Agent Skills › dmccreary/ibook-skills › press-release-generator

press-release-generator

GitHub

生成符合美联社标准的新闻稿，用于宣传智能教材发布或里程碑事件。适用于媒体联络、教育行业报道及公关推广场景，支持从本地仓库或线上站点提取数据，确保事实准确与专业格式。

skills/archived/press-release-generator/SKILL.md dmccreary/ibook-skills

Trigger Scenarios

用户请求生成新闻稿或公关声明教材发布或达到新里程碑需要向媒体或教育机构进行宣发

Install

npx skills add dmccreary/ibook-skills --skill press-release-generator -g -y

More Options

Non-standard path

npx skills add https://github.com/dmccreary/ibook-skills/tree/main/skills/archived/press-release-generator -g -y

Use without installing

npx skills use dmccreary/ibook-skills@press-release-generator

指定 Agent (Claude Code)

npx skills add dmccreary/ibook-skills --skill press-release-generator -a claude-code -g -y

安装 repo 全部 skill

npx skills add dmccreary/ibook-skills --all -g -y

预览 repo 内 skill

npx skills add dmccreary/ibook-skills --list

SKILL.md

Frontmatter

{
    "name": "press-release-generator",
    "license": "MIT",
    "description": "Generates an AP-style press release for an intelligent textbook or course milestone — headline, lead, attributed quotes, boilerplate, and media-contact block. Use when pitching to journalists or education trade press; distinct from linkedin-announcement-generator (social post) and readme-generator (GitHub docs)."
}

Press Release Generator

Overview

This skill writes a professional press release that announces an intelligent textbook (or a major milestone, such as a new edition or a tie-in to current events or legislation). It pulls the same canonical book statistics that the README, LinkedIn, and case-study skills use, then reshapes them into the form journalists actually expect: Associated Press (AP) style, inverted-pyramid structure, a genuine news hook, attributed quotes, and a boilerplate.

A press release is not a LinkedIn post with a dateline glued on. The two formats optimize for different readers, and that difference drives almost every instruction below:

A LinkedIn post sells scope to peers — metrics forward, emoji, hashtags, first person, enthusiastic.
A press release gives a busy editor a story they can run with minimal rewriting — news value forward, human stakes, third person, neutral reported tone, verifiable facts, and a real person to call.

If you find yourself reaching for the LinkedIn voice (📊 bullet dumps, "thrilled to announce," hashtags), stop — that is the wrong instrument.

When to Use This Skill

A textbook is being published or has reached a newsworthy milestone
An advocacy group, school, library, or nonprofit wants media coverage
The content ties to current events, a new law, a public-health need, or a local angle that a regional outlet would care about
The user mentions a press release, news release, media advisory, press statement, embargo, or "getting picked up" by the press
A conference, launch event, or grant announcement needs a written release

Two operating modes (this matters — read before Step 1)

The skill must work in both of these situations, because the user often wants a release for a book that is already deployed but not checked out locally:

Inside the textbook repo (ideal): docs/learning-graph/book-metrics.json and mkdocs.yml are on disk. Use the canonical metrics directly.
Live site only: you have a published URL but no repo. Derive a verified factual skeleton from the deployed site instead — see Step 2B. Do not invent numbers you cannot see; an editor will fact-check them.

Detect which mode you are in before gathering data, and tell the user which one you used so they know how the figures were sourced.

Workflow

Step 1 — Gather book metadata

From mkdocs.yml (or, in live-site mode, the site <head> and footer):

site_name — the textbook title
site_url — the live URL (the single most important link in the release)
site_description — one-line description
repo_url — repository, for a "the project is open source" line if relevant

From docs/course-description.md (if present): audience, prerequisites, subject scope, and learning goals. These shape the "who is this for" sentence.

Step 2A — Metrics from the repo (preferred)

Read the canonical metrics file — never recount content by hand or scrape the brittle book-metrics.md table. This is the same source the other book skills use, so every artifact reports identical numbers.

python3 - <<'PY'
import json, pathlib, sys
p = pathlib.Path("docs/learning-graph/book-metrics.json")
if not p.exists():
    sys.exit("book-metrics.json missing — run bk-generate-book-metrics, or use Step 2B")
print(json.dumps(json.loads(p.read_text())["metrics"], indent=2))
PY

Useful keys: chapters, concepts, glossaryTerms, quizQuestions, microsims, words, equivalentPages, faqs, diagrams, developmentStage.

