Press release creation support program, apparatus, and method

Abstract

Generate effective press releases. [Solution] This invention relates to a press release creation support program that efficiently creates press releases using a generation AI. The program receives information about the public relations target, has the generation AI create multiple press release candidates, presents them to the user for selection, and the generation AI generates a press release based on the selected candidate. The generation of multiple press release candidates is performed by providing prompts to the generation AI, and these prompts include instructions on combinations of items and definitions to be considered when generating the press release.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a program, a method, an apparatus, and a system.

Background Art

[0002] Press releases are known as part of public relations activities. A press release is an official document for a company or organization to convey new information to the media and stakeholders, and is distributed for the purpose of improving awareness and providing information to stakeholders. However, techniques and know-how are required for effective press release creation, and for those in charge with little experience in press release creation, press release creation is a difficult and burdensome task. Also, regarding the distribution destinations of press releases, it has been difficult to find effective distribution destinations from among a large number of distribution destinations.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Patent documents 1 and 2 describe systems that assist in creating press releases by answering questions posed to the user. However, these systems require the user to input each item, and they do not consider what kind of content would make an effective press release. Patent document 3 describes a document generation device that generates press releases using a learning model, but although it is possible to set a persona for the target audience of the press release, it is not possible to give specific instructions on the points for generating an effective press release. Furthermore, none of the patent documents describe support for selecting distribution destinations.

[0005] This invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a press release creation support program, apparatus, and method that can automatically generate press releases and select distribution destinations, which can effectively improve awareness of the public relations target and provide information to stakeholders. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The press release creation support program of the present invention causes a computer to perform the following steps: receive information about the publicity subject that is the subject of the press release; provide a first prompt which is an instruction to a generating AI to generate multiple draft press releases, causing the generating AI to generate multiple draft press releases; present the multiple draft press releases to a user and accept the user's selection; and cause the generating AI to generate a press release based on the draft press release indicated by the selection, wherein the first prompt includes instructions to generate multiple draft press releases based on the information about the publicity subject, instructions for combinations of items and definitions to be considered when generating the draft press releases, and instructions for limitations on the title of the press release.

[0007] Furthermore, the press release creation support program of the present invention further includes a recipient selection step for selecting a suitable recipient for the generated press release, the recipient selection step including a process for obtaining link information for a plurality of recipient candidates, a process for performing crawling based on the link information to obtain comparison articles, a process for calculating the similarity between the generated press release and the comparison articles, a process for obtaining address information of the comparison articles when the similarity is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, and a process for determining the obtained address information for the plurality of recipient candidates as the recipient. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the program of the present invention, effective press releases and the generation of recipient information can be provided without burdening the user. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a press release creation support system. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the press release creation support device 1. [Figure 3] This is a schematic diagram showing the information input screen 210. [Figure 4] This is a schematic diagram showing the candidate display screen 220. [Figure 5] This is a flowchart illustrating the process for supporting the creation of press releases. [Figure 6] This is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the press release creation support device 1 in another embodiment. [Figure 7] This flowchart illustrates the processing flow for press release creation support in another embodiment. [Figure 8] This block diagram shows the functional configuration of a press release creation support device 1 according to another embodiment. [Figure 9] This flowchart illustrates the processing flow for press release creation support in another embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] (First Embodiment) Hereafter, identical or equivalent components, members, processes, and signals shown in each drawing will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted as appropriate. In addition, some components that are not explanatoryly important will be omitted from each drawing. The following embodiments are not intended to unduly limit the content of the disclosure as described in the claims, and not all components shown in the embodiments are necessarily essential components of the disclosure. Furthermore, each figure is a schematic diagram and is not necessarily a strict illustration.

[0011] (System configuration) The press release creation support system in this disclosure is a system that provides support for creating press releases. The press release creation support system comprises a press release creation support device 1, a generation AI server 2, and a terminal device 3, all connected via a network NW. Figure 1 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the press release creation support system. Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the press release creation support device 1.

[0012] (Hardware configuration of press release creation support device 1) The press release creation support device 1 comprises a control unit 101, a storage unit 102, and a communication unit 103. The control unit 101 is composed of a processor and reads application programs and data necessary for processing stored in the storage unit 102, executes processing, and sends and receives data to and from the generation AI server 2 and terminal device 3 connected to the network NW via the communication unit 103, thereby realizing the functions of the application program. In this way, the press release creation support device 1 is realized as an information processing device that performs information processing. The press release creation support device 1 is a computer installed on a network, but it may also be a server virtually configured as a so-called cloud, or it may be composed of terminals with communication functions such as personal computers and smartphones.

[0013] The storage unit 102 is a storage device for permanently or temporarily storing data and programs, and is composed of a volatile memory, a hard disk, an SDD, etc. The communication unit 103 communicates with other computers via the network NW according to wired or wireless communication standards. The network NW is composed of a mobile communication network, a wireless LAN, or other short-range wireless communication, etc., and the communication unit 103 is composed of an interface capable of inputting and outputting signals with the network for communication.

