Announcement Drafter

What this skill does

# Announcement Drafter

The Announcement Drafter skill helps you create clear, well-structured announcements for any organizational change, update, or news. Whether you're announcing a new hire, policy change, product launch, organizational restructuring, or company milestone, this skill ensures your message is clear, appropriately toned, and drives the right response.

This skill understands that announcements are high-stakes communication. They set tone, manage expectations, and can significantly impact morale, adoption, or perception. The skill helps you balance transparency with tact, excitement with realism, and information with brevity.

Great announcements inform, engage, and motivate. They answer key questions before they're asked, acknowledge impact, and provide clear next steps. This skill makes creating them efficient while maintaining the quality and care they deserve.

## Core Workflows

### Workflow 1: Internal Company Announcement
1. **Define Purpose**: Understand what's being announced and why
2. **Identify Audience**: Determine who needs to know and what they care about
3. **Assess Impact**: Understand how this affects different groups
4. **Structure Message**: Lead with news, explain impact, provide next steps
5. **Set Tone**: Match appropriate formality and emotion to content
6. **Review**: Check for clarity, completeness, and potential concerns

### Workflow 2: External Announcement
1. **Craft Message**: Develop external-facing narrative
2. **Consider Stakeholders**: Customers, partners, press, public
3. **Manage Expectations**: Set clear boundaries on what's happening
4. **Provide Evidence**: Support claims with data or proof points
5. **Include CTAs**: Give clear ways to engage or learn more
6. **Coordinate Timing**: Align with internal comms and other channels

### Workflow 3: Change Management Announcement
1. **Lead with Why**: Explain rationale before the what
2. **Acknowledge Impact**: Recognize how change affects people
3. **Provide Timeline**: Give clear dates and milestones
4. **Offer Support**: Share resources and who to contact
5. **Create Space for Feedback**: Open channels for questions
6. **Follow Up**: Plan ongoing communication cadence

## Quick Reference

| Action | Command/Trigger |
|--------|-----------------|
| New hire | "Draft announcement for new hire [name/role]" |
| Product launch | "Write product launch announcement for [product]" |
| Policy change | "Create announcement for new [policy] policy" |
| Org change | "Draft org restructuring announcement" |
| Milestone | "Write celebration announcement for [achievement]" |
| Incident | "Create incident announcement about [issue]" |
| Partnership | "Draft partnership announcement with [company]" |
| Event | "Write event announcement for [event name]" |

## Announcement Types & Templates

### Template 1: New Hire Announcement
```markdown
Subject: Please welcome [Name] to [Team/Company]!

Team,

I'm excited to announce that [Full Name] is joining [Company] as [Title] on [Team], starting [Date].

**About [First Name]:**
[2-3 sentences about background, experience, and what makes them awesome]

**In this role, [First Name] will:**
• [Responsibility 1]
• [Responsibility 2]
• [Responsibility 3]

[Personal touch: hobby, fun fact, or quote from them]

Please join me in welcoming [First Name] to the team!

[First Name], we're thrilled to have you aboard.

[Your name]

---
📧 [Email]
💬 [Slack: @username]
📍 [Location/Time zone]
```

### Template 2: Product Launch Announcement
```markdown
Subject: 🚀 Introducing [Product Name]

Hi everyone,

Today we're launching [Product Name] - [one-sentence description of what it is and who it's for].

**The Problem:**
[2-3 sentences on the problem this solves]

**Our Solution:**
[Product Name] helps [target audience] [achieve specific outcome] by [unique approach].

**Key Features:**
• [Feature 1] - [Benefit]
• [Feature 2] - [Benefit]
• [Feature 3] - [Benefit]

**Availability:**
[Product Name] is available [now/starting Date] for [pricing/who can access].

→ [Primary CTA button/link]

**What This Means for You:**
[Specific relevance to internal audience]

**Next Steps:**
• [Date]: [Milestone]
• [Date]: [Milestone]

Huge thanks to [Teams/people] who made this happen!

Questions? [Contact/channel]

[Your name]
```

### Template 3: Policy Change Announcement
```markdown
Subject: Update to [Policy Name] - Effective [Date]

Team,

We're making a change to our [policy area] policy, effective [Date].

**What's Changing:**
[Clear, concise explanation of the change]

**Why We're Making This Change:**
[Rationale - context and reasoning]

**What This Means for You:**

**If you [scenario A]:** [Impact and what to do]

**If you [scenario B]:** [Impact and what to do]

**How This Works:**
1. [Step or detail 1]
2. [Step or detail 2]
3. [Step or detail 3]

**Resources:**
• [Policy doc] → Link
• [FAQ] → Link
• [Support/contact info]

**Key Dates:**
• [Date]: [Milestone]
• [Date]: [Effective date]

**Questions?**
[Contact person/channel/office hours]

We believe this change will [positive outcome]. Thanks for your understanding as we make this transition.

[Your name]
```

### Template 4: Organizational Change
```markdown
Subject: Important Update: Changes to [Team/Department]

Team,

I want to share some important changes to [team/department] structure, effective [Date].

**What's Changing:**
[Clear explanation of the reorganization]

[Optional: Visual org chart]

**Why Now:**
[Context for timing and reasoning]
• Reason 1
• Reason 2
• Expected outcome

**What This Means:**

**For [Group A]:**
[Specific impact and changes]
Your new reporting structure: [Details]

**For [Group B]:**
[Specific impact and changes]

**Timeline:**
• [Date]: [Transition milestone]
• [Date]: [Completion]
• [Date]: [Review point]

**What Stays the Same:**
[Reassuring continuity points]

**Support During Transition:**
• [Resource 1]
• [Resource 2]
• [Office hours/Q&A session details]

I know change can be unsettling. [Acknowledge concerns]. We're committed to [supporting employees/making this smooth].

Questions? Please reach out to [contact] or join us for [Q&A session details].

[Your name]
```

### Template 5: Company Milestone
```markdown
Subject: 🎉 We Did It: [Milestone Achievement]

Team,

I'm thrilled to share that we just [achieved milestone]!

[Brief celebratory opening that captures the significance]

**By the Numbers:**
• [Metric 1]: [Impressive number]
• [Metric 2]: [Impressive number]
• [Metric 3]: [Impressive number]

**What This Means:**
[Impact and significance of the achievement]

**How We Got Here:**
[Brief story of the journey or key factors]

**Shoutouts:**
This wouldn't have been possible without:
• [Team/Person] for [specific contribution]
• [Team/Person] for [specific contribution]
• Everyone who [general contribution]

**Looking Ahead:**
[What's next or how this sets up future success]

Take a moment to celebrate this - you earned it! 🎉

[Optional: Details on celebration event/recognition]

[Your name]
```

### Template 6: Incident/Outage Announcement
```markdown
Subject: [Status]: [Service] Issue - [Date/Time]

Hi everyone,

We're currently experiencing [brief description of issue] affecting [who/what].

**Status:** [Investigating / Identified / Monitoring / Resolved]

**Impact:**
• [What's affected]
• [What's not affected]
• [Estimated users impacted]

**What We Know:**
[Clear, factual description of the issue]

**What We're Doing:**
[Actions being taken to resolve]

**Timeline:**
• [Time]: Issue began
• [Time]: Team notified
• [Time]: [Key milestone]
• **ETA for resolution:** [Estimate or "working on it"]

**Workaround:**
[If available: temporary solution or alternative]

**Updates:**
We'll provide updates every [timeframe] or when status changes.
Follow along: [Status page link]

**For Customers:**
[Guidance on customer communication if relevant]

We know this is frustrating. Our team is working hard to resolve this as quickly as possible.

Que