Step 2B — Facts from the live site (fallback)

When there is no repo, the deployed site still yields hard, checkable facts. The sitemap is the fastest route to an accurate structural skeleton:

curl -s https://SITE/sitemap.xml | grep -o '<loc>[^<]*</loc>' | sed 's/<[^>]*>//g'

From the URL list you can count chapters, simulations (/sims/), quizzes, and named tools, and confirm the presence of a glossary, FAQ, and resources page. Fetch the home page for the title, tagline, publisher, and mission language. Prefer fewer, certain numbers (e.g., "nine chapters and four interactive simulations," both countable from the sitemap) over impressive-but-unverifiable ones. Tell the user which figures came from the sitemap so they can confirm.

Step 3 — Get the news hook and the things only a human can supply

This is the step that separates a real release from a glorified summary, and it is the step the repo cannot answer for you. Interview the user for:

The angle — why is this news now? A new resource alone is weak. Strong hooks: ties to a specific law or policy, a public-health statistic, a local "first," a season (back-to-school), a grant, an event, an unmet need the data exposes. Lead with this.
Dateline city and state — usually the publishing organization's home city.
Release timing — "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE" or an embargo ("EMBARGOED UNTIL ...").
Spokesperson quote(s) — full name, title, organization, and an approved quote. One or two only (a principal/leader, plus optionally a partner, educator, parent, or subject expert).
Boilerplate — the standing "About [Organization]" paragraph.
Media contact — name, email, phone.

If the user does not have a quote or contact yet, do not stall and do not invent them — see "Never fabricate sourced facts" below.

Step 4 — Assemble in AP style

Use the structure and rules in the AP Style Reference section. Build the body in inverted-pyramid order: the single most important fact first, then decreasing importance, so an editor can cut from the bottom without losing the story.

Step 5 — Run the AP checklist

Before presenting, verify against the Quality Checklist below. AP-style slips (a superlative in the headline, a wrong month abbreviation, a quote that starts with "I") are exactly what signals "amateur" to an editor.

Step 6 — Deliver with a short distribution note

Present the release as clean, copy-paste-ready text (plain paragraphs, no markdown styling inside the release body — newsrooms want plain text). Follow it with 2–4 lines of practical distribution advice tailored to the topic: which kinds of outlets fit (local dailies, education trade press, the relevant advocacy/professional newsletters, the city/regional desk), and a reminder to send as pasted text plus a PDF, not only an attachment.

AP Style Reference

Embed this format exactly; it is what newsrooms expect.

Overall structure

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
[or: EMBARGOED UNTIL 9 A.M. CT, MONTH DAY, YEAR]

Headline in Title Case, Present Tense, No Period
Optional Subhead Adding the Second-Most-Important Fact

CITY, State abbrev., Month Day, Year — The lead sentence states WHO did WHAT,
WHEN, WHERE, and WHY in roughly 25–35 words, leading with the news hook.

The second paragraph expands the lead with the most important supporting facts
and context — the scale of the problem, the need, or the data.

"A quote that adds perspective or a forward-looking statement rather than
repeating the facts above," said Full Name, title at Organization. "An optional
second sentence."

Body paragraphs in descending order of importance: what the resource contains,
who it is for, what makes it credible or distinctive, how it is funded or
governed. Weave in two or three verifiable figures — do not dump a metrics list.

"An optional supporting quote from a partner, educator, parent, or expert,"
said Full Name, title at Organization.

A closing paragraph with availability, price (note if free), and the call to
action — the URL.

About [Organization]
[Organization] is a [one-sentence description]. [One or two sentences of
mission/background.] Learn more at [URL].

Media Contact:
Full Name
Email
Phone

###

The closing ### (centered) is the traditional "end of release" mark; editors rely on it to know nothing was truncated.

Headline rules

Title case, present tense, active voice, no period, no exclamation point
No superlatives ("revolutionary," "groundbreaking," "first-ever," "best")
State the actual news element, not a slogan

❌ Amazing New Epilepsy Textbook Will Revolutionize School Safety!
❌ Press Release: A New Resource for Schools
✅ Student-Led Group Releases Free Guide to Help Minnesota Schools Prepare for Seizures

Dateline

Format: CITY, State abbrev., Month Day, Year —

AP abbreviates these months: Jan., Feb., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., Dec. March, April, May, June, and July are spelled out. The city is uppercase; the state uses the AP abbreviation (e.g., Minn., Calif., Mass.). Large cities that stand alone without a state in AP style include New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston, and Washington; most others take the state.

