Most marketing teams don’t have a content problem. They have a story problem.
Press Release First is a way of running marketing where the press release is written before any other content. Once stakeholders approve that one complete story, every email, social post, web page and FAQ is built from it. Nephew, a brand, design, web and video studio based in Northampton, builds AI marketing workflows around this method, with people in charge of the strategy at the start and the creative at the end.
A product launches, a contract is won, someone senior joins. Then the requests start: a LinkedIn post, an email to customers, a line for the website, something for sales. Each one is written separately, by different people, at different times. By the end, five pieces of content tell five slightly different stories, and nobody signed off the story itself.
We’ve spent over 10 years helping brands work out what to say and why it matters. When we started building AI into our clients’ marketing, we didn’t begin with the AI. We began with that problem.
That’s why we work to the Press Release First Methodology. Its rule is simple: if you can’t write a compelling announcement, the idea isn’t ready.
Writing the announcement first means everyone agrees what’s happening, why it matters and what it will take to deliver, before any work starts. For our clients, and for us as an extension of their team, that means no surprises. You’ll know the scene: a launch is days away, the phone rings, and someone asks, “Where are we with the data sheet?” “What data sheet?” When the press release comes first, every deliverable is named, owned and agreed at the start, so the eleventh-hour scramble never happens.
Write the press release first
Before any campaign goes live, our workflow writes the press release. Not because everyone needs press coverage, but because a press release is the clearest, most complete version of a story there is. It has to answer what’s new, why it matters and who it’s for, in one page.
That makes it easy to read, easy to challenge and quick to sign off. Stakeholders agree the story once. Everything else is then built from that approved version: the email, the social posts, the web copy, the FAQs for sales and customer service.
Where the AI comes in, and where it doesn’t
AI is very good at the repetitive middle of marketing: first drafts, reformatting one story for six channels, keeping the tone consistent. It is not good at deciding what your business should say, or at knowing what good looks like.
So our workflows put people at both ends:
- Strategy at the front. We sit down with your team, understand the business and agree what the next quarter needs to achieve.
- AI in the middle. The workflow drafts the press release and every piece of content that follows, in your voice.
- People at the back. Your team reviews, refines and approves at every stage, and our studio designs the visuals: the animation, the carousel, the banner, the video edit.
Nothing goes out without a person saying yes.
What you get: a faster process and better work
The obvious win is speed. One briefing form replaces the chain of emails, drafts and meetings, and one approved story becomes every piece of content you need. Your team spends less time chasing and reformatting, and more time on the work that moves the business.
But a faster process is only half of it. It starts with a proper conversation: we sit down with you, get under the skin of your business, your audience and what you’re trying to achieve, and agree the story before a word is written. That strategic thinking is human, and it’s the part that makes everything after it land.
And it ends with craft. Every carousel, banner, animation, email and video is designed by our team of creatives, people who know what good looks like and make sure your brand looks and sounds like itself. That’s the difference between AI slop and good communication. The AI does the heavy lifting in the middle. The thinking at the front and the design at the back stay firmly human.
What it looks like in practice
For Everon Group, a care technology business working across the UK and the Nordics, product launches and events are briefed through a branded portal. Out come a press release, FAQs, an asset list for our designers and email drafts ready in their email platform.
For Crown Northampton, each activity type has its own workflow, from new products to maker stories and heritage pieces, so every brief starts from the right questions.
For Grace & Favour, a monthly journal starts with a shortlist of topics. Paul’s own drafts are shaped in his voice and optimised for search and AI answers, ready to publish.
Why not just use ChatGPT?
Plenty of people do, and for one-off copy it’s fine. But a chat window can’t challenge your brief, doesn’t know your industry, has no approval steps and doesn’t connect to your email platform or CRM. A workflow is a way of working your whole team can see: the same steps every time, a clear status and a record of what was approved.
Is it right for you?
It works best for B2B teams with a steady flow of news, such as launches, contract wins, events and new hires, but not enough people to tell every story properly. If your team spends more time reformatting than thinking, it’s worth a conversation.
See how our marketing workflows work, or book a consultation.
Press Release First: quick questions
What is Press Release First?
Writing the press release before any other content, so stakeholders agree one complete story that every other piece is built from.
Will AI replace our marketing team?
No. The workflow produces first drafts. Your team keeps the strategy, the judgement and the final say.
Will it sound like us?
Yes. Each workflow is set up around your tone of voice, products and industry, and improves with every brief.
Written by Neil Kerly, founder of Nephew. Want to see a workflow built around your team? Let’s talk.
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