Press Release by @deanpeters · Skillet

Press Release by @deanpeters · Skillet

Purpose

Create a visionary press release following Amazon's "Working Backwards" methodology to define and communicate a product or feature before building it. Use this to align stakeholders on the customer value proposition, clarify the problem being solved, and test if the product story resonates—treating the press release as a forcing function for clarity and customer-centricity.

This is not a marketing artifact for launch day—it's a planning tool that asks "If we shipped this perfectly, how would we explain it to the world?"

Input

Works best with: The product or feature idea, plus who it's for. Also useful: The customer problem, the headline benefit, and an internal quote-worthy point of view.

Anything supplied with the invocation itself — text after the skill name, a pasted context dump, or an appended ARGUMENTS: line — counts as answers already given. Use it and skip whatever it covers; don't re-ask.

Arriving empty-handed? That works too. The skill asks who the customer is and what changes for them on launch day — the two things a working-backwards press release cannot fake.

Example invocation: Amazon-style press release: instant expense approval for field technicians, launching Q3.

Key Concepts

The Amazon Working Backwards Framework

Popularized by Amazon, the Working Backwards process starts with a press release and FAQ before any code is written. The press release must:

Be written from the customer's perspective
Focus on the problem solved, not the features built
Be short (1-1.5 pages)
Be compelling enough that customers would want the product

Press Release Structure

A standard press release follows this format:

Headline: Clear, benefit-focused product announcement
Dateline: City, state, date
Introduction paragraph: What's being launched, who it's for, key benefit
Problem paragraph: Customer problem the product solves
Solution paragraph: How the product addresses the problem (outcomes, not features)
Quote from company leader: Vision, customer commitment
Additional details: Supporting benefits or data
Boilerplate: Company background
Call to action: How to learn more
Media contact: Press contact information

Why This Works

Customer-first thinking: Forces you to articulate value from the customer's perspective
Clarity forcing function: If you can't write a compelling press release, the product idea may be weak
Alignment tool: Stakeholders can read and react to the vision before engineering starts
Decision filter: If a feature wouldn't make it into the press release, question its priority

Anti-Patterns (What This Is NOT)

Not feature-centric: Don't list specs—focus on customer outcomes
Not internal jargon: Write for customers, not engineers
Not vague: "Revolutionizes productivity" is fluff; "Reduces report generation time from 8 hours to 10 minutes" is real
Not marketing spin: Be honest about what the product does

When to Use This

Defining a new product or major feature
Aligning stakeholders on vision before development
Testing if a product idea is compelling
Pitching to execs or securing buy-in

When NOT to Use This

For trivial features (don't over-engineer small tweaks)
After you've already built the product (too late)
As actual launch-day press release (this is a planning doc, not final marketing copy)

Application

Use template.md for the full fill-in structure.

Step 1: Gather Context

Before drafting, ensure you have:

Product/feature description: What are you building?
Target customer/persona: Who is this for? (reference skills/proto-persona/SKILL.md)
Problem statement: What customer problem does this solve? (reference skills/problem-statement/SKILL.md)
Key benefits: What outcomes does it deliver?
Competitive context: How is this different from alternatives? (reference skills/positioning-statement/SKILL.md)
Company mission/values: How does this fit the company's vision?

If missing context: Run discovery, define the problem statement, or clarify positioning first.

Step 2: Draft the Headline

Create a clear, benefit-focused headline:

"[Product/Feature Name] by [Company] Aims to [Main Benefit/Goal]"

Quality checks:

Benefit-focused: Does it say what the customer gets, not just what you built?
Specific: "Aims to simplify workflows" is vague; "Aims to cut invoice processing time by 60%" is specific
Memorable: Can someone repeat this headline in a conversation?

Examples:

✅ "Acme Workflows Launches Invoice Automation to Cut Processing Time by 60% for Small Businesses"
❌ "Acme Launches New Product with AI Features"

Step 3: Write the Dateline and Introduction

[City], [State], [Country], [Date] —

Today, [Company], a [type of organization], announced [key news], a [brief description]. This [product/feature] is set to [main benefit], addressing [key customer problem].

Quality checks:

Concise: 2-3 sentences max
Customer problem mentioned: Don't jump to solution—name the problem first

Step 4: Explain the Problem

[Product/feature] solves [specific customer problem]. According to [source or customer insight], [supporting data or quote that validates the problem].

