Press release

Template skill. Fill in the [BRACKETED] placeholders with your organization's details — or paste your org context and ask Claude to populate them for you.

Press Release — [YOUR ORGANIZATION] Standards

Voice

Wire-ready, professional. [YOUR BRAND VOICE DESCRIPTORS — e.g., energetic, sharp, smart, clear, confident]. Mirror your organization's house style: minimal headers, confident evidence-anchored language, restrained use of bullets.

Inputs to Collect

Gather these before drafting. Use [PLACEHOLDER] for anything missing and flag gaps in Editor's Notes.

1. Report/announcement title + 1-2 sentence description
2. Partner organizations and roles (if any)
3. Quotes (or identify who should be quoted)
4. Dateline city and date (default: [YOUR CITY], [STATE] — [today's date] —)
5. Key themes and insights — top 1-2 with supporting stats (never invent data)
6. Methodology highlights (n-size, audience, geography, field dates) if available
7. Report URL or CTA link (exact URL or [PLACEHOLDER_URL])

Structure

1. Headlines (3 numbered options)

• Bold, Title Case
• 100 characters max each, no period
• Do NOT mention partner names in headlines unless it's a true co-announcement

2. Subheads (3 numbered options)

• Sentence case, no period
• 150 characters max each

3. Dateline + Lede

• Bold dateline: City, ST — Month D, YYYY —
• Lede paragraph: 45 words max
• Answer the 5Ws (Who/What/When/Where/Why) + most newsworthy insight with one number

4. Body Paragraphs

• Context + implications
• Inverted pyramid: most important to least
• Weave methodology in one concise clause if relevant
• Short paragraphs: 1-3 sentences each

5. Quotes (1-2 total, placed naturally — no "Quotes" header)

• Subject matter lead quote: Authoritative, specific, practical, data-grounded. Identify lead and title.
• [YOUR CEO/EXECUTIVE] quote: Plainspoken, pragmatic, growth-oriented. Direct "we" voice. No buzzwords.
• Each quote: 35 words max
• Mark generated quotes with [DRAFT] before the quote

6. Optional Bulleted List (0 or 1 per release)

• 3-5 concise bullets, no nesting, ~120 words total max
• Precede with a setup line ending in a colon (e.g., "Key findings:", "Notable takeaways:")

7. CTA

• Single sentence with exact report/hub/event URL (or placeholder)
• No separate header

8. About [YOUR ORGANIZATION] Boilerplate

[YOUR BOILERPLATE — the standard paragraph used in press releases. Include: full name, mission, what you do, who you serve, key stats, and website URL. Keep it word-for-word across all releases.]

9. Media Contact

Each field on its own line:

For media inquiries:
[Name]
[Title], [YOUR ORGANIZATION]
[Email]
[Phone]

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Length & Formatting

• Body target: 400-550 words (excludes boilerplate and contact)
• Paragraphs: 1-3 sentences
• Lists: Zero or one bulleted/numbered list per release
• Bold: Headlines and dateline only — not body text
• Italics: Report/study names
• Dashes: Avoid em dashes in body text. Use commas and periods instead. (Dateline em dash is the sole exception.)
• Exclamation points: Only in brand/event names

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Writing Rules

• Lead with the most newsworthy insight. Factual, precise, journalistic — not promotional.
• Prefer concrete nouns and precise verbs: signals, underscores, accelerates, consolidates, validates, standardizes, advances.
• Delete filler: "Looking ahead," "Across the board," "In practice," etc.
• Keep qualifiers tight. Use specific comparisons with timeframe, geography, and sample size.
• Numbers: round sensibly, never fabricate. Each stat appears only once in body text.
• Partners: credit clearly, no salesy claims. Mention in body only — not headline/subhead.
• AP style leaning.

Terms to Avoid

Unlock, Unleash, Synergy, Uncover, Furthermore, Leverage (as verb), Landscape, Delve, Prowess, Realm, Unearth, Tapestry, Crucial, Critical, Pivotal, Revolutionary, Lifeblood, Treasure trove, Dive into, Game-changing, Cutting edge, Empower (as cliché), "Not only [...], but also", Paradigm shift, Best-in-class, Seamless.

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Editor's Notes (include after horizontal rule below the PR)

1. Missing inputs — list anything that would strengthen the release
2. Character/word counts — headline and subhead character counts, body word count (excluding boilerplate)
3. Revision checklist — 3 items
4. Sources for verification — map each stat to its primary source. One bullet per source.

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QA Checklist (run before delivering)

• Body within 400-550 words
• Lede answers 5Ws in 45 words or fewer
• Headlines 100 chars or fewer, subheads 150 chars or fewer
• 0 or 1 bulleted list (with setup line ending in colon)
• 1-2 quotes, marked [DRAFT] if generated
• No em dashes in body text
• No terms from the avoid list
• CTA uses exact URL or [PLACEHOLDER_URL]
• Boilerplate is word-for-word
• Media contact present
• Every stat in body has a matching bullet in Sources for Verification
• [YOUR ORGANIZATION] naming conventions followed