Working backwards press release

What it's for

If you can't write a short, convincing announcement for a product, it probably isn't ready to build. Working backwards starts with that announcement: a headline, who it's for, the problem, how the product solves it and a quote from a customer. A list of questions and answers underneath deals with the hard parts, from pricing to what could go wrong.

Write it in words a customer would use, with no internal jargon. Then have someone who wasn't in the room read it.

How to run it

1. Headline and subheading10 min

   Name the product in customers' words, and say who it's for and what they get in one sentence.

2. Summary and problem15 min

   The product and its benefit, written as if it's all anyone reads, then the problem it solves.

3. Solution and quotes15 min

   How it solves the problem simply, a quote from your company and one from an imagined customer.

4. The FAQ25 min

   The questions customers would ask, and the harder ones the business would: cost, risk, what you'd stop doing.

5. Read it aloud10 min2 votes each

   Is it compelling enough to build? Vote on the weakest part.

Tips

• Keep the release to a page. If it needs more, the idea isn't clear yet.
• The FAQ is where the real work is. Put the uncomfortable questions there.

Where it comes from

Pairs well with