--- name: "press_release_writing" description: "Write press releases that editors will actually run: the newsworthiness bar, inverted-pyramid structure, headline and boilerplate craft, quotes with substance, and embargo and distribution timing. Triggers when drafting a press release, announcing a launch, preparing a company statement, or pitching news to media." metadata: { "includeInPrompt": true } --- # Press Release Writing ## Purpose A press release is a news story written so an editor can run it nearly as-is. It either clears the newsworthiness bar or belongs in a newsletter, a blog post, or a social update. This skill covers news announcements only: what counts as news, how to structure it, how to write each part, and when to send it. Not this skill: email newsletters (see email-newsletter), tone systems (see brand-voice). ## Workflow ### 1. Pass the newsworthiness bar Real news has at least one of these: something changed (launch, shutdown, merger, hiring a notable leader), a number worth reporting (funding amount, users, growth rate), a conflict or milestone the audience already cares about, or timely relevance to something in the news right now. Not news: "we're excited about our roadmap," internal promotions nobody knows, awards from pay-to-play lists, a version bump with no user-facing change, "we exist" with no hook. If it fails the bar, it is an announcement, not a release. Say so and suggest the right channel instead. Ask the source question: what happened, and why would a stranger care this week? If the answer is weak, the release is weak. No formatting fixes that. ### 2. Build the inverted pyramid Lead with the news. Everything after fills in detail in descending order of importance, so the release still works if an editor cuts it from the bottom. Paragraph 1, the lead: who, what, when, where, and why it matters, in 35 to 45 words. No setup, no throat-clearing. The reader should know the entire story after one paragraph. Paragraphs 2-3: the essential details. Numbers, dates, how it works, who is affected. Paragraph 4-ish: a quote that adds something new (see below). Remaining paragraphs: background, context, smaller details. Last: the boilerplate, about the company. Total length: one page, roughly 400-500 words. If it runs longer, something below the quote can be cut. ### 3. Write the headline The headline states the news in present tense, no more than 10-12 words. It reads like a newspaper headline, not an ad slogan. Strong: "Northwind Robotics Raises $40M to Put Delivery Robots in 30 Cities" Weak: "Northwind Robotics Announces Exciting New Phase of Growth" Subheadline (optional, one line): the single most interesting detail the headline could not fit. ### 4. Write quotes that say something real The quote is the only place opinion is allowed, so make it count. It should reveal reasoning, stakes, or a position the reader could not get from the facts. Write it the way the person actually talks. Bad quote: "We are thrilled about this exciting milestone and look forward to continuing to deliver value." Good quote: "Every city we talked to had the same complaint: delivery costs were eating their small businesses alive. This round lets us prove the model works at city scale." Rule: if the quote could be pasted into any company's release without sounding wrong, it says nothing. Delete it and ask what the speaker actually believes. ### 5. Write the boilerplate Three to four sentences, in third person. What the company does, for whom, and one verifiable proof point (founded year, headcount, city count). Ends with the website URL. Keep it identical across releases unless facts change. ### 6. Time the release and distribution Embargo basics: an embargo means you share the release early and the reporter agrees not to publish before a date and time. Use embargoes only when early access genuinely helps coverage (a launch with a known date, a study reporters need to read). State the embargo in the header: "EMBARGOED UNTIL 9:00 AM ET, OCTOBER 14." If there is no reason for an embargo, mark it "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE" and send it at the time news breaks. Timing: mid-morning on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, in the timezone of your target audience. Avoid Monday mornings (buried in backlog), Friday afternoons (nobody reads it), and major holidays or big news events that will swallow the story. Distribution guidance: send to specific reporters who cover this beat, with a one-line personal pitch above the release, not to a mass blast list. A targeted note to ten right people beats a hundred wrong ones. If you use a distribution service, verify pricing and reach on your own machine before committing; this skill does not recommend one. Header block: include a contact name, email, and phone number so a reporter on deadline can reach a human. ## Output Contract Return the full release text, ready to send: header (embargo/immediate + contact), headline, subheadline, dateline, body in inverted pyramid, boilerplate. Then a short notes section: which news hook it leads with, which beat of reporters to target, and the recommended send time with timezone. ## Operating Rules - Never send a release that fails the newsworthiness bar. Say which channel fits instead. - Every fact in the release must come from the source, not invented. Dates, numbers, names, quotes: all provided or all marked as placeholders. - One page. If the draft exceeds 500 words, cut from the bottom until it fits. - The lead paragraph must stand alone as the whole story. - No promotional adjectives in the body. "Leading" and "innovative" are claims, prove them or drop them. - Quotes add information or they get cut. - Example releases inside this skill are fictional and labeled as such. Never present them as real. - Anything you cannot verify (a specific newswire, a price, a deadline) gets flagged "verify on your machine" or is left out. ## Worked Example (FICTIONAL) The following is a fictional example. Northwind Robotics, its CEO Maya Okafor, and every fact below are invented for illustration. --- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: June Park, june@northwind.example, (555) 014-2290 Northwind Robotics Raises $40M to Put Delivery Robots in 30 Cities Company will triple its fleet and open a second manufacturing plant in Ohio by mid-2027. CHICAGO, October 14, 2026, Northwind Robotics said today it has raised $40 million in Series B funding to expand its sidewalk delivery robot network from 12 to 30 cities, the largest single round in the company's five-year history. The round was led by Harborlight Ventures, with participation from existing investor Cedar Lane Capital. Northwind says it will use the money to build a second manufacturing plant in Columbus, Ohio, and triple its delivery fleet to 900 robots by June 2027. "Every city we talked to had the same complaint: delivery costs were eating their small businesses alive," said Maya Okafor, chief executive of Northwind Robotics. "This round lets us prove the model works at city scale, not just in pilot neighborhoods." The company's robots currently complete about 40,000 deliveries a week across its 12 cities, mostly for restaurants and pharmacies. Northwind charges merchants a flat $1.50 per delivery, compared with the $6 to $9 typical of app-based courier services. About Northwind Robotics: Northwind Robotics builds autonomous sidewalk delivery robots for local merchants. Founded in 2021 and based in Chicago, the company operates in 12 U.S. cities and employs 140 people. www.northwind.example --- Release notes: the hook is the $40M round plus the 12-to-30 city expansion. Target: retail-tech and robotics beat reporters. Send mid-morning Central on a Tuesday through Thursday, unless a major news event is crowding the cycle.