with a short Loom demo.
- A pointer at the Share link button, ending the tour on the result they wanted.
Four steps, one goal, and the user finishes with something they can use straight away.
When the builder won't appear
Intercom Help lists three causes, and the first two are by far the most common:
- The Messenger isn't installed on that site.
- The site is embedded in a third-party iframe, for example a Shopify app or a Figma plugin. Tours won't build or run there.
- The site is changing window.opener.
If your product lives inside another platform's iframe, tours aren't the right tool, and you'll need another way to onboard users.
Pendo and Appcues for in-app guidance
Pendo's guides feature offers embedded guides, walkthroughs and tooltips that appear when needed.
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Appcues is built around guiding new users with in-product flows for onboarding and activation. For a wider view, see my guide to client onboarding software and my list of Intercom alternatives.
My advice for your first tour
Keep it to four or five steps that get a new user to one useful result, such as creating their first project. Open with a post, use pointers for the two or three buttons that matter, and show it to new sign-ups only. Then watch the stats and cut any step people skip.
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Frequently asked questions
Where do I create a product tour in Intercom?
Outbound > + New message > Product tour.
Do product tours work on mobile?
They're designed for desktop web apps. Intercom suggests Mobile Carousels for mobile.
Why can't I see the tour builder?
The Messenger may not be installed, the site may be inside an iframe, or it may change window.opener.
What step types are there?
Posts, pointers and video pointers.
Can I choose who sees the tour?
Yes, by target page and audience.
