How to write the one line that becomes your press release

At /launch you paste your product page and type one line that says what you are announcing. The draft is written from those two things and nothing else. No invented numbers, people or quotes. So the line matters more than anything else you type. This page shows what goes in it.

What the line is for

Your product page says what the product is. The line says what is new. A press release needs both. If the line is blank, the draft can only use news the page itself shows, and if the page shows none, you get "we could not draft this one" and no charge. Ten words about what changed fixes that nearly every time.

The shape that works

One sentence. What shipped, for whom, and what changed. Up to 500 characters, but one or two plain sentences is enough.

[Product] [launched / added / now does] [the thing] [for whom] [since when or until when]

Five lines that draft well:

Version 2.0 with offline sync and a redesigned editor, out today for iOS and Android.
Now live on the Shopify App Store. Free up to 100 orders a month, then $9.
First stable 1.0 release under the MIT license, with a hosted option for teams.
Kickstarter live through November 15. Early units ship in March.
Launched on Product Hunt today. 14 day free trial, no card needed.

Each one names a concrete change, gives a date or availability, and says nothing the product page would contradict.

What to leave out

Numbers that are not on your page. A funding amount in the line that does not appear on the page is refused before drafting. Users, revenue and download counts are drafted only if the page shows them. Put the number on your site first, then in the line.
Market-moving claims. Acquisitions, mergers, earnings, guidance, stock or ticker news, FDA approvals, lawsuits and settlements are not accepted for wire distribution. The check runs before you pay.
Topics the wire does not carry. Token sales, gambling, adult content, health or cure claims, cannabis.
Superlatives. "The best", "revolutionary" and "game changing" are cut from the draft, and a headline built on one is sent back. Say what it does.
A quote you want made up. Quotes appear only when they are copied word for word from your page. If you want one in the release, put it on your page with the person's name and title, or paste your own release.

Before you paste

Does the line name one specific change?
Does it say who the change is for?
Does it give a date, a price or an availability?
Does every number in it appear on your page?
Could a reporter copy the sentence into a story without editing it?

Five yeses and the draft usually comes back ready to send. Read it free in about 30 seconds, then decide.

If you want full control

Paste your own release instead. The form takes a headline of 3 to 20 words that names your company and a body of 380 to 900 words with a blank line between paragraphs. It is sent as written after the same safety checks, with a media contact line added.

Try a line and read the free draft

Questions

Can the line be longer than one sentence?

Yes, up to 500 characters. Two or three short sentences are fine. Past that, paste your own release instead.

Does the line become the headline?

No. The headline is written from the line and the page. If you need an exact headline, paste your own release with that headline.

My product page is thin. Will the draft be thin too?

Probably. The draft uses only what the page and the line say. Add the missing facts to the line (who it is for, what it costs, when it is available) or to the page before you paste.

Can I mention a competitor?

Only as a plain fact that your page also states, such as an import from another tool. A release that disparages a named company or product fails the review and is not sent.

What if the draft gets a fact wrong?

Do not pay for it. Fix the line or the page and run the free preview again. You pay only after you have read a draft you accept.