[0014] (Configuration of the control unit 101 of the press release creation support device 1) The control unit 101 is composed of functional units such as an information reception unit 1011, a candidate proposal generation unit 1012, a selection reception unit 1013, a press release generation unit 1014, a transmission destination selection unit 1015, a compatible transmission destination notification unit 1016, a press release distribution unit 1017, and a press release proposal presentation unit. The control unit 101 reads the application program stored in the storage unit 102 and executes the processing, whereby each functional unit is realized.

[0015] (Functional configuration of the storage unit 102 of the press release creation support device 1) The storage unit 102 stores and holds an application program, user data, and service data for providing a press release creation support service to the terminal device 3. The application program is executed by a processor and operates as each functional unit of the control unit 101 to realize a press release creation support service. The user data is specifically user attribute information, identification information in the service, and billing information. The service data is data necessary for each functional unit of the control unit 101 to provide a press release creation support service, and specifically includes data on press release transmission destination candidates used in the application program, display screen data in the terminal device 3, template data of prompts to be sent to the generation AI server 2, templates of transmission messages to the terminal device 3, etc.

[0016] (Functional Configuration of Communication Unit 103 of Press Release Creation Support Device 1) The communication unit 103 provides an interface for communication in the operations of each functional unit of the control unit 101. When each functional unit of the control unit 101 communicates with the generation AI server 2 or the terminal device 3, the communication unit 103 mediates the communication with the network NW.

[0017] (Information Reception Unit 1011) The information reception unit 1011 receives information regarding the publicity target, which is the target of the press release that the user wishes to generate, from the terminal device 3. The information reception unit 1011 reads the data of the information input screen shown in FIG. 3 from the storage unit 102 and transmits it to the terminal device 3. The user inputs information regarding the publicity target from the terminal device 3 and transmits it to the press release creation support device 1. The press release creation support device 1 receives the information regarding the publicity target via the communication unit 103 and stores it in the storage unit 102.

[0018] (Candidate Proposal Generation Unit 1012) The candidate proposal generation unit 1012 reads out the information regarding the publicity target from the storage unit 102, the template data of the prompt to be transmitted to the generation AI server 2, and the perspective list, which is a combination of items and definitions to be considered when generating press release candidate proposals, and creates a prompt for causing the generation AI server 2 to generate press release candidate proposals. The candidate proposal generation unit 1012 transmits the prompt created via the communication unit 103, receives the information of the press release candidate proposals generated by the generation AI server 2 via the communication unit 103, and stores it in the storage unit 102. The prompt data, the perspective list, and the specific content of the prompt will be described later.

[0019] (Selection Reception Unit 1013) The selection reception unit 1013 reads the draft press release candidates and the candidate display screen data shown in Figure 4 from the storage unit 102 and transmits them to the terminal device 3. The terminal device 3 displays the candidate display screen, and the user selects the candidate for which they wish to generate a press release. The selected result is transmitted from the terminal device 3 to the press release creation support device 1. The selection reception unit 1013 receives the selected result via the network NW and stores it in the storage unit 102.

[0020] (Press release generation unit 1014) The press release generation unit 1014 reads information on selected press release candidate drafts and prompt template data to be sent to the generation AI server 2 from the storage unit 102, and creates a prompt to cause the generation AI server 2 to generate a press release. The press release generation unit 1014 sends the created prompt via the communication unit 103, receives the information of the press release generated by the generation AI server 2 via the communication unit 103, and stores it in the storage unit 102. The specific contents of the prompt data and prompts will be described later.

[0021] (Press release draft submission section 1018) The press release draft presentation unit 1018 reads the generated press release and information for the press release draft presentation screen for presenting the generated press release as a press release draft to the terminal device 3 from the storage unit 102 and transmits it to the terminal device 3. The press release draft presentation screen is editable, and the user edits the press release draft using the display unit or input device of the terminal device 3. The terminal device 3 transmits the press release that the user has finished editing to the press release creation support device 1 via the transmission unit. The press release draft presentation unit 1018 receives the edited press release and stores it in the storage unit 102.

[0022] (Recipient selection unit 1015) The recipient selection unit 1015 reads the generated press release and recipient candidate information from the storage unit 102. The recipient candidates consist of link information via URLs, and the recipient selection unit 1015 crawls the websites indicated by the URLs in the link information to collect comparison articles and stores them in the storage unit 102. The recipient selection unit 1015 compares each of the comparison articles with the generated press release and calculates the similarity. The recipient selection unit 1015 determines recipient candidates whose calculated similarity exceeds a predetermined value as suitable recipients. There may be multiple suitable recipients if there are recipient candidates whose similarity exceeds the predetermined value. The recipient selection unit 1015 crawls the suitable recipients again and obtains information for sending the press release from the accessed websites, specifically email addresses, SNS accounts, telephone numbers, addresses, company names, and author names. The obtained information, along with the similarity, is compiled as recipient information and stored in the storage unit 102.

[0023] Crawling is a method of collecting information by automatically visiting websites using a program. It can access not only the information of the website at the specified URL, but also the URLs listed on that website, and retrieve information sequentially. In crawling performed by the destination selection unit 1015, information is retrieved by hierarchically accessing URLs by following links from the website specified as a candidate destination URL. At this time, it is preferable to store the definition of the crawling rules in the storage unit 102 and perform the crawling according to those rules. For example, the rules may include limiting the hierarchy to two levels from the first website accessed, and not accessing links to external websites or links in banners.

