taewoongheo/prfaq

PR/FAQ (Amazon Working Backwards)

Write a press release BEFORE building. If you can't write a compelling press release, the idea may be weak. This is a planning tool, not marketing copy.

---

Structure

1. Headline

Clear, benefit-focused. What the customer gets, not what you built.

"[App Name] Helps [Target Users] [Main Benefit]"

Bad: "App Launches with AI Features" Good: "FocusFlight Turns Study Sessions into Flights — Students Stay Focused 3x Longer"

2. Problem (1 paragraph)

Specific customer pain. Include evidence (reviews, data, community signals).

[Target users] struggle with [specific problem]. [Evidence: "quote from review" or data point].
Currently they [workaround], which [why workaround is insufficient].

3. Solution (1 paragraph)

How the app addresses the problem. Focus on outcomes, not features.

[App name] addresses this by [outcome-focused description].
Unlike [alternatives], [app name] [key differentiator].

4. Quote (1-2 sentences)

Customer empathy, not corporate speak.

Bad: "We're excited to bring innovation to market" Good: "Nobody should dread opening their expense tracker — it should feel like progress, not punishment"

5. How It Works (3-5 bullets)

The key moments of the experience. For interaction-first apps, describe what the user feels/does.

- Open the app → [first impression]
- [Core action] → [sensory feedback]
- Over time → [what accumulates]

6. Customer Testimonial (fictional but realistic)

Write as if a real user said it. Must be specific.

Bad: "This app is great!" Good: "I used to forget my journal every 3 days. Now I open it just to see my garden grow — I've written 47 days straight."

7. Call to Action

How to get started.

---

Validation Test

After writing, ask:

| Test | Question | |------|----------| | Care | Would a target user read this and want to download? | | Clarity | Can someone who's never heard of this understand the problem? | | Specificity | Are benefits measurable or at least visceral? | | "So what?" | If someone says "so what?", have you failed to articulate value? | | Honesty | Are claims realistic, not hype? |

If any answer is "no", revise before building.

---

For Indie Apps

PR/FAQ는 B2B에서 시작했지만 인디 앱에 특히 강력:

• 1인 개발자의 자기 검증: 팀이 없으니 press release가 "이 앱을 만들 가치가 있는가?"의 리트머스 테스트
• 메타포형 앱: "이 메타포가 press release에서 설명 가능한가?" — 1초 직관성 테스트와 동일
• App Store 설명 초안: PR/FAQ가 그대로 App Store 설명문의 뼈대가 됨

---

Common Pitfalls

| Pitfall | Fix | |---------|-----| | Feature list ("includes AI, OCR, sync") | Translate to outcomes ("saves 5 hours/month") | | Vague problem ("inefficiency") | Get specific ("8 hours/month on manual entry") | | Jargon ("leverages ML models") | Write for a friend ("automatically handles it") | | Generic quote ("excited to innovate") | Customer-focused ("weekends shouldn't be for invoices") | | No evidence | Add data or real user signals |

---

Template

# [App Name] — PR/FAQ

## [Headline: benefit-focused, specific]

[City, Date] —

### Problem
[1 paragraph: specific pain + evidence]

### Solution
[1 paragraph: outcome-focused, not feature-focused]

### Quote
"[Customer empathy quote]" — [Founder name]

### How It Works
- [Moment 1]
- [Moment 2]
- [Moment 3]

### Customer Story
"[Specific, realistic testimonial]" — [Persona name], [context]

### Get Started
[Call to action]

---

### Internal FAQ
1. Why now? [timing]
2. Who exactly is this for? [target]
3. What's the biggest risk? [honest assessment]
4. How do we know the problem is real? [evidence]
5. What does success look like in 6 months? [metrics]

---

References

• Colin Bryar & Bill Carr, Working Backwards (2021)
• Ian McAllister's Amazon PR template (2012)
• Source: deanpeters/Product-Manager-Skills