press-kit-protocol

name	press-kit-protocol
description	Clio's playbook. Story angles, embargo etiquette, press-kit assembly, outlet tiering.
user-invocable	false
argument-hint	<angle|assemble|pitch|tier>
allowed-tools	["Read","Write"]

Press Kit Protocol

Clio's playbook for earned media. Converts a CreativeBrief into press-ready angles, an assembled press kit, and a tiered outlet pitch plan.

Purpose

Produce coverage that compounds brand equity. The protocol enforces angle clarity, embargo discipline, and a kit assembly that does not waste a reporter's time.

When to use

• A campaign has a hard news hook (launch, funding, partnership, milestone).
• A founder, exec, or research drop creates a thought-leadership opportunity.
• A /creative-campaign includes pr-earned in channels.
• A response is needed to a competitor narrative or industry event.

Inputs

• CreativeBrief.objective, key_messages, brand_constraints
• Available facts: dates, numbers, exclusivity status, available executives, embargo windows
• Prior coverage and outlet relationships via eights.memory.recall(tags=["pr","outlet","reporter"])

Outputs

• press_kit/ directory with: boilerplate, fact sheet, exec bios, hi-res asset bundle, contact card, embargoed release
• pitch_plan.json with tiered outlet list, reporter assignments, pitch angles, send schedule
• Coverage tracker initialized for measurement

Story angles framework

A pitch lives or dies on its angle. Pick at least one; combine no more than two.

1. News hook — there is a hard, dated, verifiable event. The simplest angle. Requires real news.
2. Exclusivity — one outlet gets it first. Trade: depth and front-of-mind placement for breadth.
3. Data drop — original research, novel dataset, surprising finding. Pairs well with a chart-rich kit. Reporters love numbers they can quote.
4. Founder-led — origin story, contrarian operator perspective, or founder taking a public position. Requires a media-ready founder.
5. Contrarian take — counter the conventional industry wisdom. High risk of clapback; must be defensible with data.
6. Trend-mapping — "X is happening across the industry; we are the proof point." Works for trade press.
7. Customer story — named customer, measurable outcome, on-the-record quote. The gold standard for B2B.
8. Milestone — anniversaries, headcounts, user counts; only when the number is genuinely impressive.
9. Personnel — exec hire, board addition, advisor announcement. Trade and vertical only unless the person is industry-famous.
10. Issue-led — anchor to a topical issue (policy, regulation, cultural moment). Walk the brand-safety line; coordinate with brand-safety.

Kill any angle that is purely promotional. Reporters can smell a press release dressed as a story.

Embargo etiquette

• Always specify the embargo time, time zone, and date in the subject line and the first line of the email.
• Embargo windows: 24-72 hours typical; <24h is rude; >5 business days leaks.
• Do NOT pitch on embargo to outlets you have no prior relationship with; they may publish early.
• If a reporter says "I can't agree to your embargo," do not send the materials. Move on.
• One embargo break = that outlet does not get embargoed pitches from you again. Tell them why.
• Exclusives override embargo: if one outlet has the exclusive, others receive the kit only at publish-time.
• For data drops, embargoed access to the underlying dataset is more valuable than the press release.

Press kit assembly

Directory layout under press_kit/{campaign_id}/:

• release.md — the embargoed press release; one page; inverted pyramid; quote from named exec; quote from named customer or partner where possible; boilerplate at bottom.
• boilerplate.md — 75-120 word company description; identical across all releases; updated centrally.
• fact_sheet.md — founded date, HQ, founders, funding history, key numbers, leadership; bullet form.
• exec_bios/ — one .md per executive; 100-200 words; current title; pronouns; high-res headshot referenced.
• assets/ — hi-res images (3000px+ on long edge), product shots, logo bundle (SVG + PNG, light + dark), screenshots with browser chrome optional, b-roll if available.
• data/ — for data-drop angles: the dataset (cleaned), methodology, chart files (PNG + source data CSV).
• contact.md — single point of contact, direct email, phone, time zone, availability windows.
• quotes.md — pre-approved exec and partner quotes that reporters can pull verbatim.

Deliver as a Dropbox / Google Drive / Notion link with view-only access OR a .zip for trade press that prefers attachments. Avoid PDFs that lock copy; reporters need quotable text.

Tiering outlets

• Tier 1 — top general-business and tech outlets (e.g. Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Financial Times, Bloomberg, Reuters, The Information, Wired). Long lead times, exclusivity-driven, one shot per angle. Pitch with concrete exclusivity offer.
• Tier 2 — strong tech / business outlets and major industry trades (e.g. TechCrunch, Fast Company, Forbes contributors who report, Axios, Business Insider, The Verge, Ars Technica). Embargoes respected; pitch with angle + exclusive lever if possible.
• Trade press — industry-specific (AdAge, AdWeek, Variety, Hollywood Reporter, MediaPost, MarTech, Modern Retail, etc.). Highest hit rate; reporters appreciate operational detail.
• Vertical / niche — newsletters with engaged audiences (Stratechery, Lenny's, Hustle, etc.), Substack independents, podcast hosts, YouTube reviewers. Often outperform Tier 1 for actual conversions; relationship-driven.
• Local / regional — for hiring stories, office openings, community initiatives.

Do not pitch the same angle to Tier 1 and Tier 2 simultaneously. Cascade: Tier 1 first with exclusivity OR embargo; Tier 2 + trade at release; vertical / niche at release + ongoing.

Procedure

1. Identify the strongest angle (max two). Stress-test: would a reporter cover this if it were a competitor doing it? If no, the angle is too thin.
2. Confirm available facts; secure exec quotes; lock customer / partner quotes with sign-off.
3. Assemble the press kit. Run brand-safety IP-clearance on every asset in assets/.
4. Decide cascade: pure exclusive to one Tier 1, OR embargoed multi-pitch to Tier 1 + Tier 2.
5. Draft pitch emails: subject line names the angle; first paragraph delivers the news; second paragraph offers access (exec interview, demo, dataset, embargo terms).
6. Send according to schedule; log responses in pitch_plan.json.
7. Publish day: release the kit broadly; brief Terpsichore for amplification; brief Euterpe if paid syndication is in plan.
8. Track coverage; write back to memory with tags=["pr","coverage","outlet","reporter"] including reporter, outlet tier, angle, sentiment, traffic delta, and any quote pulls.

Failure modes / escalation

• Embargo breaks early — pivot to immediate publication; do not punish other outlets who honored the embargo; note the breaker for future exclusion.
• Story misrepresents the brand — Calliope coordinates a correction request; do NOT publicly contradict the reporter without strategic reason.
• Reporter requests data not yet cleared — route to brand-safety and Calliope; do not send unsigned.
• No coverage from Tier 1 — fall back to vertical / niche where conversion impact is often higher anyway.

References

• Brand voice and quote approval: platform-voice, brand-safety
• Memory tags: pr, outlet, reporter, coverage, embargo