Press release templates
Amazon-style (working backwards) press release template and example
A free, copy-and-paste Amazon-style (working backwards) press release template, with headline formulas, a checklist of what to include and who to send it to.
When to use an Amazon-style (working backwards) press release
Use the Amazon "working backwards" press release as an internal planning tool. You write the launch release before you build the product, to test whether the idea is clear and valuable to customers.
Free Amazon-style (working backwards) press release template
Copy the template, replace everything in square brackets, and cut anything that does not apply.
[HEADLINE: product and customer benefit] [Subheadline: who the customer is and what they get] [CITY], [Launch date] — [Summary paragraph: the product and its benefit.] Problem: [The customer's problem, in their words.] Solution: [How the product solves it, simply.] "[Quote from a company leader]," said [Name]. How it works: [The customer experience, step by step.] "[Quote from a hypothetical customer describing the benefit]," said [Customer]. Getting started: [How to start using it.] FAQ Q: [Customer question] A: [Answer] Q: [Internal question, e.g. cost or risks] A: [Answer]
Headline formulas
[Company] announces [product] to help [customer] [benefit]
What to include
- A customer-focused headline and subheadline
- The problem, from the customer's side
- The solution and how it works
- A leader quote and a customer quote
- How to get started, followed by an FAQ
Tips before you send
- Write it before building. If it is hard to write, the idea needs work.
- Keep it to one page plus the FAQ.
A release is not a pitch
Journalists rarely open a release sent to a mass list. Send a short personal email to each reporter, with the news in the first line and the release pasted below it. The InsightFuse PR agent writes those personal pitches for you and sends them one by one from your own inbox.
Who to send an Amazon-style (working backwards) press release to
These are the journalists most likely to cover this kind of announcement. Browse by beat and country, then build your list in the app.
More press release templates
Frequently asked questions
What is the Amazon press release format?
Also called "working backwards" or PR/FAQ, it is an internal document written as a future launch press release plus an FAQ, used to test a product idea before building it.
Is an Amazon PR/FAQ sent to journalists?
No. It is an internal planning document, though it often becomes the basis of the real launch release.
Get started
Find the reporters who’ll cover you — free.
Search 799,000+ journalists by beat, outlet and country, then let the PR agent write and send the pitches. No credit card.