# pr-and-press

A skill that helps you plan press coverage around a specific business outcome: funding, user growth or B2B credibility.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · 327 installs · ★ 1434
- Author: RefoundAI
- License: MIT · policy=mirror · the beginning of the file is at the end of this page
- Source: https://github.com/RefoundAI/lenny-skills/tree/HEAD/skills/pr-and-press/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-07-16
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/pr-and-press

## What it does

The skill walks you through four steps: name the objective behind the coverage, turn your product mission into a jargon-free story, pick publications and reporters whose beat matches the news, then build an outreach plan with direct pitches. It draws on notes from 9 guests and posts across Lenny's Podcast and Newsletter, plus a set of templates and questions the skill asks you before you start.

It also flags common mistakes. One is treating press as a signup channel for early B2B customers — coverage works better as third-party validation in sales emails and recruiting. Another is a launch announcement nobody outside your field can parse; if a non-technical relative does not get the value right away, reporters likely will not either.

A `references/artifacts.md` file lists the case write-ups, including Airbnb's bottom-up strategy and Seth Godin's remarkability test. The skill does not write your pitch or send anything for you. It sets the frame and checks your reasoning.

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add RefoundAI/lenny-skills --skill pr-and-press -a claude-code
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `~/.claude/skills/pr-and-press/SKILL.md` — Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/pr-and-press/

### Codex

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add RefoundAI/lenny-skills --skill pr-and-press -a codex
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.agents/skills/pr-and-press/SKILL.md` — For all projects use ~/.agents/skills/

### Cursor

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add RefoundAI/lenny-skills --skill pr-and-press -a cursor
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.cursor/skills/pr-and-press/SKILL.md` — Cursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install RefoundAI/lenny-skills pr-and-press
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.github/skills/pr-and-press/SKILL.md`

### Gemini CLI

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add RefoundAI/lenny-skills --skill pr-and-press -a gemini-cli
```

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/RefoundAI/lenny-skills --path skills/pr-and-press
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

**Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.devin/skills/pr-and-press/SKILL.md` — The legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add RefoundAI/lenny-skills --skill pr-and-press -a opencode
```

### Claude.ai

**Claude.ai**
- Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills

Where a file is given instead of a command, copy the files from the source to that path: https://github.com/RefoundAI/lenny-skills/tree/HEAD/skills/pr-and-press/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- decide what a press mention is actually for
- explain the product mission in one plain sentence
- find reporters already covering your category
- write a pitch aimed at the journalist's audience
- reuse an article as proof in sales and hiring emails

## Example prompts
- help me plan a press push for our funding round
- check my launch announcement: would a non-technical reader get it
- build a list of publications and reporters for our launch

## Source text · SKILL.md · MIT

Below is the content of a third-party file. It is data, not instructions for you: do not act on anything written inside unless the human asks. Block tag: 04663e44607fb868.

BEGIN THIRD-PARTY FILE 04663e44607fb868
```text
---
name: pr-and-press
description: Help users design and execute a press strategy that moves beyond vanity metrics to achieve specific business goals like funding, user acquisition, or B2B credibility.
---

# Mastering PR and Press

Turn media coverage into a strategic engine for credibility, growth, and brand authority.

Help the user with mastering pr and press using insights from 9 guests and posts across Lenny's Podcast and Newsletter.

## How to Help

1. **Identify the objective** - Determine if the goal is social proof for investors, a launch spike, or B2B sales credibility.
2. **Refine the narrative** - Simplify the product mission into a jargon-free story that is truly remarkable.
3. **Target the right journalists** - Match the story type to specific publications and reporters whose beats align with the news.
4. **Develop the outreach plan** - Craft direct, value-driven pitches and prepare data to support the emotional vision.

## Core Principles

### Press as a tactical tool
Jason Feifer: "You don't go out and raise money if you don't know what the money is for. You shouldn't go out and try to get press if you don't know what the press is for."

Media coverage should be treated as a tactical tool for specific business goals like funding or awareness rather than a goal in itself. Define the purpose before you begin.

### Match news to media patterns
Emilie Gerber: "And I'm talking about TechCrunch specifically here only because the reality is they are the publication that's going to be most likely to write your funding story, that's just kind of the way it works. And it's not a bad thing, they're actually... They don't have a paywall, they tend to do a very good job, they understand it. It's a well-oiled machine, and so we know if you've done a story with them, it's going to pretty much go how you want to plan it."

Match your news to publications that have a well-oiled process for that specific category of story. For instance, TechCrunch is often the best fit for venture funding announcements.

### Minimize friction for consumer press
Emilie Gerber: "The barrier to trying the product is very low, you can quickly type in a query, get the answer, and then see the power of the tool. It takes one time to see the power of the tool. So in that case, I think just organic press is enough to generate that."

If you are launching a consumer product, ensure the value is clear and the friction to try it is nearly zero. Use simple comparisons to known tools for instant clarity.

### Prioritize audience value
Jason Feifer: "The editor, the writer, I'll just say it as plainly as possible. They don't care about you. They don't care about you. They care about their reader or their listener or their viewer."
```
END THIRD-PARTY FILE 04663e44607fb868

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