Three Reference Files That Fix Junior Press Release Quality: The Execution Infrastructure
By Gabriel Tan | April 2026
The problem with juniors writing press releases using AI is not speed. They are already fast. The problem is that the output sounds like AI wrote it.
You can spot it within two sentences. Em dashes between every clause. Words no practitioner would choose ("spearheaded," "underscored," "bolstered"). Trailing phrases that add nothing ("reflecting the company's continued commitment to growth"). Bullet points that repeat the headline in slightly different words. Uniform sentence length that reads like a metronome.
The senior opens the draft, realises it needs a full rewrite, and spends 45 minutes doing the junior's job. The junior learns nothing because the feedback is "this doesn't sound right," which is too vague to act on. Next press release, same cycle.
Telling the junior to "make it sound more human" does not fix this. The junior does not know what "human" means for this client, this format, and this firm's editorial standard. They need a reference for what right looks like, specific enough that they (and the AI they are using) can follow it.
The fix is three reference files, combined into one SOP markdown that the junior loads into their AI project and runs step by step. The three files are the execution infrastructure that sits underneath every press release in your firm.
Reference file 1: the client brand voice guide
This file defines how one specific client should sound. Not your firm's voice. The client's voice.
To build it, pull five to seven recent documents the client approved without major edits. Read them looking for patterns in four areas.
Terminology. What words does this client use for their business, market, and products? What words do they avoid? Some clients say "customers." Others say "clients." Some say "revenue growth." Others say "top-line improvement." Note the preferences as a two-column list: use this, not that. If the client operates in a regulated industry, note restricted or required terms.
Tone by audience. A release going to business media reads differently from one going to trade media or consumer publications. Capture the range.
Self-reference. Full company name on first mention, abbreviated after? CEO uses first person in quotes or third person? Standard descriptor the company uses?
Restricted language. Phrases the client has asked you not to use. Terms a previous release used that drew a correction. Legal or compliance restrictions. Easy to miss and expensive to get wrong.
One page is enough. The goal is a working reference the junior can load into AI and prompt against, not a 20-page branding manual.
Reference file 2: the press release writing guideline
This file defines the structure and editorial standard for press releases at your firm. It applies across clients, with the brand voice guide handling client-specific adjustments.
Reverse-engineer your senior editor's preferences. What do they fix most often in junior drafts? Those corrections are your rules.
Areas to cover:
Header. A good headline reads like something a journalist would write for the target publication. If your client pitches to lifestyle media, study lifestyle headlines. If they pitch to business media, study broadsheet headline conventions.
Subheadlines. Pick one convention and make it your firm's default. If a client's industry expects a different format, note that in their brand voice guide.
Lead paragraph. How does the first paragraph relate to the header? A standard approach: sentence one restates the header with additional detail, sentences two and three expand on the first one or two subheadlines.
Main body. Every paragraph connects back to the header message. Information that does not support the story stays out.
Executive quote. Three sentences maximum. The quote provides insight the data alone cannot, or addresses a sensitive issue like outlook. Where possible, it says something about the future. Never waste the quote on self-congratulation.
The more specific the rules, the less the senior has to correct.
Reference file 3: the anti-AI checklist
This file catches the patterns that make AI-assisted drafts sound generated. It is the QA layer between the first draft and the senior.
Trailing participle phrases. Any sentence ending with an "-ing" phrase that interprets the preceding fact. "Revenue increased 15%, reflecting the company's strong market position." Fix: "Revenue increased 15%." If the interpretation matters, make it a separate sentence with a specific detail.
Em dash overuse. Maximum one per 500 words. Replace the rest with commas, colons, or full stops.
Banned vocabulary. Words AI reaches for but practitioners do not: "spearheaded," "bolstered," "underscored," "pivotal," "robust," "holistic." Keep a list. Replace with shorter, plainer alternatives.
Promotional adjectives used as opinions. "Strong growth of 2%" tells the reader you think they cannot judge for themselves. Let the numbers speak. Adjust for industry: lifestyle PR tolerates promotional language; data-heavy sectors do not.
Uniform sentence length. Read aloud. If every sentence is the same length, it sounds generated. Vary it.
Negative parallelisms. "Not just a provider, but a partner." Cut them. Make one clear statement.
Synonym rotation. If the same concept is referred to by three different terms in one paragraph, pick one and repeat. Humans repeat. AI rotates.
Write the checklist as a list of find-and-fix instructions.
Combining the three files into one SOP
Combine the files into a single SOP markdown structured in the order the junior uses it.
Section 1: Client brand voice guide. Read before writing.
Section 2: Press release writing guideline. Follow while drafting.
Section 3: Anti-AI checklist. Run after drafting.
Section 4: QA checklist. Final gate before the senior. Covers: dates verified, names verified (including transliterated names), figures verified, currency units correct, spelling, grammar, header matches publication style, subheadlines follow firm standard, lead paragraph restates header with additional detail, main body supports header and subheadlines only, executive quote three sentences maximum with forward-looking content, no promotional adjectives used as opinions, anti-AI flags resolved.
The junior loads the full SOP into the AI project and prompts the model to run through it step by step. By the time the senior sees the draft, it reads like the client's voice, follows the firm's editorial structure, does not carry the markers of generated text, and has been verified for factual accuracy. This is what a PR agency SOP template for communications actually does.
What the junior learns from using the SOP
The side effect was that juniors started learning.
Running drafts through the anti-AI checklist repeatedly taught them what to watch for. After a few weeks, their unassisted writing improved because they had internalised the patterns. The checklist was not just a QA tool. It was a training mechanism.
The QA checklist had the same effect. Juniors who verified names, figures, and currency units 20 times in a row started catching those errors during drafting rather than in QA.
The SOP does two jobs at once. Short term, it produces consistent output. Medium term, it trains the junior to produce that output without the SOP. Both outcomes reduce the senior's editing time.
How to build this for your firm
Start with one client. Your highest-volume client or the one where the senior spends the most time editing junior drafts.
Build the brand voice guide. Five to seven approved documents, 60 to 90 minutes to extract patterns, one page output.
Refine the press release writing guideline. If your firm already has one, check whether it is specific enough for a junior to follow without asking. If the answer to "how long should the quote be?" is "it depends," it is not specific enough.
Build the anti-AI checklist. Start with the seven checks above. Add patterns you notice in your own junior drafts. One page.
Write the QA checklist. Every factual and formatting item, tick-the-box, no ambiguity.
Combine into one SOP markdown. Load into the AI project. Have the junior run their next press release through it.
The first draft tells you whether the SOP is specific enough. Within two to three iterations, the file stabilises and the senior's editing time drops to a fraction of what it was. That is the execution infrastructure most communications firms still do not have.
Which client's press releases consume the most senior editing time in your firm? Start there.
Gabriel Tan is the founder of Mekong Bridge Advisory. He builds structured execution systems for PR and communications firms.
