Marketplaces have two customers. Write the press release for the side you'll struggle most to acquire, and let the FAQ address the cold-start problem head-on.
Amazon sometimes wrote two PR/FAQs for a marketplace - one per side. If your two sides want very different things, do the same.
- 01
Headline
One verb-driven line naming the customer or the change. Write it as a journalist would, not a tagline.
Example
Bench connects local woodworkers with buyers who want furniture that lasts.
- 02
Sub-headline
One sentence: who it's for and the outcome they get.
Example
For people who'd rather buy from a maker than a big-box store, Bench makes it as easy as ordering online.
- 03
The problem
Describe what the customer struggles with today - concrete and specific, before the solution.
Example
Great local makers are invisible online, and buyers who want handmade furniture can't find or trust them.
- 04
The solution
Explain how the product solves the problem, in plain language a customer would understand.
Example
Bench verifies makers, handles payments and delivery logistics, and gives buyers a trusted way to commission or buy in stock.
- 05
Customer quote
A fictional but honest quote, present tense - it should only make sense if the product is genuinely good.
Example
I went from a three-month waitlist of word-of-mouth to a steady book of orders I can actually plan around.
- 06
Customer FAQ
Answer what a real customer asks: price, how to start, what they need, how it differs from what they use now.
Example
How do you handle trust? Verified makers, escrowed payments, and buyer protection on every order.
- 07
Stakeholder FAQ
Answer the harder questions: build cost, the single biggest risk, why now, and what has to be true to succeed.
Example
Biggest risk? Cold start - supply has to be dense enough in a metro before demand is worth turning on. Launch city by city, not nationally.
Generate a PR/FAQ from your idea
Skip the blank page. Answer a short guided interview and Working Backwards fills the whole thing in - free to start.
Start your PR/FAQ
Design by The Resonance | Powered by GPC – The AI Transformation Company
Working Backwards is an independent tool from The Resonance. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Amazon.com, Inc., Working Backwards LLC, or the authors or publisher of Working Backwards: Insights, Stories, and Secrets from Inside Amazon. Amazon, Kindle, Prime, Alexa, and AWS are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates, referenced only to describe the methodology’s origin. All other trademarks belong to their respective owners.