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Press Release Writing

by @okaris

Press release writing in AP style with inverted pyramid structure. Covers formatting, datelines, quotes, boilerplates, and fact-checking. Use for: product la...

Versionv0.1.5
Downloads1,153
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TERMINAL
clawhub install press-release-writing

πŸ“– About This Skill


name: press-release-writing description: "Press release writing in AP style with inverted pyramid structure. Covers formatting, datelines, quotes, boilerplates, and fact-checking. Use for: product launches, funding announcements, partnerships, company news, events. Triggers: press release, pr writing, media release, news release, announcement, product launch announcement, funding announcement, company news, media advisory, ap style, press statement, news wire" allowed-tools: Bash(infsh *)

Press Release Writing

Write professional press releases with research and fact-checking via inference.sh CLI.

Quick Start

curl -fsSL https://cli.inference.sh | sh && infsh login

Research for fact-checking and context

infsh app run tavily/search-assistant --input '{ "query": "SaaS funding rounds Q1 2024 average series A size" }'

> Install note: The install script only detects your OS/architecture, downloads the matching binary from dist.inference.sh, and verifies its SHA-256 checksum. No elevated permissions or background processes. Manual install & verification available.

AP Style Format

Structure

HEADLINE IN TITLE CASE, PRESENT TENSE, NO PERIOD
Optional Subheadline With More Detail

CITY, STATE (Month Day, Year) β€” Lead paragraph with WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, and WHY in the first 25 words.

Second paragraph expands on the lead with supporting details, context, and significance.

"Executive quote providing perspective on the announcement," said [Full Name], [Title] at [Company]. "Second sentence of quote adding depth or forward-looking statement."

Body paragraphs with additional details, arranged in descending order of importance (inverted pyramid).

"Supporting quote from partner, customer, or analyst," said [Full Name], [Title] at [Organization].

Final paragraph with availability, pricing, or next steps.

About [Company] [Company] is a [description]. Founded in [year], the company [brief background]. For more information, visit [website].

Media Contact: [Name] [Email] [Phone]

Section-by-Section Guide

Headline

❌ Company X Announces Revolutionary New Product That Will Change Everything!
❌ Press Release: Company X
❌ Company X's Amazing Product Launch

βœ… Company X Launches AI-Powered Analytics Platform for Enterprise Teams βœ… Company X Raises $25 Million Series B to Expand Global Operations βœ… Company X Partners With Acme Corp to Accelerate Cloud Migration

Rules:

  • Present tense, active voice
  • No period at end
  • No superlatives ("revolutionary", "groundbreaking", "best-in-class")
  • No exclamation points
  • Include the key news element
  • Title case
  • Dateline

    SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 15, 2026 β€”
    NEW YORK, March 3, 2026 β€”
    LONDON, Dec. 10, 2026 β€”
    

    AP month abbreviations: Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., Dec. (March, April, May, June, July spelled out)

    Lead Paragraph

    Answer WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY in 25-35 words:

    ❌ "We are thrilled to announce that after months of hard work, our talented
        team has created something truly special that we think you'll love."

    βœ… "Company X, a developer tools startup, today launched DataFlow, an AI-powered analytics platform that automates reporting for enterprise engineering teams."

    Quotes

    Rules:

  • 1-2 quotes maximum (CEO/founder + partner/customer)
  • Never start a quote with "I"
  • Attribution format: "Quote," said Full Name, Title at Company.
  • Quotes should add perspective, not repeat facts from the body
  • Forward-looking quotes work well: "We believe this will..."
  • ❌ "I am so excited about this launch," said John Smith.
    ❌ "We launched a new product today," said the CEO.

    βœ… "Enterprise teams spend an average of 15 hours per week on manual reporting," said Sarah Chen, CEO of Company X. "DataFlow eliminates that burden entirely, letting engineers focus on building."

    βœ… "Since adopting DataFlow, our reporting cycle dropped from three days to three minutes," said Marcus Lee, VP of Engineering at Acme Corp.

    Boilerplate (About Section)

    About Company X
    Company X is a [category] company that [what it does] for [who].
    Founded in [year] and headquartered in [city], the company serves
    [number] customers across [industries/geographies]. For more
    information, visit www.companyx.com.
    

    Keep to 3-4 sentences. Consistent across all press releases.

    Media Contact

    Media Contact:
    Jane Doe
    PR Manager, Company X
    jane@companyx.com
    (555) 123-4567
    

    The Inverted Pyramid

    Most important information first. Each paragraph is less critical than the one before. Editors cut from the bottom.

