The best way to track local news with AIDular is to be specific about your location and the types of updates you care about. A vague prompt gets vague results. A focused one gets you exactly what you need.
Most people think "local news" is hard to automate because it feels so scattered. But with the right prompt, AIDular can search the web on a schedule and email you a clean report covering your neighbourhood, city, or region.
Why Local News Is Tricky to Track
National news is easy to follow. Local news is not. It lives across council websites, local newspapers, community Facebook pages, and regional government portals. Checking all of them manually takes real time.
AIDular handles that for you. You describe what you want to track in plain English, pick a schedule, and it sends you a sourced report. No app. No endless scrolling.
Step 1: Name Your Location Precisely
The more specific you are, the better. "News in London" is too broad. "News in Hackney, East London" is much better.
Include your city, district, or postcode area. If you want to cover a whole county or region, say so clearly.
Step 2: Say Which Topics Matter to You
Local news covers a lot of ground. Narrow it down to what you actually care about:
- Planning applications and new building projects
- Road closures and transport updates
- Local council decisions
- Community events and markets
- Crime and safety notices
- School or park news
You do not have to pick just one. But listing two or three keeps your report focused and readable.
Step 3: Pick the Right Schedule
For fast-moving things like road closures or safety notices, pick daily. For council decisions or planning updates, weekly is usually enough. Monthly works if you just want a general neighbourhood overview.
Step 4: Write Your Prompt
Here is a copy-paste example you can use or adapt:
Track local news for the Hackney area of East London. Focus on: new planning applications and building approvals, local council decisions, road closures or transport disruptions, and community events. Include links to sources. Weekly report please.
That prompt does four things well. It names the location. It lists specific topics. It asks for sources. And it sets the schedule.
You can swap "Hackney" for your own area. You can add or remove topics from the list. The structure stays the same.
Step 5: Review Your First Report and Adjust
Your first report will show you what AIDular is finding. Sometimes you will notice it is pulling in results that are too broad, for example news from the whole city when you only wanted one borough. If that happens, update your prompt to be even more specific.
You can also add a line like "Exclude national news stories. Focus only on hyperlocal sources." That helps a lot.
A Few Prompt Tips for Better Local Reports
- Name local sources if you know them. For example: "Check the Manchester Evening News and Manchester City Council website."
- Use landmarks or postcodes if your area has a confusing name.
- Ask for a brief summary at the top of each report so you can decide in 30 seconds whether to read further.
Tracking Multiple Neighbourhoods
Moving between cities? You can set up separate AIDular agents for each location. One for where you live now, one for where you are moving to. Each runs on its own schedule and lands in your inbox separately.
If you want to stop missing what is happening on your doorstep, give it a try. You can set up your first local news tracker free at aidular.com. It takes about two minutes to write your first prompt.