[0024] The similarity determination by the recipient selection unit 1015 is performed by vectorizing the text using existing models such as TF-IDF, WORD2VEC, and BERT, calculating the vectors from each other, and then calculating the similarity based on their cosine similarity. Since cosine similarity takes a value between 0 and 1, the similarity is expressed as a score on a scale of 1 to 100%. For example, a predetermined similarity is set to a score of 80%, and if the score exceeds this, the recipient is determined to be a suitable recipient.

[0025] In the acquisition of information for sending press releases by the recipient selection unit 1015, information corresponding to email addresses, SNS accounts, telephone numbers, addresses, company names, and author names is extracted from information collected by crawling the websites designated as suitable recipients using pattern matching with regular expressions or the like. Alternatively, the generation AI may be instructed to acquire information for sending press releases by providing prompts.

[0026] Regarding the determination of destination information in the destination selection unit 1015, the aforementioned process may be programmed into the processor of the press release creation support device 1, or a prompt containing instructions for the aforementioned process can be created and sent to the generation AI server 2 to perform the process.

[0027] (Suitable recipient notification unit 1016) The suitable recipient notification unit 1016 obtains recipient information from the storage unit 102 and notifies the terminal device 3 via the communication unit 103. Upon notification from the suitable recipient notification unit 1016, the user can view suitable recipients for the selected press release on the screen and select the recipients to whom they wish to distribute the press release. The information of the selected recipients is transmitted from the terminal device 3 to the press release creation support device 1.

[0028] (Press release distribution department 1017) The press release distribution unit 1017 receives recipient information from the terminal device 3 and stores it in the storage unit 102. For recipient information that includes email addresses and SNS accounts, the press release distribution unit 1017 reads the press release generated from the storage unit 102 and sends it as an attachment to those recipients. If the recipient information is an address, the unit may also send the recipient information to a service provider that mails press releases, or print address labels or letters from an output unit (not shown).

[0029] (Configuration of Generation AI Server 2) Generative AI Server 2 is a server equipped with a generative AI model that receives instructions called prompts transmitted via a network (NW), performs tasks in response to the instructions, and outputs answers. Generative AI Server 2's hardware configuration includes a processor, storage device, and communication interface. It functions as a generative AI server by reading the generative AI model from the storage device and having the processor execute it. Generative AI models are also called large-scale language models or LLMs, and include, for example, ChatGPT, OpenAI GPT, and BingAI. They can perform a wide range of natural language processing tasks, such as understanding sentence patterns and context, responding to questions, generating text, and translation, according to given prompts.

[0030] A prompt is a task instruction to a generative AI model in natural language, and the generative AI model responds to the prompt in natural language. However, the prompt and its response are not limited to text; the prompt may include images, videos, and audio, and if the prompt instructs the generative AI model to output images, videos, or audio, the response from the generative AI model may be in those data formats.

[0031] (Configuration of terminal device 3) Terminal device 3 comprises a control unit, a storage unit, a communication unit, and a display unit. The processor of terminal device 3 functions as the control unit by calling and executing application programs from the storage unit. The storage unit stores data necessary for the execution of application programs by the processor of terminal device 3. The communication unit provides the interface function when terminal device 3 communicates via a network NW.

[0032] The hardware configuration of terminal device 3 is preferably a mobile communication terminal such as a smartphone, but any terminal with communication capabilities such as a tablet or notebook computer can also be considered. The hardware components that make up each function of terminal device 3 are as follows: the control unit consists of a processor, and the storage unit consists of volatile memory, a hard disk, an SSD, etc. The communication unit consists of a communication interface for mobile communication networks, wireless LANs, and other short-range wireless communication. The display unit is a liquid crystal display screen, preferably configured with an overlaid touch panel that also serves as an input means.

[0033] (Operation of Press Release Creation Support Device 1) The following describes each process of the press release creation support device 1. Figure 3 is a flowchart of the process operation. Figures 3 and 4 are examples of screens displayed on the display unit of the terminal device 3.

[0034] (Regarding the screen) The user launches and displays the information input screen 210 and the candidate display screen 220 on the display unit of the terminal device 3. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the information input screen 210, and Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the candidate display screen 220. The control unit of the terminal device 3 reads and executes an application program from its storage and displays it on the display unit. The application program that launches the information input screen 210 and the candidate display screen 220 may be a dedicated program or an application that runs on the browser of the terminal device 3.

[0035] (Step S01: Information Reception) The information receiving unit 1011 receives information from the terminal device 3 regarding the publicity subject, which is the subject of the press release that the user wishes to generate. The information receiving unit 1011 reads the data from the information input screen 210 shown in Figure 3 from the storage unit 102 and transmits it to the terminal device 3. The user inputs information regarding the publicity subject from the terminal device 3 and transmits it to the press release creation support device 1. The information receiving unit 1011 receives the information regarding the publicity subject via the communication unit 103 and stores it in the storage unit 102.

[0036] The information input screen 210 is a screen that receives information about the publicity subject of the press release. It is displayed on the display unit of the terminal device 3 and accepts user input via the touch panel or other input means on the display unit. The information input screen 210 consists of input fields for name, company information, product information, attached files, reference URL, and target audience. The input fields are not limited to these, and any additional input fields may be provided, and it is not necessary to have all of the aforementioned input fields.

