press-release

Press Release Skill

Writes press releases that journalists actually read — structured around the news angle, not the desire to promote.

Required Inputs

• The news (what is actually happening — be specific)
• Company name
• Date of announcement / embargo date
• Key quote (from which executive and approximately what they want to say)
• Why this matters (to the reader, not the company)
• Target media (trade / national / local / consumer / investor)
• Media contact details

Output Structure

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE / EMBARGOED UNTIL: [Date and time]

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[Headline — active verb, specific news, under 10 words]

[Subheadline — the so-what in one sentence, adds context not repetition]

[City, Date] — [Opening paragraph: Who, What, When, Where, Why in 2-3 sentences. A journalist should be able to run this paragraph alone. No background, no context, no company history.]

[Second paragraph: the significance. Why does this matter? What does it mean for customers or the industry?]

[Third paragraph: quote from executive. Human and specific. Not a restatement of the headline.]

"[Quote text — specific, adds something the facts do not say]," said [Name], [Title] at [Company]. "[Second sentence extending the thought]."

[Fourth paragraph: supporting detail — data, customer names with permission, additional context]

[Fifth paragraph optional: what happens next, when it goes live, what people can do]

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ENDS

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Notes to editors:

About [Company]

[Boilerplate: 3-4 sentences. What the company does, when founded, where based, key facts. Factual not promotional.]

Media contact:

[Name] | [Title] | [Email] | [Phone] | [Hours/timezone]

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Headline Rules

• Active voice: "Company launches X" not "X is launched by Company"
• Specific: "raises 5M" not "secures significant investment"
• Under 10 words
• Never start with the company name — lead with the news

Journalist Test

Would a journalist care? Is the headline the full story? Is there a human angle? Is the quote something a human would say? Can the first paragraph stand alone?

Scoring Rubric (0–40)

Score any output of this skill before handing it over; 32+ is ship-quality.

| Dimension | 0 | 5 | 10 |

|---|---|---|---|

| Headline & lead | Passive headline over 12 words starting with the company name; the news is buried mid-release | Active headline, but the first paragraph needs the second to make sense | Active, specific headline under 10 words; first paragraph carries who/what/when/where/why and could run verbatim |

| Newsworthiness | Reads as advertising — superlatives, no reader-side "so what" | Real news present but wrapped in promotional framing a journalist must strip | Significance paragraph answers why an outsider cares; limitations stated plainly rather than hidden |

| Quote quality | Quote restates the headline in corporate voice | Quote sounds human but adds no information the facts don't already carry | Quote says something new, sounds like a person, and would survive being the only excerpt used |

| Apparatus completeness | No release/embargo line, boilerplate, or media contact | Apparatus present but boilerplate is promotional or contact lacks phone/hours | Release line, ENDS marker, factual dates-and-numbers boilerplate, and full contact with hours/timezone |

Quality Checks

• [ ] Headline uses active voice and is under 10 words
• [ ] First paragraph stands alone as the complete story
• [ ] Quote adds something the facts don't say (not a restatement)
• [ ] Boilerplate is factual, not promotional
• [ ] Embargo date and media contact are included

Anti-Patterns

• [ ] Do not bury the news — the most important information must appear in the first paragraph (inverted pyramid)
• [ ] Do not use promotional language or superlatives — press releases must read as news, not advertising copy
• [ ] Do not omit the boilerplate — every press release needs the standard "About [Company]" paragraph at the end
• [ ] Do not forget the embargo date and media contact — journalists need both to use the release
• [ ] Do not write a headline longer than 12 words — it must be scannable and specific

Example Trigger Phrases

• "Write a press release announcing [news]"
• "Draft a media statement about [event]"
• "We are launching [product] — write the press release"
• "Turn this announcement into a press release: [paste notes]"