AI isn’t just a tool for cranking out articles; it’s a digital assistant that can make a local editor’s job faster, smarter, and more efficient. Beyond writing, AI can help spot trending stories before they break big, optimize headlines for clicks and SEO, summarize lengthy press releases into quick briefs, and even generate social media posts or newsletter intros in seconds. It can surface local context on complex issues, suggest evergreen content ideas for slow news days, and help prioritize which stories deserve top billing. In short, AI can free up editors from repetitive tasks so they can focus on the real work of local journalism: connecting with the community.

Here are some prompts, beyond articles, that could help with efficiency.

1. Daily Trend Spotting

  • Ask AI:
    • “What are the top stories trending in (Your Town) right now?”
    • “What are people searching for in (Your county) today?”
  • It can scan social media, Google Trends, and news aggregators to surface what locals are buzzing about, helping editors prioritize coverage.

2. Headline Testing & Optimization

  • AI can rewrite headlines in multiple styles:
    • SEO-friendly
    • Click-worthy (but not clickbait)
    • Social-media friendly
  • Example: “Give me 5 headline variations for a story about new school rezoning in (Your town)”

3. Social Media Post Creation

  • Instead of spending time rewording articles for social, editors can ask:
    • “Write a short, engaging Facebook post about this article with a call to action.”
    • “Turn this news story into a tweet thread with 3 short, punchy tweets.”
  • Note: Be sure and prompt it not to include emojis.

4. Quick Context on Local Issues

  • New editor covering a topic they’re unfamiliar with?
    • “Explain the history of the Ocala Downtown Market in 150 words.”
    • “Give me background on the Marion County School Board rezoning debate.”
  • This helps them get up to speed fast without hours of research.

5. Fact-Checking & Summarizing

  • Paste a press release or long government PDF → “Summarize this in 200 words with the key takeaways for Ocala residents.”
  • Ask AI to spot inconsistencies or unclear points that need a human follow-up.

6. Quick Data Checks

  • “What’s the population of Ocala and Marion County in 2025?”
  • “What are the top employers in Ocala?”
  • Useful for adding context to local stories.
  • Note: When asking AI for data clearly include for what date or it will scan ALL data for all time.

7. Evergreen & Seasonal Content Ideas

  • AI can suggest evergreen ideas that fill slow news days:
    • “Give me 10 evergreen article ideas for (Your town) in July.”
    • “What seasonal content performs well for local news sites in summer?”

8. Newsletter Help

  • “Create a punchy subject line and intro paragraph for this week’s (Your news site) newsletter based on these stories.”
  • It can curate key points so newsletters are easier to produce.

9. SEO & Tagging Suggestions

  • “Suggest 10 SEO keywords for this story on Ocala’s new housing development.”
  • “What are the best tags/categories for this article to help it rank?”

10. Audience Engagement & Poll Ideas

  • AI can suggest interactive content:
    • “What are 5 good poll questions for (Your town) readers about summer activities?”
    • “Write a simple quiz tied to local history we can post on Facebook.”

11. Story Priority Help

  • If there are multiple potential stories, editors can ask:
    • “Which of these 5 stories is most likely to get the highest engagement in (Your town) based on similar trends?”

12. Archiving & Summarizing Older Coverage

  • “Summarize all past stories on the (topic) development into a quick timeline.”
  • Helps when following up on ongoing issues.