ST. PAUL, Minn., June 19, 2026 —
MINNEAPOLIS, Sept. 3, 2026 —

Lead paragraph

Answer the five W's, hook first, in ~25–35 words. Lead with why it matters, not with the existence of a document.

❌ A new website has been launched that contains educational materials about
   epilepsy for use in schools and other settings.
✅ With Minnesota law now requiring every school to be ready for student
   seizures, a student-led advocacy group today released a free, plain-language
   textbook that walks families and staff through seizure first aid, the law,
   and a child's rights.

Quotes

One or two quotes maximum; each must be attributable to a real, named person
Never begin a quote with "I"
Attribution format: "Quote," said Full Name, title at Organization.
Quotes add perspective or look forward; they never restate the body facts

❌ "I think this is a really exciting and important new resource," said the team.
✅ "Most seizures at school are handled by teachers, not doctors, so the people
   on the front lines deserve materials they can actually use," said Jane Doe,
   founder of the Epilepsy Data & Advocacy Network.

Never fabricate sourced facts

A press release goes on the public record and editors verify it. A quote attributed to a named person, a contact phone number, a partner organization, or a statistic that turns out to be invented does lasting damage to the author's credibility and cannot be un-published once it is on the wire. So:

Never invent a quotation and attribute it to a real person. If the user has no approved quote yet, insert a clearly bracketed placeholder such as [DRAFT QUOTE — replace with approved language from Jane Doe, EDAN founder] and tell the user it must be filled before distribution.
Never invent contact details, partners, dollar figures, dates, or stats. Use the journalist's [TK] ("to come") marker — e.g., [TK: media contact email] — for anything the user must supply. Bracketed gaps in a draft are normal and expected; fabricated specifics are not.
Prefer verified, modest numbers over impressive guesses. "Nine chapters and four interactive simulations" that you counted beats a word count you cannot confirm.

This is about protecting the user, not bureaucratic caution — frame any gaps to them plainly so they know exactly what to approve before sending.

Quality Checklist

Headline: title case, present tense, no period, no superlatives, real news
Dateline present with correct AP month style
Lead answers the five W's in ~25–35 words and leads with the hook
Inverted pyramid: most important first, cuttable from the bottom
Two or three verified figures woven in — not a metrics dump
Every quote attributed to a named, real person (or clearly marked draft)
No quote begins with "I"
"About [Organization]" boilerplate present
Media-contact block present (or [TK] placeholders flagged)
The live URL appears and is correct
Neutral reported tone — no hashtags, no emoji, no first person
Closes with ###
Every [TK]/[DRAFT ...] placeholder called out to the user

Example skeleton (generic — adapt, do not copy verbatim)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Nonprofit Releases Free Interactive Textbook on [Topic] for [Audience]

CITY, State., Month Day, Year — [Lead: hook + five W's in 25–35 words.]

[Second paragraph: the need or the data behind the news.]

"[Perspective quote that does not restate the facts]," said Full Name, title
at Organization.

[Body: what the resource includes — chapters, interactive simulations,
glossary, quizzes — woven with two or three verified figures and who it serves.]

[Closing: free and open, where to find it, the URL.]

About [Organization]
[One-sentence description. Mission sentence.] Learn more at [URL].

Media Contact:
Full Name
Email
Phone

###

Customization

Tone within AP bounds: straight-news vs. feature/human-interest lead
Audience emphasis: education desk, health desk, local/regional desk, or a trade/advocacy newsletter — adjust the angle and the supporting facts
Length: a tight one-page release (default) or a longer version with an extra supporting quote and a "background" paragraph
Companion assets: offer to generate a matching media advisory (shorter, event-style) or a tip sheet on request

Related Skills

linkedin-announcement-generator — social-post version of the same news
readme-generator — GitHub project documentation
book-installer (book-metrics guide) / bk-generate-book-metrics — produces the book-metrics.json this skill reads in repo mode

press-release-generator