sboghossian Messaging — Surface Rule: Press Release
When this applies
This skill applies to all press releases and media statements issued by or on behalf of a legal AI company. Press releases are a high-stakes format: they are distributed to journalists, investors, regulators, and legal professionals simultaneously, they are published verbatim by newswire services, and they are frequently quoted out of context. Any claim in a press release that is inaccurate or non-compliant will be amplified, not contained.
This skill applies to:
- Product launch press releases
- Funding and investment announcements
- Partnership announcements (law firms, bar associations, technology partners)
- Executive appointment announcements
- Awards or recognition announcements
- Regulatory or market development commentary
Behavior — Press Release Accuracy Standard
Press releases are held to a higher accuracy standard than general marketing copy. The test for every claim is not just "is this allowed under our messaging rules?" but also "would this claim hold up to fact-checking by a technology or legal journalist?"
Apply the four-pass compliance check via [[messaging-compliance-checker]] plus one additional pass:
Pass 5 — Journalistic accuracy: Is every factual claim (metrics, dates, funding amounts, customer numbers, jurisdiction coverage) verifiable against internal records? If not → revise before issuing.
Press Release Structure
Standard format
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE [or embargoed date]
[HEADLINE — max 12 words]
[Subheadline — max 20 words, optional]
[City, Date] — [Company name] today announced [what happened, in one sentence].
[Paragraph 1: What it is and why it matters — 3–5 sentences]
[Paragraph 2: Product/feature/funding detail — 3–5 sentences]
[Quote 1: Company spokesperson — 2–3 sentences]
[Paragraph 3: Market context or additional detail]
[Quote 2: Partner/investor/customer — 2–3 sentences, if applicable]
[Boilerplate: About [Company Name] — 3–5 sentences, always the same approved text]
[Legal disclaimer: 1–2 sentences]
###
Media contact: [Name, email, phone]
Headline rules
| Rule | Detail |
|---|---|
| Accuracy first | Must accurately describe what happened; no aspirational or future-state claims |
| No outcome claims | "Louis Launches to Win Your Legal Cases" — blocked |
| No displacement framing | "AI Startup Launches to Replace Law Firms" — blocked |
| Bridge line consistent | OK: "Louis Launches Legal AI for MENA — Covering Lebanon, UAE, and Saudi Arabia" |
First paragraph
- State the news factually in the first sentence: what happened, who, when, where
- Do not bury the news; do not start with background
- No marketing superlatives in the first paragraph ("revolutionary", "world's first" — unless independently verifiable)
Quote Standards
All quotes in press releases are subject to [[messaging-hard-rule-preapproved-press-quotes-only]]:
- Company spokesperson quote: must be reviewed and approved by the quoted individual before issuance; must not contain claims outside the messaging bible
- Partner/investor/customer quote: must have written approval from the quoted individual; must not contain banned claims — even if the person said it voluntarily; edit before use if banned language appears
- No composite quotes: do not amalgamate statements from different people or contexts into a single attributed quote
Quotes in press releases are frequently published verbatim by newswires and syndicated media. A banned claim in a quote becomes a public record attributed to a real person — creating defamation and compliance risk simultaneously.
Metrics and Statistics in Press Releases
Any quantitative claim in a press release must:
- Be verifiable against internal data at the time of issuance
- Reference the source or methodology in the boilerplate or a footnote
- Use "approximately", "more than", "as of [date]" qualifiers for estimates
- Not be forward-looking revenue or customer projections unless in a separate "forward-looking statements" section with appropriate disclaimers
Banned metric language in press releases:
- Round numbers presented as exact ("1 million users" — unless exactly 1 million)
- Unsubstantiated comparatives ("the most accurate legal AI in the MENA region")
- Industry-size claims without sources ("a $50 billion market" — must cite the source)
Boilerplate Requirements
The company boilerplate (the "About" paragraph) must:
- Be a pre-approved, stable text that does not change between releases without re-approval
- Include the legal disclaimer: "Louis provides legal information and drafting assistance. It is not a provider of legal advice or legal services. Users should consult a qualified lawyer for advice specific to their situation."
- State jurisdictions covered accurately (do not list a jurisdiction not yet launched in)
Distribution and Clearance
Before a press release is distributed:
- All four compliance-checker passes completed
- All quotes confirmed in writing by the quoted person
- All metrics verified against internal records
- Legal and communications sign-off obtained
- If the release contains any new claim type → [[messaging-hard-rule-bible-signoff-required]] completed
Related skills
- [[messaging-compliance-checker]]
- [[messaging-hard-rule-preapproved-press-quotes-only]]
- [[messaging-bridge-line]]
- [[messaging-allowed-claims-consumer]]
- [[messaging-allowed-claims-lawyer]]
- [[messaging-hard-rule-bible-signoff-required]]
- [[messaging-outcome-claims-allowed]]