When working with clients on how to implement Amazon principles, their most common question about the PR/FAQ process is “But why a Press Release before the product is built?” Here’s why Amazon does this.
Amazon writes a press release before building the product because it forces clarity. It forces you to define the customer’s problem, articulate your solution in their language, and describe the product in terms that matter to them, not to you or your business.
It forces you to skip technical jargon, business-speak, and vague goals. It requires you to explain precisely why the product will be better (higher quality), faster, and cheaper than the alternatives. This exercise is powerful because it’s grounded in customer needs, not company goals.
Importantly, the press release does not center on competitors, internal capabilities, or financial outcomes. It centers on value to the customer. When done right, it reads like something your customers would want to read.
So how do you begin writing this document?
Before typing a single sentence, get clear on who your customer is and what they need. What specific problem are they facing? Are the problems big enough for them to pay for a solution?
For example, imagine you’re launching a fitness app. Are you serving serious athletes chasing peak performance, or beginners who want a supportive first step? These are radically different customers, and each needs a radically different product. This means these products will start off with radically different press releases.
An exercise you can do to help with this process to describe two different target customers for your company’s product or service (or invent your own example). For each target customer persona, answer the following:
-What is their age range?
-What is their income level?
-What is their occupation?
-What is their family status (married, kids, single, etc.)?
-Where do they typically shop for your and your competitor’s products?
-How much do they typically spend on your category products and services per year?
-What do they love most about the products they use today?
-What would they most like to change or improve in the products they use?
This is how you start with the customer and work backwards to a successful product. The press release is a roadmap in that process. Once you’ve written it, you can use the FAQ section to work out the details, but the vision starts with a well-researched and well-written press release.
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