press-release

SKILL.md

Write customer-focused press releases before building to align stakeholders on product vision.

Follows Amazon's Working Backwards methodology: start with a press release and FAQ before engineering begins, forcing clarity on customer value and problem solved

Structured template covers headline, problem statement, solution (outcomes not features), executive quote, supporting details, and call to action

Serves as a planning and alignment tool, not a launch-day marketing document; helps test if a product idea is compelling enough to warrant development

Includes quality checks and anti-patterns to avoid feature-centric language, vague benefits, jargon, and unsubstantiated claims

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?"

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: