PR/FAQ Template

In a previous post, I explored Amazon's PR/FAQ process—a method that starts with identifying a customer problem and building a solution as if it already exists, long before a single line of code is written. During my 3+ years at AWS, I participated in numerous PR/FAQs, which served as the essential first step for launching any new business at Amazon. While outside of Amazon, aspiring entrepreneurs are often asked for a detailed business plan, at Amazon the PR/FAQ is the answer to that request. This approach is distinct because it centers every decision on the customer perspective—after all, the primary purpose of any business is to solve customer problems.

After sharing a template and example for an Amazon-style WBR, I received significant interest from the community. Recognizing that getting started can be the hardest part, in this post I'll dive deeper into the PR/FAQ process and provide a comprehensive template featuring a fictional company and product to help you confidently launch your business.

Here's an example PR/FAQ for a cloud security and compliance business.

Press Release (PR)

Headline

SkyWard Security Unveils SecureSphere: Revolutionizing Cloud Security & Compliance for Modern Enterprises

Sub-Headline

A cutting-edge service that automates cloud protection and compliance.

Introduction

ASHBURN, VA—October 1, 20XX—Today, SkyWard Security announced SecureSphere, an innovative cloud security and compliance solution designed to help organizations protect their cloud environments while meeting rigorous regulatory requirements. Leveraging deep expertise in cloud protection, SecureSphere transforms how businesses manage risk and compliance.

As cloud adoption accelerates, organizations are increasingly burdened by complex security risks and evolving compliance demands. SecureSphere addresses these challenges by delivering an automated, fully managed solution that streamlines protection and regulatory oversight.

Customer Quote

“Our mission is to empower organizations with seamless, automated cloud security,” said Jordan Lee, CEO of SkyWard Security. “With SecureSphere, businesses can focus on innovation while we handle the complexities of compliance and risk management.”

How It Works

SecureSphere continuously monitors customers’ cloud environments for threats, automatically remediates identified vulnerabilities, and maintains compliance with key industry standards (such as ISO 27001, SOC 2, HIPAA). All of this is managed through a unified dashboard, giving security teams real-time visibility and control. By analyzing security data and compliance status in one place, organizations reduce manual oversight and the risk of human error.

Closing Paragraph

Drawing on insights from SkyWard Security’s groundbreaking 2021 white paper on cloud security best practices, SecureSphere was developed through years of research and direct customer feedback. Available immediately via a tiered subscription model, SecureSphere offers a 30-day free trial so customers can experience its full benefits with minimal risk.

SkyWard Security, headquartered in Ashburn, VA, is dedicated to protecting organizations in the cloud. Guided by principles of customer focus, innovation, operational excellence, and long-term vision, SkyWard Security has been a pioneer in cloud security and compliance since its founding in 2016.

Media Contacts

• Name: [Press Contact Name]
• Email: [Press Contact Email]
• Phone Number: [Press Contact Phone Number] Example: Taylor Smith, press@example.com, (703) 555-1234

External FAQs

Purpose: Address common questions from prospective customers or media. Keep answers concise and customer-focused.

1. Who is the customer? SecureSphere is built for organizations of all sizes—from startups to global enterprises—seeking a comprehensive, automated approach to cloud security and compliance. Whether you're a small team needing continuous oversight or a large enterprise juggling multiple regulations, SecureSphere streamlines the process.
2. What is the customer problem or opportunity? As cloud adoption grows, many businesses struggle with complex threat landscapes and evolving compliance mandates. SecureSphere provides a fully managed, automated solution that reduces the burden of manual security tasks and audits, enabling teams to focus on innovation rather than administrative overhead.
3. What is the most important customer benefit? End-to-end cloud protection and compliance without the hassle of manual intervention. SecureSphere not only flags vulnerabilities but also proactively remediates them, helping businesses maintain continuous compliance and reduce operational costs.
4. How do you know what customers want or need? We built SecureSphere based on findings from our 2021 cloud security white paper, which incorporated insights from over 300 customer interviews, security audits, and real-world breach analyses. This research confirmed that automation, visibility, and simplicity are top priorities for modern security teams.
5. What does the customer experience look like? A customer onboards by connecting their cloud accounts to SecureSphere’s dashboard. The platform then automatically scans and identifies security risks, suggests remediation steps, and provides compliance reports. Users can set alert thresholds, automate certain fixes, and track compliance statuses in real time—all from a single pane of glass.
6. How do customers deploy or implement the product/service SecureSphere integrates with major cloud providers (e.g., AWS, Azure, Google Cloud) through API connections. Setup typically involves a short guided wizard to grant SecureSphere the minimal permissions required for scanning and remediation. The entire deployment can be completed in under 30 minutes for most environments.
7. How do customers update or maintain the product/service? SecureSphere is fully managed by SkyWard Security. Customers receive all updates, feature enhancements, and security patches automatically. Any new compliance frameworks are added in the background, ensuring customers remain up-to-date without manual intervention.
8. How is the product/service secured? Each customer’s data is encrypted at rest using AES-256 and in transit via TLS 1.2 or higher. SecureSphere operates in an isolated environment with robust identity and access management (IAM) policies. We regularly perform penetration tests and comply with leading standards, including SOC 2 and ISO 27001.
9. How does the product/service scale? Because SecureSphere runs as a cloud-native service, it dynamically scales to handle millions of security events per hour. As organizations grow and onboard more cloud resources, SecureSphere automatically expands monitoring and reporting capabilities to maintain peak performance.
10. What are the limits or quotas? SecureSphere has no explicit limit on the number of resources it can monitor, though certain service tiers offer recommended limits. Customers requiring large-scale or specialized monitoring can upgrade to an Enterprise Tier, which provides customized limits and dedicated support.
11. What is the performance profile? SecureSphere typically processes new security events and flags vulnerabilities within seconds of detection. Continuous compliance checks run every 5 minutes, ensuring near real-time updates for compliance dashboards.
12. How do you measure success? We track metrics such as mean time to detection (MTTD), mean time to resolution (MTTR), and overall compliance posture across major standards. These metrics are visible to customers in the SecureSphere dashboard and are key indicators of a successful security strategy.

Internal FAQs

Purpose: Provide guidance to internal teams (sales, support, product management) about positioning, support, and strategic considerations. Not typically shared outside the company.

1. When should we direct a customer to (or not to) use this product?
   • Recommend SecureSphere for customers seeking a fully automated, audit-ready security posture. Ideal for teams with limited in-house security expertise or those needing to comply with regulations such as HIPAA, PCI-DSS, or GDPR.
   • Not recommended if the customer wants to manage security in-house with full customization of scanning rules or agent-based solutions that require deeper OS-level access. In these cases, a more specialized or self-managed platform might be better.
2. What are our product/service tenets?
   • Security by Default – Every deployment and process should have built-in security standards.
   • Zero Manual Overhead – Automate everything possible, from detection to remediation.
   • Transparent Compliance – Provide real-time, verifiable compliance data for every major framework.
   • Continuous Innovation – Integrate emerging security research and user feedback to improve the product rapidly.
3. What operational metrics do we measure and optimize to improve customer experience? Internally, we track:
   • Vulnerability Coverage: How comprehensively our scans detect known threats.
   • False Positive Rate: Ensuring minimal false alarms.
   • Remediation Speed: How quickly the platform can apply fixes once vulnerabilities are identified.
   • Compliance Drift: The rate at which monitored environments fall out of compliance.
4. How does the product/service save customers money or reduce TCO? SecureSphere reduces staffing costs by automating manual security tasks, lowers breach risks (which can be extremely costly), and streamlines audits, often cutting compliance-related overhead by up to 60%. We also integrate with existing tooling, minimizing downtime and retraining expenses.
5. How do we handle complex or edge cases?
   • Custom or Legacy Environments: We offer a specialized support team to assist with integration into older or custom frameworks.
   • Advanced Compliance: For more obscure regulatory requirements, we can add new rules or modules upon customer request.
   • Enterprise Collaborations: We have a dedicated solutions engineering group to build custom connectors and handle advanced usage scenarios.

This document should be treated as living; update it regularly as you gain feedback from pilot customers, gather new data, or refine your product roadmap. By maintaining the press release and FAQ in tandem, you ensure clarity and consistency across all teams and customer touchpoints.

Additional Resources

• [Link to Press Release (if published online)]
• [Link to Getting Started Guide]
• [Link to Developer or Product Documentation]

References & Further Reading

• Working Backwards: Insights, Stories, and Secrets from Inside Amazon
• A Rare Look at the Doc That Started AWS Lambda
  • Annotated AWS Lambda PR/FAQ
• PR/FAQ Example on GitHub