1/ Amazon is famous for its writing culture:
• "Mock press releases / FAQs" for new product pitches
• "6-page memos" instead of Powerpoint
Two former Amazon execs wrote a book called "Working Backwards" detailing the philosophy.
Here are some insights 🧵
2/ The "Working Backwards" playbook
Instead of creating a product then finding customers, Amazon asks "What does the customer need?" and works toward the product.
✅Customer need --> Create product
❌Create product --> Find customer
3/ Write a mock press release
To determine if the customer need makes biz sense, employees write a press release:
• What problem is the new product solving
• Why it's better than existing options
To persuade a customer, the document has to be jargon-free and tell a story.
4/ Press release forces big thinking
You don't write a press release for an incremental improvements.
Creating a product worthy of a press release means really solving a customer problem and going after markets with large TAMs.
5/ Include an FAQ in press release
Addressing every potential customer question can help identify hurdles to getting something to market...and also uncover opportunities.