[0037] The input fields for name, company information, product information, and reference URL accept text strings. Clicking the upload button in the attachment input field displays a pop-up window (not shown) for uploading files, allowing the user to select the desired file. Uploadable files include text files, image files, and video files. The target audience input field specifies the target consumer group or readership of the press release. While Figure 3 shows a dropdown selection input field, it may also accept text input.

[0038] After entering information into the input fields on the information input screen 210, the user presses the candidate draft generation button 211 to send the input information to the press release creation support device 1 as information about the public relations target. The transmission is performed by the control unit of the terminal device 3 via the communication unit. After transmission, the press release creation support device 1 receives the transmitted information about the public relations target via the information reception unit 1011 and stores it in the storage unit 102.

[0039] (Step S02: Candidate proposal generation) The draft candidate generation unit 1012 reads information about the publicity target, template data for prompts to be sent to the generation AI server 2, and a list of perspectives, which is a combination of items and definitions to be considered when generating a draft press release, from the storage unit 102, and creates a prompt for the generation AI server 2 to generate a draft press release. The draft candidate generation unit 1012 sends the created prompt via the communication unit 103, receives the information of the draft press release generated by the generation AI server 2 via the communication unit 103, and stores it in the storage unit 102.

[0040] The prompt to send to the generating AI server 2 is: (a) Instruction to prepare a draft press release based on information about the public relations target received by Information Reception Department 1011. (b) Instructions to obtain and consider the information at the linked site if the information includes a URL of the subject of the public announcement. (c) Instructions regarding restrictions and points to note on draft press releases (d) Instructions to consider a list of perspectives, which is a combination of items and definitions to be considered when generating a draft press release. (e) A draft press release should consist of a title, subtitle, summary, and keywords. Includes instructions.

[0041] The restrictions and points to note regarding the draft press release in (b) specifically include (1) formal restrictions such as limiting the number of characters and lines, and not using abstract words or adjectives in the title, and (2) guidelines regarding the writing style, such as ensuring the content is understandable to people without prior knowledge, and not using slogans or assertive titles or sentences. These are not limited to these, but instructions can also be given in natural language as long as the generative AI model can understand them.

[0042] The perspective list consists of a combination of items and definitions that the generative AI model should consider when generating draft press releases. The items to be considered are equivalent to the so-called points of focus, characteristics, and themes in writing, and definitions are provided in words to make them more concrete. Specific examples include the following: (Perspective 1) Surprise Definition: Includes expressions and examples that give the reader a sense of discovery or surprise about new information. (Perspective 2) Sustainability Definition: An appeal that highlights considerations for the environment, economy, etc. This includes specific examples and expressions of environmental considerations and sustainability. (Perspective 3) Storytelling Definition: A narrative structure designed to resonate with readers, based on the history of the planning and development of the product or service being promoted, as well as the company's history.

[0043] The items and definitions can be specified arbitrarily, not limited to the examples above. It is advisable for the service provider to create combinations of items and definitions in advance and store them in the storage unit 102. Alternatively, the control unit 101 may be equipped with a functional unit (not shown in Figure 2) to provide a screen for the user to set items and definitions and to accept input, allowing the user to set them via the terminal device 3. Possible data formats for combinations of items and definitions include tables created with spreadsheet software, text files such as CSV, and databases; any format is acceptable.

[0044] (Step S03: Selection Acceptance) The selection reception unit 1013 reads the draft press release candidates and the candidate display screen data shown in Figure 4 from the storage unit 102 and transmits them to the terminal device 3. The terminal device 3 displays the candidate display screen, and the user selects the candidate for which they wish to generate a press release. The selected result is transmitted from the terminal device 3 to the press release creation support device 1. The selection reception unit 1013 receives the selected result via the network NW and stores it in the storage unit 102.

[0045] (Step S04: Press release generation) The press release generation unit 1014 reads information on the selected press release candidate from the storage unit 102 and template data for the prompt to be sent to the generation AI server 2, and creates a prompt to cause the generation AI server 2 to generate a press release. The press release generation unit 1014 sends the created prompt to the generation AI server 2 via the communication unit 103, receives the information of the press release generated by the generation AI server 2 via the communication unit 103, and stores it in the storage unit 102.

[0046] The prompt to send to the generating AI server 2 is: (f) Instructions to create the press release text based on the selected draft press release. (g) If the information includes a URL related to the public relations target, the instruction is to obtain and consider the information at the linked site. (h) Instructions regarding the format and structure of the press release text (i) Instructions to consider a list of perspectives, which is a combination of items and definitions to be considered when generating the press release text. (j) Instructions to generate multiple press releases, changing the structure and writing style depending on the distribution medium, such as newspapers, online news, press releases, television stations, etc. (k) Instructions to generate a press release that takes into account the target audience in terms of writing style, wording, and structure of the information about the public relations subject. This includes instructions. The list of viewpoints in (i) is the same as in prompt (d) in step S02, but items may be changed or added, or viewpoints may be added separately.

