Targeted News Tracker

Traditional news alerts are too broad, missing crucial updates while drowning you in irrelevant content. This automation creates precise monitoring for specific people, cases, or topics, delivering exactly what you need to know.

🎯 Objective

Create an automated system that monitors specific news sources for targeted mentions (e.g., faculty members, legal cases, industry developments) and delivers customized briefings.

⚙️ The Basic Workflow

1. Configure News Sources (Make.com)

• Set up RSS feeds from key news sites

• Monitor specific Twitter/X accounts

• Track legal databases

• Connect to industry newsletters

• Follow academic publications

2. Define Search Parameters

• Create detailed search criteria

• Build Boolean search strings

• Maintain lists of:

  • People to track

  • Case numbers/names

  • Key phrases

  • Industry terms

3. Process Updates (AI Analysis)

• Filter content through search criteria

• Send matches to AI for analysis

• Evaluate:

  • Relevance score

  • Key implications

  • Required actions

  • Connected topics

4. Generate Briefings

• Create customized summaries

• Group related updates

• Highlight action items

• Add context from previous updates

🛠️ Tools Needed

• Make.com (workflow automation)

• ChatGPT or Claude (analysis)

• RSS reader service

• News API (optional)

• Notification system (email/Slack)

📝 Sample Make.com Workflow

1. Trigger: New content from monitored sources

2. Apply search filters

3. Extract relevant content

4. Send to AI for analysis

5. Generate briefing

6. Route based on priority

7. Archive for future reference

🚀 Customization Options

• Add specialized news sources

• Create topic-specific briefings

• Customize update frequency

• Modify relevance scoring

• Integrate with research databases

⚠️ Keep in Mind

• Verify important information

• Regularly update search terms

• Monitor false positive rate

• Maintain source diversity

• Consider paywalled content

🔍 Example AI Prompt

CopyAnalyze this news content:
[Content]

Please provide:
1. Relevance score (1-5) with explanation
2. Key facts and developments
3. Connections to other tracked topics
4. Suggested next actions
5. Priority level for notification

Format as a concise briefing suitable for busy professionals.

📈 Measuring Success

Track:

• Important updates caught

• False positive rate

• Time saved vs. manual monitoring

• Briefing quality and accuracy

• User engagement with updates

Start with a small set of high-priority topics or people to monitor. Refine your search parameters and analysis criteria before expanding coverage.