Newsletter Generation
Overview
Generates professional, well-researched newsletters combining curated content from multiple sources with original analysis and commentary. Follows modern newsletter best practices (Morning Brew, The Hustle, TLDR, Benedict Evans).
Output is a complete, ready-to-publish newsletter in Markdown.
When to Use
- User asks to generate a newsletter, email digest, or content roundup
- User requests a curated summary of news or developments on a topic
- User wants to create a recurring newsletter format
- User asks to compile recent developments into a briefing
- User asks for a "weekly roundup", "monthly digest", or "morning briefing"
Newsletter Workflow
Phase 1: Planning
Identify:
- Topic(s): main subject(s) of the newsletter
- Format: daily digest, weekly roundup, deep-dive, industry briefing
- Audience: technical, executive, general
- Tone: informative, casual, analytical
- Length: target word count or item count
Phase 2: Research & Curation
Use web_search + browse_page to gather content:
- Search broadly for recent developments on the topic
- Fetch full articles with
browse_pageon promising results - Curate 5-10 items worth featuring — prioritize:
- Breaking news / announcements
- Original analysis / thought leadership
- Data releases / reports
- Interesting perspectives
- Extract key facts from each source: headline, key point, why it matters
- Verify claims with a second source where possible
Phase 3: Writing
Structure the newsletter:
markdown# [Newsletter Name] — [Date] ## This Week's Headline [1-2 sentence hook for the top story] --- ## Top Stories ### 1. [Headline] [2-3 sentence summary of the story] **Why it matters**: [1 sentence on significance] [Source](URL) ### 2. [Headline] [...] ### 3. [Headline] [...] --- ## Quick Hits - [Brief item with link](URL) - [Brief item with link](URL) - [Brief item with link](URL) --- ## Deep Dive: [Topic] [Longer analysis section on one key topic — 200-400 words. Original commentary, not just summary. Add your perspective on what this means for the audience.] --- ## Quote of the Week > "[Notable quote]" — [Attribution](URL) --- ## Coming Up Next Week [1-2 sentence preview of expected developments] --- *Curated by [Agent Name]. [Subscribe](link) | [Archive](link)*
Writing Principles
- Lead with value: each item should answer "why does this matter to me?"
- Scannable: headlines + bold key points + short paragraphs
- Original commentary: don't just summarize — add perspective
- Attribution: link to every source
- Consistent voice: match the chosen tone throughout
- Forward-looking: end with what to watch for
Phase 4: Review & Format
- Check all links work
- Verify facts against sources
- Ensure consistent formatting (headlines, bullets, spacing)
- Preview in Markdown renderer if possible
Phase 5: Save & Present
Save to .poirot/outputs/newsletter-{topic}-{YYYYMMDD}.md via write_file.
Present via present_files.
Newsletter Formats
| Format | Items | Length | Cadence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Digest | 3-5 | 300-500 words | Daily |
| Weekly Roundup | 5-10 | 800-1500 words | Weekly |
| Deep-Dive | 1-3 | 1500-3000 words | Irregular |
| Industry Briefing | 5-8 | 600-1200 words | Weekly/Biweekly |
Pitfalls
- Too many items: 5-10 is the sweet spot. More dilutes value.
- No original commentary: a link dump isn't a newsletter. Add perspective.
- Stale news: verify items are recent (within the newsletter's cadence window).
- No "why it matters": readers skim. Each item needs a significance hook.
- Inconsistent tone: match the audience. Executive briefing ≠ casual blog.
- Missing attribution: every claim links to its source.
