How do you write the events section of a local newsletter?

I don't write about events. Each one gets a single sentence that says what it is. That's it.

"I get AI to write it. What difference does it make? It's not a story, it's a description."

How long should each event listing be?

One sentence. What is this event? Readers scan the list for something they want to do this weekend. A paragraph per event slows them down and costs you hours.

Which dates should the events cover?

The day after the newsletter goes out, through the next seven days. If it goes out on the 23rd, it covers the 24th to the 31st. That's the exact rule I give the agent that builds my events section.

How many events do you need?

About eight usable ones per newsletter. To get there I pull 20 to 25 and cut. Some are duplicates, some are stale, some are a bad fit.

Finding them is now an agent's job, not a scraper's. Event sites change their format constantly, and Facebook and Instagram actively block scraping. A Claude-based agent adapts where a brittle automation breaks every other week. More on that in whether AI can run a local newsletter.

Watch for canceled events. I've had canceled Eventbrite events still show up in an issue. I've weighed re-checking them right before send against over-engineering the whole thing.

Do you need the ten best events?

No. Six pretty good events found quickly versus the ten best: I'm pretty confident nothing changes for the reader. That's my prediction, not a test result. Spend the saved time somewhere readers can tell the difference.

Should there be a featured event?

Yes. Mine sits at the very top, really big, and it gets tons of clicks. It's also a natural thing to sell to event venues later. If you have no paying venues yet, feature one anyway so readers get used to the slot.

Which day should events go out?

Thursday. People are planning their weekend. Then package the same events for social as a weekend carousel. A guest on my podcast reported her weekend events carousel got almost 40,000 views, versus about 9,000 for the same events as a reel.

How do you get an AI agent to do this well?

Iterate with feedback. My events agent started around 70% good. Writing a better skill file got it to 90%. Now we push for 95 to 98%. Don't expect perfect on day one.

Find local events happening from [day after send date] through [send date + 8 days].
Pull 20-25 candidates. Drop canceled, duplicate or out-of-area events.
Keep the best ~8. Write ONE sentence per event: what it is, when, where.
No hype words, no emojis. Flag one event as the featured event.

That's a starting prompt, not a finished one. Your town will teach you the rest.