A Google Alerts alternative that reads the results for you
Keyword alerts tend to send either nothing or a pile of near-identical links, and you still have to open each one. This prompt has your todo.is agent search the web for your topics on a schedule, drop duplicates and irrelevant hits, read what is left and send a short digest with one line per item and the source link.
The prompt
- Be my Google Alerts replacement. Every [SCHEDULE], search the web for new results on these topics: [TOPICS AND KEYWORDS]. Look at news sites, blogs, forums like Reddit, and [EXTRA SOURCES]. Only include items published since the last run. Skip results that are [WHAT TO EXCLUDE], and merge stories that cover the same event into one item. Read each item and write one sentence on why it matters, with the link. Group items by topic and put the most important first. Send the digest to [WHERE TO SEND IT]. If there is nothing new and relevant, send one line saying so.
What to change
- [SCHEDULE]: e.g. "weekday at 7:30", "Monday morning" or "every 4 hours" for fast-moving topics.
- [TOPICS AND KEYWORDS]: What to watch, with variants: "'Harbor Kitchen' OR 'HarborKitchen', my name 'Dana Ruiz' chef, and 'meal kit regulation'". Use quotes for exact phrases.
- [EXTRA SOURCES]: e.g. "Hacker News, trade sites in my industry, YouTube video titles" or "nothing else".
- [WHAT TO EXCLUDE]: e.g. "job ads, press release copies, coupon sites, or about the other Dana Ruiz (the athlete)".
- [WHERE TO SEND IT]: Email, WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack or Discord.
Example result
- Your alerts digest · Tuesday Oct 8
- Since: Monday 07:30 · 7 items kept, 14 skipped (duplicates, job ads, coupon pages)
- Harbor Kitchen (your company)
- • Local food blog review: "Harbor Kitchen’s new vegan box is the best value in town." Positive, mentions slow delivery once. (link)
- • Reddit thread in a city subreddit: someone asks for meal kit picks; 2 replies recommend you, 1 complains about packaging waste. Worth a polite reply. (link)
- • Supplier news: your packaging supplier announced compostable trays. Could address the waste complaint. (link)
- Dana Ruiz, chef
- • Podcast episode listing: you are named as a guest on a food business show next week. (link)
- Meal kit regulation
- • State health department notice: draft labeling rules for ready-to-cook kits, open for comments until Nov 15. (link)
- • Trade site analysis: what the draft means for small kit companies; key point is allergen labeling on each component. (link)
- • Opinion piece: argues the rules will raise costs for small firms. One viewpoint, not news. (link)
- Skipped, so you know
- • 9 copies of the same press release on aggregator sites
- • 3 job ads, 2 coupon pages
- • 1 result about Dana Ruiz the athlete
- Reply "more like the Reddit one" or "drop opinion pieces" and I will adjust the next digest.
How to do it with todo.is
- Copy the prompt and list your topics, extra sources and what to skip.
- Paste it into todo.is, or send it to your agent on email or Telegram.
- Your agent sets up the recurring search and sends a clean digest on your schedule.
- Reply with feedback like "fewer opinion pieces" and the next digest follows it.
Tips for a better result
- Add spelling variants and the product names people actually use, not just your brand’s official name.
- Write down who you are not. Shared names are the main source of junk alerts.
- Include forums and Reddit. Early complaints and questions often show up there before the news.
- Ask your agent to remember your topics, so you can say "add a topic" instead of rewriting the to-do.
Google Alerts alternative: FAQ
- Is there a better alternative to Google Alerts? An AI agent can do more than send links: it searches several kinds of sources, removes duplicates, reads each result and tells you why it matters. You set the schedule and topics in plain words.
- Why are my Google Alerts not working or empty? Keyword alerts depend on how pages are indexed and can miss forums, new pages or results phrased differently. A search that runs on a schedule and looks at several source types usually finds more.
- Can it watch social media too? It can read public pages it can open, such as Reddit threads, public forums and many public posts. It cannot see private accounts or groups.
- How much does a daily digest cost? Each run uses some AI credits from your plan. You can try todo.is for $1 for the first 24 hours.
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