Quality checks:

Specific problem: Not "inefficiency" but "manual invoice processing takes 8 hours per month"
Validated: Include data, customer quotes, or research to prove the problem is real

Step 5: Describe the Solution (Outcome-Focused)

[Product/feature] addresses this by [how it solves the problem—focus on outcomes]. [Quote from company leader]: "[Insert quote that emphasizes customer value, not features]."

Quality checks:

Outcome-first: "Reduces processing time" not "includes OCR technology"
Quote is visionary: Should reflect customer empathy and company values

Step 6: Add Supporting Details

In addition to [key benefit], [product/feature] also [additional benefits]. According to [statistic or source], [supporting data].

Quality checks:

Data-driven: Use numbers where possible (time savings, cost reduction, etc.)
Customer-centric: Still focused on "what they get," not "what we built"

Step 7: Include Boilerplate

[Company], founded in [year], is a [type of company] known for [main products/services]. With a focus on [company mission or values], [Company] has [achievements or milestones].

Step 8: Add Call to Action and Media Contact

For more information about [product/feature], visit [website] or contact [media contact name] at [contact info].

**Media Contact Information:**
[Name]
Title: [Title]
Phone: [Phone]
Email: [Email]

Step 9: Test the Press Release

Ask these questions:

Would a customer care? If you sent this to a target customer, would they want to learn more?
Is the problem clear? Can someone who's never heard of your product understand the pain point?
Are benefits measurable? Can you prove the claims (time savings, cost reduction, etc.)?
Is it jargon-free? Could your mom understand it?
Does it pass the "so what?" test? If someone reads this and says "so what?" you haven't articulated value.

If any answer is "no," revise.

Examples

See examples/sample.md for full press release examples.

Mini example excerpt:

**Headline:** "Acme Launches SmartInvoice to Cut Processing Time by 60%"
**Problem:** Small businesses spend 8 hours/month on manual invoices
**Solution:** Automates extraction and approvals to save time

Common Pitfalls

Pitfall 1: Feature List Instead of Benefits

Symptom: "Includes AI, ML, OCR, NLP, and real-time sync"

Consequence: Customers don't care about features—they care about outcomes.

Fix: Translate features to benefits: "AI-powered automation reduces invoice processing time by 60%."

Pitfall 2: Vague Problem Statement

Symptom: "Solves inefficiency in workflows"

Consequence: No one recognizes themselves in this problem.

Fix: Be specific: "Small business owners spend 8 hours/month manually entering invoice data."

Pitfall 3: Jargon-Heavy Language

Symptom: "Leverages cutting-edge ML models to optimize enterprise-grade workflows"

Consequence: Customers can't understand what you're saying.

Fix: Write like you're explaining it to a friend: "Automatically handles invoices so you don't have to."

Pitfall 4: Generic Executive Quote

Symptom: "We're excited to bring innovation to market"

Consequence: Quote adds no value. Could apply to any product.

Fix: Make it customer-focused: "Business owners shouldn't spend weekends processing invoices—they should spend that time with family."

Pitfall 5: No Data or Validation

Symptom: "Customers will love this revolutionary new solution"

Consequence: Unsubstantiated claims = marketing fluff.

Fix: Add data: "Beta users saved an average of 5 hours per month" or "68% of SMBs cite invoice processing as their top admin burden."

References

Related Skills

skills/problem-statement/SKILL.md — Defines the customer problem the press release highlights
skills/positioning-statement/SKILL.md — Informs the differentiation and value proposition
skills/proto-persona/SKILL.md — Defines the target customer mentioned in the press release
skills/jobs-to-be-done/SKILL.md — Informs the customer benefits and outcomes

External Frameworks

Amazon's Working Backwards process — Origin of the press release-first methodology
Ian McAllister's Quora answer on Amazon's press release template (2012) — Widely cited explanation
Colin Bryar & Bill Carr, Working Backwards (2021) — Book on Amazon's product development process

Dean's Work

Visionary Press Release Prompt (inspired by Amazon's Working Backwards methodology)

Provenance

Adapted from prompts/visionary-press-release.md in the https://github.com/deanpeters/product-manager-prompts repo.

Skill type: Component Suggested filename: press-release.md Suggested placement: /skills/components/ Dependencies: References skills/problem-statement/SKILL.md, skills/positioning-statement/SKILL.md, skills/proto-persona/SKILL.md, skills/jobs-to-be-done/SKILL.md