Amazon PR/FAQ (Working Backwards)
Create an Amazon-style PR/FAQ document using the Working Backwards framework for product innovation.
What is PR/FAQ?
PR/FAQ stands for Press Release and Frequently Asked Questions. It's Amazon's "Working Backwards" method for product planning. Instead of starting with features and building forward, you start with the customer experience and work backwards. You write a press release as if your product already launched (describing it from the customer's perspective on launch day. This approach helps you focus on solving real customer problems before committing time and resources to development. It's perfect for aligning teams, validating ideas, and ensuring you're building something people actually want.
Prompt
Create an Amazon-style PR/FAQ (Press Release/Frequently Asked Questions) document for [product/feature name] using the Working Backwards framework.
What is PR/FAQ?
PR/FAQ stands for Press Release and Frequently Asked Questions. It's Amazon's "Working Backwards" methodology where you start with the customer experience and work backwards to define what to build. Instead of starting with features, you write a press release as if the product already launched, describing it from the customer's perspective on launch day. This customer-centric approach ensures you focus on solving real problems and creating value before committing resources to development.
Include:
1. Press Release Section
- Headline: COMPANY ANNOUNCES SERVICE/PRODUCT TO ENABLE TARGET CUSTOMER TO HAVE THIS BENEFIT
- Subtitle: Reframe the headline solution with additional points
- Date: Potential launch date
- Intro Paragraph: Expand on solution, target customer, and benefits (3-4 sentences)
- Problem Paragraph: Top 2-3 problems for target customers, ranked by pain level
- Solution Paragraph: How product/service solves each problem listed
- Company Leader Quote: Why company decided to tackle this problem
- How It Works: Customer start process and functionality details
- Customer Quote: Imaginary but realistic customer quote showing value
- How to Get Started: One sentence with URL or equivalent
2. FAQ Section
- Customer FAQs: Questions customers would ask about the product
- Internal FAQs: Questions stakeholders would ask about implementation
- Technical FAQs: Questions about how it works under the hood
- Business FAQs: Questions about pricing, availability, support
3. Key Principles
- Customer-centric: Written from customer perspective
- Forward-looking: Describes launch day experience
- Specific: Concrete details, not vague promises
- Testable: Assumptions that can be validated
Format as a professional PR/FAQ document following Amazon's Working Backwards methodology.Example output
Northwind Announces Shift Board So Clinic Managers Can Fill a Sick-Day Gap in Under Ten Minutes, Without a Group Text
March 12, 2027
Clinic managers spend the first hour of a sick day in a group chat, then still open understaffed. Shift Board posts the open slot to people already allowed to work that unit, ranked by who usually says yes.
"We kept adding paging tools. Nobody needed another ping. They needed a short list of people who could actually take the shift," said Priya Shah, VP of Clinic Operations.
"I used to text eight people and wait. Now I post the board and two replies come back before standup," said a nurse manager at a 40-bed unit.
Get started at northwind.example/shift-board
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Does this replace our scheduling system?
A: No. It only handles last-minute openings. The schedule you already use stays in charge of the roster.
Q: What has to be true before we build this?
A: You need an accurate list of who is allowed to work each unit. If that list is wrong, this is worse than a group text.
How to use
- 1Write a short brief before the prompt. Product name, who it is for, the problem, why it matters now.
- 2Replace [product/feature name] with that product.
- 3If you have research, paste it first and say you want the PR/FAQ based on those notes.
- 4Paste the prompt into ChatGPT or Claude.
- 5Read the press release. It should open on customer pain. Swap "improves productivity" for a number, like time dropping from 2 hours to 15 minutes.
- 6Read the FAQs. Keep the uncomfortable ones: price, competition, what has to be true before you build.
- 7Ask for a sharper customer quote, or another FAQ on the risk you are dodging.
- 8In the review, people read silently first, then talk. Mark what still needs proof before you commit to building.