    β”Œβ”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”
    β”‚    MOST IMPORTANT       β”‚  Lead: core announcement
    β”‚    (Who, What, When,    β”‚
    β”‚     Where, Why)         β”‚
    β”œβ”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€
    β”‚  IMPORTANT DETAILS      β”‚  Supporting facts, context
    β”‚  (How, stats, quotes)   β”‚
    β”œβ”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€
    β”‚  BACKGROUND             β”‚  Industry context, history
    β”‚  (Context, trends)      β”‚
    β”œβ”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€
    β”‚  ADDITIONAL INFO        β”‚  Availability, pricing
    β”‚  (Nice to have)         β”‚
    β”œβ”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€
    β”‚  BOILERPLATE            β”‚  About section, contact
    β””β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”€β”˜
    

    Research & Fact-Checking

    Verify Claims

    # Check market size claims
    infsh app run tavily/search-assistant --input '{
      "query": "enterprise analytics market size 2024 2025 forecast"
    }'

    Verify competitor claims

    infsh app run exa/search --input '{ "query": "Company X competitors enterprise analytics market share" }'

    Get industry statistics

    infsh app run exa/answer --input '{ "question": "How much time do engineering teams spend on reporting weekly?" }'

    Add Context

    # Industry trends for the "why now" angle
    infsh app run tavily/search-assistant --input '{
      "query": "AI automation enterprise reporting trends 2024"
    }'
    

    Press Release Types

    Product Launch

    Focus: What it does, who it's for, why it matters, availability Quote: CEO or product lead on the vision

    Funding Announcement

    Focus: Amount, round, lead investor, what funds will be used for Quote: CEO on growth plans + lead investor on why they invested

    Partnership

    Focus: What the partnership enables, benefits to customers Quote: One from each company

    Milestone / Achievement

    Focus: The metric, growth trajectory, what it means Quote: CEO on the journey and what's next

    Executive Hire

    Focus: Who, their background, what they'll lead Quote: CEO on why this hire + new exec on why they joined

    Length Guidelines

    | Element | Length | |---------|--------| | Headline | 10-15 words | | Subheadline (optional) | 15-25 words | | Total body | 400-600 words | | Quotes | 2-3 sentences each, max 2 quotes | | Boilerplate | 3-4 sentences | | Total | 500-800 words |

    Over 800 words and editors won't read it. Under 400 and it lacks substance.

    AP Style Quick Reference

    | Rule | Example | |------|---------| | Numbers 1-9 spelled out, 10+ as digits | "nine employees" / "10 employees" | | Percent as one word | "15 percent" (not 15% in body text) | | Titles before names capitalized | "CEO Sarah Chen" | | Titles after names lowercase | "Sarah Chen, chief executive officer" | | Company names: no Inc./Corp. in body | "Company X" not "Company X, Inc." | | Dates: month day, year | "Jan. 15, 2026" | | States abbreviated in dateline | "SAN FRANCISCO, Calif." | | Serial comma: AP does NOT use it | "fast, simple and effective" |

    Common Mistakes

    | Mistake | Problem | Fix | |---------|---------|-----| | Superlatives | "Revolutionary" = ignored by editors | State facts, let readers judge | | Exclamation points | Unprofessional | Never use in press releases | | Starting quotes with "I" | Informal, weak opening | Start with a fact or insight | | Burying the lead | Key news in paragraph 3 | Most important info first | | Too long | Won't be read | 500-800 words max | | Jargon | Alienates non-expert readers | Write for a general audience | | No fact-checking | Credibility risk | Verify all claims and statistics | | Missing contact info | Journalists can't follow up | Always include media contact |

    Checklist

  • [ ] Headline: present tense, active voice, no period, no superlatives
  • [ ] Dateline: correct AP format (CITY, STATE, date)
  • [ ] Lead: WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY in first 25 words
  • [ ] Inverted pyramid: most important first
  • [ ] Quotes: attributed, don't start with "I", add perspective
  • [ ] All claims and statistics fact-checked
  • [ ] Boilerplate: consistent with other releases
  • [ ] Media contact: name, email, phone
  • [ ] 500-800 words total
  • [ ] Read aloud for flow
  • Related Skills

    npx skills add inference-sh/skills@web-search
    npx skills add inference-sh/skills@prompt-engineering
    

    Browse all apps: infsh app list

    πŸ’‘ Examples

    curl -fsSL https://cli.inference.sh | sh && infsh login

    Research for fact-checking and context

    infsh app run tavily/search-assistant --input '{ "query": "SaaS funding rounds Q1 2024 average series A size" }'

    > Install note: The install script only detects your OS/architecture, downloads the matching binary from dist.inference.sh, and verifies its SHA-256 checksum. No elevated permissions or background processes. Manual install & verification available.