A niche newsletter gets dull when every issue pulls from the same news sites. Public posts and videos can add useful tutorials, questions, launches, and opinions.
This newsletter curation workflow creates a source pack for a human editor.
SocialListeningAPI searches public posts on Reddit, LinkedIn, X, Hacker News, TikTok, and YouTube and Google results for the phrases you choose. It returns normalized records with source URLs.
Step 1: Define recurring newsletter sections
Create a SocialListeningAPI account and claim the 100 free credits. Choose a few sections, then write one or two queries for each:
- Product launches
- Practical tutorials
- Useful questions
- Strong opinions
- Research and reports
Keep the list narrow enough for one editor to review every returned source.
Step 2: Run newsletter curation searches
for endpoint in \
google/search \
reddit/search-posts \
linkedin/search-posts \
x/search-posts \
hackernews/search-posts \
tiktok/search-posts \
youtube/search-posts
do
curl --get "https://api.sociallisteningapi.com/api/v1/$endpoint" \
--data-urlencode 'query=social listening API tutorial' \
--header 'x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY'
doneOne phrase across seven sources costs 8 credits. The API docs explain each source. The MCP can collect the same links in Claude or ChatGPT.
Step 3: Build the external source history
Use an external scheduler to run searches weekly. Store URL, title, platform, date, query, section, and first-seen time in a database. Remove duplicate and previously used URLs.
SocialListeningAPI performs search. Scheduling, history, and deduplication happen outside it.
Step 4: Review and select every item
An editor should open each candidate, check the original source, and decide whether it is current, accurate, useful, and different from the other items. Do not summarize a headline you have not read.
If a Reddit item inspires participation, a human must read the community rules before replying.
Step 5: Write the newsletter
Use your own short summary, link to the source, and explain why the item belongs in this issue. Keep advertising and affiliate disclosures clear.
Conclusion
Build one issue from a small source pack and measure how long editorial review takes. Add queries only when a section lacks useful material.
A diverse source list helps discovery, but the editor still decides what deserves the reader’s time.
Continue with How to Publish an Original Social Data Report.