[0047] (Step S05: Present a draft press release) The press release draft presentation unit 1018 reads the generated press release and information for the press release draft presentation screen for presenting the generated press release as a press release draft to the terminal device 3 from the storage unit 102 and transmits it to the terminal device 3. The press release draft presentation screen is editable, and the user edits the press release draft using the display unit or input device of the terminal device 3. The terminal device 3 transmits the press release that the user has finished editing to the press release creation support device 1 via the transmission unit. The press release draft presentation unit 1018 receives the edited press release and stores it in the storage unit 102. The user can also input an instruction to complete editing on the press release draft presentation screen without making any edits.

[0048] (Step S06: Select recipient) The recipient selection unit 1015 reads the edited press release and recipient candidate information from the storage unit 102. The recipient candidates consist of link information via URLs, and the recipient selection unit 1015 crawls the websites indicated by the URLs in the link information to collect comparison articles and stores them in the storage unit 102. The recipient selection unit 1015 compares each of the comparison articles with the edited press release and calculates the similarity. The recipient selection unit 1015 determines recipient candidates whose calculated similarity exceeds a predetermined value as suitable recipients. There may be multiple suitable recipients if there are recipient candidates whose similarity exceeds the predetermined value. The recipient selection unit 1015 crawls the suitable recipients again and obtains information for sending the press release from the accessed websites, specifically the media name, email address, SNS account, telephone number, address, company name, and author name. The obtained information, along with the similarity, is compiled as recipient information and stored in the storage unit 102.

[0049] In crawling to select suitable recipients, paying attention to the author names of comparison articles makes it possible to directly distribute press releases to authors of related articles generated within the same medium. Furthermore, potential recipients are not limited to mass media such as newspapers and television; articles published on online news sites and social media can also be included.

[0050] (Step S07: Notification of suitable recipient) The suitable recipient notification unit 1016 obtains information on suitable recipients from the storage unit 102 and notifies the terminal device 3 via the communication unit 103. The suitable recipient notification unit 1016 transmits information from the list screen of suitable recipients, and the user can view this screen on the display unit of the terminal device 3. The list screen displays the media name, company name, author name, similarity score, recipient information such as email address, address, SNS account, and selection buttons, and the user selects the recipients to whom they wish to send from the list. Multiple recipients may be selected. The selected recipient information is transmitted from the terminal device 3 to the press release creation support device 1.

[0051] (Step S08: Press release distribution) The press release distribution unit 1017 receives recipient information from the terminal device 3 and stores it in the storage unit 102. For recipient information that includes email addresses and SNS accounts, the press release distribution unit 1017 reads the press release generated from the storage unit 102 and sends it as an attachment to those recipients in a message. As mentioned above, if a press release is generated according to the distribution medium, the appropriate press release is attached and sent to each recipient.

[0052] If the recipient information is an address, the press release and recipient information data may be sent to a service provider that mails press releases, or the system may print address labels and letters along with the press release from an output unit (not shown), and the service provider of the press release creation support system may mail them.

[0053] As explained above, the press release creation support system disclosed herein allows users to generate effective press releases simply by inputting information about their desired public relations target. Furthermore, when distributing press releases, users can select media outlets and authors that have published articles similar to the press release, enabling distribution to highly effective recipients.

[0054] (Second embodiment) In the above embodiment, the press release creation support device 1 automatically generated a press release using a generation AI and presented it to the user, determining the optimal distribution destination. In this embodiment, press release article information is received from an external source, and the optimal distribution destination for the received press release is determined. This allows the user to determine the optimal distribution destination for press releases they have created themselves, as well as press releases created by external systems or contractors, enabling effective distribution. Note that this embodiment shares many configurations with the previous embodiment, so the differences will be explained in detail.

[0055] Figure 6 is a diagram showing the configuration of the press release creation support device 1 in this embodiment. The difference from the previous embodiment is that it does not have an information receiving unit 1011, a candidate draft generation unit 1012, a selection receiving unit 1013, a press release generation unit 1014, or a press release draft presentation unit 1018, but instead has a press release receiving unit 1019.

[0056] (Press release reception desk 1019) The press release reception unit 1019 receives press releases from external computers connected to the network via the communication unit 103. The external computer may be a user's terminal, another press release creation support system, or the generation AI server 2 in the previous embodiment. The press release may be created by the user themselves or automatically generated by the generation AI.

[0057] The processing flow in this embodiment will be explained with reference to the flowchart in Figure 7. The difference from the previous embodiment is that steps S01 to S05, which are steps for press release creation support by the generation AI, have been replaced with step S011, which is the press release reception step. The following will explain the differences from the previous embodiment in detail.

[0058] (Step S011: Press release submission) The press release receiving unit 1019 receives press releases from external computers connected to the network via the communication unit 103. The press release receiving unit 1019 stores the received press releases in the storage unit 102.

[0059] (Step S05: Selecting the recipient) The processing in step S05 in this embodiment is almost the same as in the previous embodiment, except that the destination selection unit 1015 reads the press release received by the press release reception unit 1019 instead of the edited press release from the storage unit 102. The subsequent processing is the same as in the previous embodiment.

[0060] Steps S06 and S07 involve the same processing as in the previous embodiment, completing the distribution process for the press release received by the press release receiving unit 1018.

[0061] As explained above, the press release creation support system disclosed herein allows users to select media outlets and authors that have published articles similar to the press release, whether it is a press release they have created or one created or generated by another system, and to distribute it to an effective audience.

[0062] (Third embodiment) In the first embodiment, the press release creation support device 1 sent information about the publicity target and a list of perspectives along with prompts to the generation AI server 2, causing the generation AI server 2 to generate a press release. In this embodiment, the press release creation support device 1 receives information about the publicity target and instructs the generation AI server 2 to generate questions for the user based on the information about the publicity target. The generation AI server 2 interacts with the user in a chat format via the press release creation support device 1 and accepts the user's answers. The press release creation support device 1 generates perspectives for creating the press release based on the received answers. The press release creation support device 1 instructs the generation AI server 2 to generate a press release based on the information about the publicity target and the generated perspectives. Note that this embodiment has many configurations in common with the previous embodiment, so we will focus on explaining the differences.

[0063] (Configuration of the control unit 101 of the press release creation support device 1) The control unit 101 is composed of functional units including an information reception unit 1011, a question generation unit 1020, an answer reception unit 1021, a perspective generation unit 1022, a trend extraction unit 1023, a press release generation unit 1024, a recipient selection unit 1025, and a press release distribution unit 1026. Each functional unit is realized by the control unit 101 reading application programs stored in the storage unit 102 and executing processing.

[0064] (Information Reception Department 1011) The information receiving unit 1011 receives information from the terminal device 3 regarding the publicity subject, which is the subject of the press release that the user wishes to generate. The information receiving unit 1011 reads the data from the information input screen shown in Figure 3 from the storage unit 102 and transmits it to the terminal device 3. The user inputs information regarding the publicity subject from the terminal device 3 and transmits it to the press release creation support device 1. The press release creation support device 1 receives the information regarding the publicity subject via the communication unit 103 and stores it in the storage unit 102.

[0065] (Question generation unit 1020) The question generation unit 1020 reads information about the publicity target and prompt template data to be sent to the generation AI server 2 from the storage unit 102, and creates prompts for the generation AI server 2 to engage in question-and-answer sessions with the user. Based on the instructions in these prompts, the generation AI server 2 engages in interactive question-and-answer sessions with the user via the answer reception unit 1021.

[0066] The prompt to send to the generating AI server 2 is: (a) Having been requested to create a press release regarding information on a public relations subject received by Information Reception Department 1011, the person in charge will engage in a question-and-answer session with the requester to determine the perspective and angle of the article. (b) Question and answer sessions will be conducted in a chatbot format, and questions will be asked on the following items. Answers will be provided via prompts, and if there are unclear points in the answers or if more detailed information is needed, questions will be generated to guide the user's response. (c) Items to ask about 1. Matters related to 1.5W1H (Who, Why, When, Where, How) 2. Past, present, and future prospects of the subject of public relations. 3. Uniqueness, characteristics, and selling points of the subject of public relations. 4. Episodes related to the developers and company representatives. 5. Social background and phenomena that are being considered. (d) Archive the content of the Q&A session as text and output it after the Q&A session has finished. This includes instructions. However, the above is just one example in this embodiment, and any question items may be included.

[0067] (Response reception department 1021) The response receiving unit 1021 mediates the exchange of question and answer messages between the generating AI server 2 and the terminal device 3 via the network NW. The response receiving unit 1021 reads a question and answer screen for chat-style question and answer from the storage unit 102 and sends it to the terminal device 3, providing it as an interface. The user enters their answers in chat format to the question and answer screen displayed on the display unit of the terminal device 3. After the question and answer session is completed, the generating AI server 2 sends archive information of the question and answer session, and the response receiving unit 1021 receives the archive information and stores it in the storage unit 102.

[0068] (Perspective generation unit 1022) The perspective generation unit 1022 creates and sends a prompt to the generation AI server 2, which is an instruction to generate perspectives to be considered when generating a press release, based on the archive information stored in the memory unit 102 and the information regarding the public relations target. Perspectives, as described in the first embodiment, are items that the generation AI model should consider when generating a draft press release candidate, and in other words, they can be described as the approach, theme, and plan for creating the press release. In the first embodiment, these were pre-written in the prompt, but in this embodiment, they are dynamically generated from the interactive question-and-answer session between the generation AI server 2 and the user. Specific examples include surprise, sustainability, and storytelling, as described in the first embodiment.

[0069] The generation AI server 2 generates points to be considered when generating a press release based on prompts, and the point generation unit 1022 receives the points from the generation AI server 2 and stores them in the storage unit 102. The data format of the points can be text expressed in the format of the points and their definitions as exemplified in the description of the first embodiment, but any format is acceptable as long as it can be interpreted by the generation AI server 2 when generating a press release. Alternatively, the points generated in the generation AI server 2 may be stored in the storage unit of the generation AI server 2 without being transmitted to the press release support device 1, and the generation AI server 2 may be instructed by prompts to refer to the stored points when generating a press release.

[0070] The viewpoint generation unit 1022 may generate multiple viewpoint candidates, display them on the display unit of the terminal device 3, and accept a selection from the user regarding the viewpoint to be adopted from among the candidate viewpoints. At this time, the viewpoint generation unit 1022 stores the viewpoint corresponding to the accepted selection in the storage unit 102.

