press-release-writing

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(belt *)

Install the belt CLI skill: npx skills add belt-sh/cli

Press Release Writing

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

Quick Start

Requires inference.sh CLI (belt). Install instructions

belt login

# Research for fact-checking and context
belt app run tavily/search-assistant --input '{
  "query": "SaaS funding rounds Q1 2024 average series A size"
}'

AP Style Format

Structure

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

CITY, STATE (Month Day, Year) — 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

✅ Company X Launches AI-Powered Analytics Platform for Enterprise Teams
✅ Company X Raises $25 Million Series B to Expand Global Operations
✅ 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 —
NEW YORK, March 3, 2026 —
LONDON, Dec. 10, 2026 —

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."

✅ "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.

✅ "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."

✅ "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
[e-mail]
[phone]

The Inverted Pyramid

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

┌─────────────────────────┐
│    MOST IMPORTANT       │  Lead: core announcement
│    (Who, What, When,    │
│     Where, Why)         │
├─────────────────────────┤
│  IMPORTANT DETAILS      │  Supporting facts, context
│  (How, stats, quotes)   │
├─────────────────────────┤
│  BACKGROUND             │  Industry context, history
│  (Context, trends)      │
├─────────────────────────┤
│  ADDITIONAL INFO        │  Availability, pricing
│  (Nice to have)         │
├─────────────────────────┤
│  BOILERPLATE            │  About section, contact
└─────────────────────────┘

Research & Fact-Checking

Verify Claims

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

# Verify competitor claims
belt app run exa/search --input '{
  "query": "Company X competitors enterprise analytics market share"
}'

# Get industry statistics
belt 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
belt 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

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