# Press and PR Human Guide

## What This Is For
You help indie developers and app teams get genuine media coverage — which drives installs, backlinks, and App Store credibility. It gives the agent a clearer input/output frame for press and PR: what context to ask for, what decisions to make, and what usable artifact to return.

Use this as a human-readable version of the Press and PR agent skill. It is meant for marketers, operators, founders, and other non-coders who want the workflow without reading agent-specific implementation instructions.

## When To Use This
- Use this when you need a repeatable process for press and PR.
- Use this when the task needs judgment, examples, constraints, or a clear output format rather than a one-off prompt.
- Use this when you want to hand an AI assistant enough context to produce a usable marketing artifact.

## When Not To Use This
- Do not use this when you only need a quick factual answer.
- Do not use this when the work depends on private data you cannot share with the assistant.
- Do not use this as a replacement for legal, compliance, financial, or medical review.

## What You Need Before Starting
- The goal or business outcome you want.
- The audience, customer segment, or market context.
- Any source material the assistant should respect, such as notes, briefs, examples, URLs, or brand guidance.
- Constraints such as tone, length, channel, deadline, region, or approval requirements.
- A clear definition of what a good final answer should look like.

## Step-By-Step Workflow
1. State the job clearly: "Use the Press and PR guide to help me with..."
2. Add context: audience, goal, offer, channel, source material, and constraints.
3. Ask the assistant to identify missing inputs before producing the final output.
4. Have the assistant follow the skill-specific guidance below.
5. Review the result against the final checklist and ask for revisions where needed.

## Skill-Specific Guidance
- **Web referral** in App Store Connect directly tracks installs from press links
- **Backlinks** from high-authority sites (TechCrunch, The Verge) improve web presence
- **Social proof** — "As seen on…" on your product page improves conversion
- **Apple editorial** — press coverage increases editorial featuring consideration
- **Organic amplification** — articles get shared, creating discovery beyond the original publication
- Max 5 sentences in the pitch
- Personalize the first line for each journalist — no mass blast
- Don't attach files — link to your press kit
- Send Tuesday–Thursday, 8–10am recipient's timezone
- Follow up once after 5 business days — then move on
- Search the target publication for recent app reviews in your category
- Note the byline — pitch that specific writer

## Decision Points And Nuance
The original skill emphasizes: Why Press Still Matters, Target Media Tiers, Tier 1 — High impact, harder to get, Tier 2 — Accessible, meaningful reach, Tier 3 — Start here, What Makes a Story, Press Kit, Press Release Structure, Pitching Journalists, The Cold Pitch Email.

Use these questions to steer the work:
- What is the intended audience or buyer?
- What source material must be preserved?
- What should the assistant optimize for: clarity, persuasion, accuracy, speed, creativity, or conversion?
- What examples represent the desired quality bar?
- What should the assistant avoid?

## Common Mistakes
- Don't attach files — link to your press kit
- One journalist per tier (don't offer the same exclusive to two competing outlets)

## Copy-And-Paste Prompt
```text
Use the Press and PR human guide.

My goal:
[Describe the business outcome]

Audience:
[Describe who this is for]

Context and source material:
[Paste notes, examples, links, or existing copy]

Constraints:
[Tone, length, channel, timeline, must-include items, must-avoid items]

Before producing the final output, ask me for any missing information that would materially improve the result.
```

## Final Checklist
- [ ] The output matches the original goal.
- [ ] The audience and context are reflected in the answer.
- [ ] Important constraints and source material were preserved.
- [ ] The assistant made the relevant decisions explicit.
- [ ] The final artifact is ready to use, review, or hand to the next person.

## Source
This guide was generated from the eronred/aso-skills skill entry for `press-and-pr`.

## Source Skill Notes
These notes preserve the nuance from the original skill. Use them as supporting reference when the workflow above feels too generic.

# Press & PR for Apps

You help indie developers and app teams get genuine media coverage — which drives installs, backlinks, and App Store credibility.

## Why Press Still Matters

- **Web referral** in App Store Connect directly tracks installs from press links
- **Backlinks** from high-authority sites (TechCrunch, The Verge) improve web presence
- **Social proof** — "As seen on…" on your product page improves conversion
- **Apple editorial** — press coverage increases editorial featuring consideration
- **Organic amplification** — articles get shared, creating discovery beyond the original publication

## Target Media Tiers

### Tier 1 — High impact, harder to get

| Publication | Focus | Notes |
|-------------|-------|-------|
| TechCrunch | Consumer tech, startups | Exclusives preferred |
| The Verge | Consumer tech | Curated; quality bar is high |
| Wired | Tech culture | Long-form, unique angle needed |
| Fast Company | Innovation, productivity | Strong business angle |
| 9to5Mac | iOS/macOS apps | App-specific, accessible |
| MacStories | iOS apps | Very accessible for indie devs |

### Tier 2 — Accessible, meaningful reach

| Type | Examples |
|------|---------|
| App review blogs | AppAdvice, TouchArcade (games), AppShopper |
| Niche newsletters | App-specific verticals (health, productivity, finance newsletters) |
| YouTube channels | AppFind, MKBHD (for significant apps), niche channels |
| Podcasts | App podcast appearances, niche shows |

### Tier 3 — Start here

| Type | Examples |
|------|---------|
| Reddit | r/iphone, r/androidapps, r/productivity (category-specific) |
| Product Hunt | Launch day visibility |
| Hacker News | Show HN post for technical/productivity apps |
| Indie hackers | For indie developer community coverage |

## What Makes a Story

Press doesn't cover apps — they cover **stories**. Find your angle:

| Angle | Example |
|-------|---------|
| **Numbers** | "App hit 100K downloads in 7 days with no marketing" |
| **Problem solved** | "Solo dev built X because no existing tool did Y" |
| **Unique data** | "Our app analyzed 10M habit logs — here's what we learned" |
| **Category creation** | "We invented a new category of [type] app" |
| **David vs Goliath** | Indie beating a Big Tech competitor |
| **Timely** | Tied to a current news trend or cultural moment |
| **Human story** | Founder's compelling personal motivation |

**Test your angle:** Can you explain the story in 1 sentence that would make someone say "interesting"?

## Press Kit

Create a `presskit/` folder on your website or a Notion page with:

```
Press Kit Contents:
- [ ] App name, one-liner, category
- [ ] 3 founder photos (high-res, print-quality)
- [ ] App icon (1024×1024px, PNG)
- [ ] 5–10 screenshots (phone mockups, high-res)
- [ ] App preview video (optional but impactful)
- [ ] 3-sentence company/founder bio
- [ ] Key stats (downloads, ratings, notable users)
- [ ] Press quotes / prior coverage (if any)
- [ ] App Store link + website
- [ ] Press contact email
```

Host at: `yoursite.com/press` or a publicly shared Notion/Google Drive link.

## Press Release Structure