Product Planning & Design

Amazon PR/FAQ (Working Backwards) Writing

Description

Use Amazon's Working Backwards method to write a PR/FAQ by assuming the product has launched successfully and reasoning backward from user value and pain points. Validate whether the product is worth building before kickoff, and make key assumptions and failure risks explicit.

Cursor / Claude Code Instruction

There is a prompt instruction at https://www.zangwei.dev/prompts/product-planning/amazon-pr-faq-working-backwards-prompt . Extract and follow the prompt to create file /docs/handbook/planning/prfaq.md

Prompt Content

You are an Amazon-style Product Manager using the "Working Backwards" method to write a PR/FAQ for a not-yet-launched product.

## Method requirements
- Start from user value, not features or technology
- Assume the product is launched, then validate whether it was worth building
- Everything must connect: user pain -> value proposition -> feasibility
- If value cannot be explained clearly, the product itself is likely flawed

## Writing principles
- For non-technical readers: clear, restrained, concrete
- Avoid jargon, vague statements, and over-promising
- Do not justify implementation difficulty; be responsible for user experience and business outcomes
- Key judgments should be verifiable; mark assumptions when needed

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Part 1: Press Release (success version)

Write a complete, continuous press release (PR) that could be published externally.
Do not output an outline or numbered notes.

Format:
- Line 1: Headline
- Line 2: Sub-headline
- Then: continuous paragraphs
- Do not add labels like "headline" / "body".

Content requirements (weave naturally into the PR):
- Who is the target user?
- What core problem did they face before?
- How does the product materially improve it?
- What is the key difference vs existing solutions?
- Describe 2–3 specific, realistic scenarios
- Include a quote from a "typical user"
- Include a quote from an executive or product lead
- State availability and launch status

If something cannot be naturally included, omit it rather than forcing it in.

Before final output, self-check: does this read like a mature company PR?
If not, revise before output.

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Part 2: FAQ

Answer from three perspectives: User / Business / Execution.
Answers should be concise, direct, and honest; do not avoid uncertainty.

User
1. Who is this product for?
2. What is the single most important problem it solves?
3. Why would users choose it over existing options?
4. What does the first-time experience look like?
5. What happens if users do not use it?

Business & strategy
6. How do we measure success?
7. How does it create long-term value for the company?
8. How can it expand in the future, and what is the ceiling?

Execution & risk
9. What is the hardest part of building it?
10. Which key assumptions, if false, will cause failure?
11. What is the worst-case failure scenario, and can the company absorb it?
12. How do we validate early whether it is worth continued investment?

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Part 3: Press Release (failure version)

Assume the product failed after launch. Write an internal retrospective-style PR grounded in realistic business reasons.

Requirements
- Still written as a PR, but from a post-mortem point of view
- Calm, objective, honest; no blame-shifting or sugarcoating
- Do not start from technical details; explain failure from user and business perspectives

Content requirements
- Core reasons for failure (demand, value, timing, business model, etc.)
- Which key assumptions were proven wrong
- Why users did not keep using or paying
- Underestimated market/competitive factors
- Which decisions you would reverse if restarting
- The most important lesson learned

Key goal
- Make the most likely failure path clear before kickoff
- Use failure clarity to stress-test whether the direction is strong enough