Writing the Press Release and FAQ (PRFAQ)

The key document in the Working Backwards process is the Press Release and FAQ (PRFAQ). This document is written by the Product Manager for any significant new product or feature.

The PRFAQ document is a tool to collaborate and align with cross functional teams and stakeholders on the why, what and when of a new product or feature. The PRFAQ can be used to help assess the cost benefit of the customer pain point and the proposed solution, before investing a lot of resource on building the solution itself. The document is likely to require some degree of customer interaction to understand the pain point in sufficient detail to ensure a product market fit on the proposed solution.

The key thing for the Product Manager is to attempt to write the PR quickly, with current knowledge and use the writing experience itself to inform where the unknowns are for further investigation. The document should be written iteratively with frequent feedback from the project team including engineers and designers. The PR should also be shared with stakeholders such as leadership and go to market teams to drive alignment before getting too far along with developing a solution.

Writing tips:

• Write and align on the PR before writing the FAQs.

• Assume that nobody will read past the first paragraph.

• Determine the superlative for the new product and make it pop early in the document.

• Remove unnecessary words.

• Use plain language. Avoid technical jargon, abbreviations and obscure words.

• Avoid repetition. Instead, use different words and angles to describe the same concept to help the reader understand.

• Avoid weasel words, e.g. might, could , should, would, a bit, somewhat.

• Be consistent on the new product or feature naming.

• Write in a friendly, professional active voice. No first person.

Press Release (PR) Structure	1 Page Max
Headline	This is in the format of LearnUpon Launches X
Tagline	One sentence that captures the key customer benefit. No punctuation at end of sentence. Tips: Write this last, write the benefit statement first.
Paragraph 1 (Benefits statement). This paragraph concisely states what the product is and what benefit it brings to customers.	City and launch date. New York, August 2023, LearnUpon announces the launch of X. Short, concise, factual description. Relevant product category - learner experience, reporting, platform, content authoring etc.
​Paragraph 2 (problem statement). This paragraph states the customer pain point being addressed and the friction the customer used to face due to not having the new solution.	Build tension in the reader by describing the pain experienced previously before this new solution existed. Describe how existing solutions fall short. Call out the segment of customers that is served or not served by existing solutions (if applicable). Respect the past. Do not be derogatory about existing LearnUpon products and features. Describes pain points in detail. Make the pain viseral for the reader. A customer reading this would recognize the pain and would react physically.
Paragraph 3 (the takedown). This paragraph punches you in the face with the new solution and how it solves the pain described in paragraph 2.	This paragraph starts with - “Now with product X, customers can do a,b,c. The paragraph directly connects the features of the product with the pain described in paragraph 2. Provide more detail about the product in this paragraph than paragraph 1.
Paragraph 4 (Leader quote).	Captures the benefit to the customer described in words Brendan or Des would actually use when presenting the product to a customer. Use this as an opportunity to speak to how this product fits into the bigger picture.
Paragraph 5 (getting started and cx).	This paragraph starts with describing the easy to get started experience. “You can get started by navigating to the admin screen and one-click enabling product X.” One-click setup should be the goal (opt-in). Automatic is best possible getting experience if opt-in is not required. Describe any out of the box features that come with the product, e.g. libraries, samples, templates. Mention programmatic access (API, CLI, SDKs) if available. Goal is to motivate customers to try it out.
Paragraph 6-7 (customer quotes).	​Why a customer cares in the words of one of our customers. Include the name and title of your customer at the end of the quote. You can use more than one customer quote to cover the different problems solved by the same solution. Believable. The quote doesn’t need to be real but the reader should not know if it is or not.
Last paragraph (wrap up)	Tell the reader where to go to get started or find more information. Include links. Pricing could be mentioned here.

Customer Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)	Max 5 Pages
What are you launching today?	Today we are launching [Feature x], a ...
2. What can I do with [Feature X]?	Structure as use cases that resonate with the customer, e.g. compliance training, new employee onboarding.
3. Why should I use [Feature X]?	What are the key benefits.
4. How do I get started?	Describe the feature onboarding experience.
5. How does [Feature X] relate to / work with other LearnUpon features?	Self explanatory.
6. Can I use the feature programmatically?	Is there an API available?
7. What is the price for using [Feature X]?	Pricing details.