Write an Amazon-style press release that defines customer value before building. Use when aligning stakeholders on a new product, feature, or strategic bet.

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: 1. Headline: Clear, benefit focused product announcement 2. Dateline: City, state, date 3. Introduction paragraph: What's being launched, who it's for, key benefit 4. Problem paragraph: Customer problem the product solves 5. Solution paragraph: How the product addresses the problem (outcomes, not features) 6. Quote from company leader: Vision, customer commitment 7. Additional details: Supporting benefits or data 8. Boilerplate: Company background 9. Call to action: How to learn more 10. 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: 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 Quality checks: Concise: 2 3 sentences max Customer problem mentioned: Don't jump to solution—name the problem first Step 4: Explain 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) 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 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 Step 8: Add Call to Action and Media Contact Step 9: Test the Press Release Ask these questions: 1. Would a customer care? If you sent this to a target customer, would they want to learn more? 2. Is the problem clear? Can someone who's never heard of your product understand the pain point? 3. Are benefits measurable? Can you prove the claims (time savings, cost reduction, etc.)? 4. Is it jargon free? Could your mom understand it? 5. 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: 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

press-release