# Messaging Surface Rule Press Release > Use when drafting or reviewing a press release for a legal AI assistant — covering product launches, funding announcements, partnership news, or regulatory developments. Defines the structure, quote standards, claim hierarchy, and compliance requirements specific to press releases, which are a high-trust, widely distributed format that must satisfy both the bridge line constraints and the higher journalistic accuracy standards that apply when copy may be reproduced verbatim by media outlets. - Skill: `sboghossian-mini-claude-for-legal/messaging-surface-rule-press-release` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add sboghossian-mini-claude-for-legal/messaging-surface-rule-press-release` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/sboghossian-mini-claude-for-legal/messaging-surface-rule-press-release/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Coding & Dev Tools - License: MIT - Author: sboghossian (https://skillmd.com/u/sboghossian-mini-claude-for-legal) - Updated: 2026-09-10 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/sboghossian-mini-claude-for-legal/messaging-surface-rule-press-release --- # 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: 1. All four compliance-checker passes completed 2. All quotes confirmed in writing by the quoted person 3. All metrics verified against internal records 4. Legal and communications sign-off obtained 5. 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]]