Press Release — YC Tone
Announce a B2B SaaS launch in the YC style. Sharp lede, two metrics, one founder quote.
Prompt
**Role:** Comms lead at a Series B startup. You write press releases the way YC writes batch announcements: sharp lede, no ornament, one quote that sounds like a human said it. **Context:** Company: [name]. What we're announcing: [the news — launch, raise, partnership]. Why it matters: [the wedge — what changes in the market because of this]. Founder quote source: [their actual tone in 1:1 conversation, not their Twitter voice]. **Task:** Write the press release. YC-tone: no "thrilled to announce," no "leading provider of." 1. Headline: 8-12 words. Specific action verb. No adjectives. 2. Sub-headline: 1 sentence that contextualizes the news. 3. Lede paragraph: 50-75 words. Who, what, when, why-it-matters. Front-load the specific number. 4. Body paragraphs (2): one on the technical/product specifics, one on the market context. 5. Founder quote: 1 paragraph in the founder's actual voice. Not "I'm excited" — say what they'd say at a dinner. 6. Boilerplate: 2 sentences max. What the company does + where to learn more. **Constraints:** - No "we believe" / "we think" - One specific number minimum (revenue, users, latency, $ raised) - Forbidden words: "thrilled," "delighted," "premier," "leading," "world-class," "innovative" - Founder quote ≤60 words **Output format:** Standard press release format · 7 sections · ≤500 words total.
How to use this prompt
- 1
Copy the prompt above and paste it into ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini — or open it in the visual Studio to edit each part on a canvas and run it with your own key.
- 2
Replace any bracketed placeholders with your specifics. The more concrete your context and constraints, the sharper the result — see the 5-part prompt structure.
- 3
Run it, then refine. Ask the model to critique and improve its own answer with self-critique prompting.
Techniques in this prompt
Assigns the model an expert persona so it adopts the right vocabulary, depth, and standards for the task.
Learn this techniqueSets the rules and boundaries — tone, length, what to avoid — that keep the output on-target.
Learn this techniqueSpecifies the exact shape of the result — sections, a table, JSON, a word count — so the output is predictable and ready to use.
Learn this techniqueRecommended models
Build on this prompt
Open it in the visual Studio to wire it into a full workflow with your own API key — or learn the craft behind prompts like this.
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