[0071] (Trend extraction unit 1023) The trend extraction unit 1023 collects website information from the internet by crawling and stores it in the storage unit 102. The trend extraction unit 1023 compares the information on the publicity target, archive information, generated perspectives, or a combination thereof with the collected website information and extracts expressions that indicate trends from the information of websites that are deemed similar. Specifically, the expressions that indicate trends are keywords and phrases, and are determined to indicate trends by the fact that they have been used on many websites in a predetermined recent period or have been used in popular articles with a large number of views, among the information of websites that the trend extraction unit 1023 has determined to be similar. The trend extraction unit 1023 stores the determined expressions that indicate trends in the storage unit 102. All or part of the processing by the trend extraction unit 1023 can be performed by the generation AI server 2 by prompt instructions.

[0072] The trend extraction unit 1023 determines similarity by vectorizing the text of the website information using existing models such as TF-IDF, WORD2VEC, and BERT, calculating the vectors between them, and then calculating the similarity based on the cosine similarity with information about the target audience, archive information, generated perspectives, or a combination thereof. Since the cosine similarity takes a value between 0 and 1, the similarity is expressed as a score on a scale of 100%. For example, a predetermined similarity is set at a score of 80%, and information exceeding that score is judged to be similar. The trend extraction unit 1023 stores the information of the websites judged to be similar in the storage unit 102.

[0073] (Press release generation unit 1024) The press release generation unit 1024 reads information about the publicity target, archive information, generated perspectives, and template data for prompts to be sent to the generation AI server 2, and creates prompts for the generation AI server 2 to generate a press release. The press release generation unit 1024 sends the created prompts via the communication unit 103, receives the press releases generated by the generation AI server 2 via the communication unit 103, and stores them in the storage unit 102.

[0074] The prompt to send to the generating AI server 2 is: (a) Instructions to consider the viewpoints generated by the viewpoint generation unit 1022 when generating the press release text. (b) Instructions to use expressions that indicate the trend determined by the trend extraction unit 1023. (b) Instructions to obtain and consider the information at the linked site if the information includes a URL of the subject of the public announcement. (d) Instructions regarding the format and structure of the press release text (e) Instructions to generate multiple press releases, changing the structure and writing style depending on the distribution medium, such as newspapers, online news, press releases, television stations, etc. (f) Instructions to generate a press release that takes into account the target audience in terms of writing style, wording, and structure of the information about the public relations subject. This includes instructions. You may change or add items to the template for the prompts.

[0075] (Recipient selection unit 1025) The recipient selection unit 1025 reads information about websites that the trend extraction unit 1023 has determined to be similar from the storage unit 102. The website text information includes similarity, media name, email address, SNS account, telephone number, address, company name, author name, and article publication date. The recipient selection unit 1025 determines the optimal recipient by considering information about the publicity target, archive information, and generated perspectives. Factors considered in the determination include the target audience, media, and timing of transmission. At this time, the recipient selection unit 1025 may send an interface screen to the terminal device 3 to accept the user's preferences.

[0076] (Press release distribution department 1026) The press release distribution unit 1026 receives recipient information from the recipient selection unit 1025 and stores it in the storage unit 102. For recipient information that includes email addresses and SNS accounts, the press release distribution unit 1026 reads the press release generated from the storage unit 102 and sends it as an attachment to those recipients. If the recipient information is an address, the unit may also send the recipient information to a service provider that mails press releases, or print address labels or letters from an output unit (not shown).

[0077] (Operation of Press Release Creation Support Device 1) The following describes each process of the press release creation support device 1. Figure 9 is a flowchart showing the operation of the processes in this embodiment.

[0078] (Step S21: Information Reception) The information receiving unit 1011 receives information from the terminal device 3 regarding the publicity subject, which is the subject of the press release that the user wishes to generate. The information receiving unit 1011 reads the data from the information input screen shown in Figure 3 from the storage unit 102 and transmits it to the terminal device 3. The user inputs information regarding the publicity subject from the terminal device 3 and transmits it to the press release creation support device 1. The press release creation support device 1 receives the information regarding the publicity subject via the communication unit 103 and stores it in the storage unit 102.

[0079] (Step S22: Question generation) The question generation unit 1020 reads information about the publicity target and template data for prompts to be sent to the generation AI server 2 from the storage unit 102, and creates prompts for the generation AI server 2 to engage in question-and-answer sessions with the user. Based on the instructions in these prompts, the generation AI server 2 engages in interactive question-and-answer sessions with the user via the answer reception unit 1021. The prompts sent to the generation AI server 2 are as described above.

[0080] (Step S23: Acceptance of responses) The response receiving unit 1021 mediates the exchange of question and answer messages between the generating AI server 2 and the terminal device 3 via the network NW. The response receiving unit 1021 reads a question and answer screen for chat-style question and answer from the storage unit 102 and sends it to the terminal device 3, providing it as an interface. The user enters their answers in chat format to the question and answer screen displayed on the display unit of the terminal device 3. After the question and answer session is completed, the generating AI server 2 sends archive information of the question and answer session, and the response receiving unit 1021 receives the archive information and stores it in the storage unit 102.

[0081] (Step S24: Perspective Generation) The perspective generation unit 1022 creates and sends a prompt to the generation AI server 2, which is an instruction to generate perspectives to be considered when generating a press release, based on the archive information stored in the storage unit 102 and the information regarding the public relations target. The generation AI server 2 generates perspectives to be considered when generating a press release based on the prompt, and the perspective generation unit 1022 receives the perspectives from the generation AI server 2 and stores them in the storage unit 102.

[0082] (Step S25: Trend Extraction) The trend extraction unit 1023 collects website information from the internet by crawling and stores it in the storage unit 102. The trend extraction unit 1023 compares the information on the public relations target, archive information, generated perspectives, or a combination thereof with the collected website information and extracts expressions indicating trends from the website information that is deemed similar. The trend extraction unit 1023 stores the determined expressions indicating trends in the storage unit 102.

[0083] (Step S26: Press release generation) The press release generation unit 1024 reads information on the selected press release candidate from the storage unit 102 and template data for the prompt to be sent to the generation AI server 2, and creates a prompt to cause the generation AI server 2 to generate a press release. The press release generation unit 1024 sends the created prompt via the communication unit 103, receives the press release generated by the generation AI server 2 via the communication unit 103, and stores it in the storage unit 102.

[0084] (Step S27: Determine suitable destination) The recipient selection unit 1025 reads text information from websites that the trend extraction unit 1023 has determined to be similar from the storage unit 102. The recipient selection unit 1025 determines the optimal recipient by considering information about the target audience, archive information, and generated perspectives.

[0085] (Step S28: Press release distribution) The press release distribution unit 1026 receives recipient information from the recipient selection unit 1025 and stores it in the storage unit 102. For recipient information that includes email addresses and SNS accounts, the press release distribution unit 1026 reads the press release generated from the storage unit 102 and sends it as an attachment to those recipients.

[0086] According to this embodiment, the press release creation support device 1 can receive information about the perspectives for press release generation from the user in a chat format via the generation AI server 2. This allows the device to elicit from the user information related to perspectives and themes that readers are likely to be interested in, and to elicit perspectives that the user had not considered through question and answer sessions, thereby supporting the creation of more effective press releases. Furthermore, by determining expressions that indicate trends using the trend extraction unit 1023, it is possible to create press releases that are appropriate for the time and trends, thereby reducing the burden of research and input for the user to grasp trends.

[0087] The present inventors have described the invention in detail based on the embodiments described above, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. In the present invention, "press release" does not mean only the text published in a press release medium, but means any text created by a user to make the subject of publicity widely known to the world. Furthermore, the above embodiments have been described in detail in order to explain the present invention in an easy-to-understand manner, and are not necessarily limited to those having all the configurations described. Some of the configurations of the above embodiments can be added, deleted, or replaced with other configurations.

[0088] Each of the above configurations, functions, and processing means may be implemented in hardware, in whole or in part, for example, by designing them as integrated circuits. Alternatively, each of the above configurations and functions may be implemented in software by having a processor interpret and execute programs that implement each function. Information such as programs, tables, and files that implement each function can be stored in memory, hard disks, SSDs, or other recording devices, or in recording media such as IC cards, SD cards, or DVDs. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0089] 1. Press release creation support device 101 Control Unit 1011 Information Reception Department 1012 Candidate generation section 1013 Selection Reception Department 1014 Press Release Generation Department 1015 Recipient Selection Section 1016 Compatible Recipient Notification Section 1017 Press Release Distribution Department 1018 Press Release Draft Presentation Department 1019 Press Release Reception Department 1020 Question generation part 1021 Response Reception Department 1022 Perspective Generation Unit 1023 Trend Extraction Department 1024 Press Release Generation Department 1025 Destination Selection Section 1026 Press Release Distribution Department 102 Storage section 103 Communications Department 2. Generation AI Server 3 Terminal devices 210 Information Input Screen 211 Candidate Proposal Generation Button 220 Candidate display screen 221 Select button

Claims

1. A method for supporting the creation of press releases using generative AI, which is performed by a computer, Steps for receiving information about the public relations target of the press release, The steps include: generating questions to determine the perspective when generating a press release based on the information about the public relations target; The process involves receiving answers to the aforementioned questions from the user via chat, The step of determining the aforementioned viewpoint based on the above answer, A step of generating a press release based on the information concerning the public relations target and the aforementioned perspective, A method for supporting the creation of press releases, consisting of the following components.

2. The steps include collecting text from the internet under specified conditions, Based on the information concerning the public relations target and the aforementioned perspective, the step of extracting expressions from the collected text that indicate trends related to the press release, Furthermore, In the step of generating the press release, the press release is generated while further considering the expression indicating the trend. The method for supporting the creation of a press release according to claim 1.

3. A step of determining suitable recipients for the press release based on the information concerning the public relations target, the perspective, and the collected texts. A method for supporting the creation of a press release according to either claim 1 or 2, further comprising:

4. A press release creation support program that causes a computer to execute the press release creation support method described in any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. A press release creation support device that executes the press release creation support method according to any one of claims 1 to 3 using a processor.

Images