What Information Should I Give AI to Write My Business Newsletter?

Copy the template below. Fill in every section for this month. Paste the completed brief into the input field of the Log Monthly News User Interaction task when you launch the newsletter drafting workflow in Dave by voolama (hellodave.ai). The agent reads only what you submit here. Leave a section blank if it does not apply this month: the agent will use [NOT PROVIDED] as a placeholder rather than inventing content, provided the systemPrompt includes that instruction. The Federal Plain Language Guidelines (plainlanguage.gov/guidelines/) require concrete details, active voice, and named responsible parties: those three requirements are built into the format of each section below.

MONTHLY NEWSLETTER BRIEF
Month: [MONTH YEAR, e.g., November 2026]
Business name: [BUSINESS NAME]
Newsletter name (if you have one): [NEWSLETTER NAME, or leave blank]

---

SECTION 1: NEWS THIS MONTH
List the specific things that happened or are happening this month. Use plain bullet points. Include names, dates, and numbers where they exist. Do not summarize: give the agent the raw facts.

Examples of specific facts (Federal Plain Language Guidelines: concrete details, named responsible parties):
- We hired [NAME], a [ROLE], who starts [DATE].
- We moved to [NEW ADDRESS] on [DATE].
- We completed [PROJECT NAME] for [TYPE OF CLIENT, described generically, e.g., a local restaurant group].
- We will be closed [DATE RANGE] for [REASON].

Your news this month:
[PASTE YOUR BULLET POINTS HERE]

---

SECTION 2: CURRENT OFFERS
List any offers, promotions, or discounts that are active this month. Include the exact terms: what the offer is, what it applies to, the discount or value, and the expiry date. The agent must not invent or modify offer terms.

If there are no offers this month, write: NO OFFERS THIS MONTH.

FTC 16 CFR Part 255 requires that promotional claims be truthful and not misleading. Enter the exact terms here: the agent will use them verbatim.

Your offers this month:
[PASTE YOUR OFFER DETAILS HERE]

---

SECTION 3: KEY DATES
List any dates that are relevant to clients this month: deadlines, events, closures, booking windows, or tax dates. Include the specific date and what it is for.

Examples:
- November 28, 2026: Office closed for Thanksgiving.
- December 15, 2026: Last day to book a year-end tax review.
- December 1, 2026: New bookkeeper Sarah starts and is taking new clients.

Your key dates this month:
[PASTE YOUR DATES HERE]

---

SECTION 4: TOPICS TO AVOID
List anything the agent must not mention, speculate about, or reference in the newsletter. This section protects the business from the agent inferring things that are not ready to announce.

Examples:
- Do not mention the office renovation: it is not confirmed yet.
- Do not reference any specific client by name.
- Do not discuss pricing changes: they are not finalized.

Your topics to avoid this month:
[PASTE YOUR AVOIDANCE LIST HERE, or write: NONE]

---

SECTION 5: CALL TO ACTION
State the ONE thing you want readers to do after reading the newsletter. Be specific: include the action, the method (call, email, book online), and any relevant link or phone number.

Examples:
- Book a free 30-minute year-end review call at [BOOKING LINK] before December 15, 2026.
- Reply to this email to get on Sarah's new-client waitlist.
- Call us at [PHONE NUMBER] to ask about our November bookkeeping package.

Your call to action this month:
[PASTE YOUR CALL TO ACTION HERE]

---

SECTION 6: TONE AND VOICE
Describe the tone the newsletter should use. Be specific: give the agent two or three adjectives and one sentence describing what the newsletter should sound like.

Examples:
- Warm, professional, and direct. We sound like a trusted local firm, not a corporate chain.
- Friendly and conversational. We use first names and short sentences.
- Formal and precise. We are a law office and our clients expect careful language.

Your tone and voice note:
[PASTE YOUR TONE DESCRIPTION HERE]

---

ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE AGENT (optional):
[Any other instructions that apply only to this month's newsletter, e.g., 'Keep the newsletter under 300 words' or 'Lead with the new hire announcement, not the offer.']

Run all 8 checks in the Payload section of the Human Review task before clicking Approve. If any check fails, click Request Changes and add a Comment explaining what needs to be corrected. Navigate to Tasks in the sidebar to open the Task Inbox. Only Admin and Use roles can view the Task Inbox and submit decisions. Sourced from the tasks help documentation, DEV v0.11.0, confirmed 2026-08-30.

Accuracy checks (4 checks)

1. Every fact in the newsletter appears in Section 1 or Section 3 of your brief. Read each claim in the draft against the news bullets and key dates you submitted. If the draft includes a fact not in your brief, click Request Changes and remove it. The agent cannot access your website or calendar: any fact not in the brief was either inferred or invented. The Federal Plain Language Guidelines (plainlanguage.gov/guidelines/) require concrete, verifiable details: a fact the agent invented is not verifiable.
2. Every offer term in the newsletter matches Section 2 of your brief exactly. Confirm the discount amount, the offer scope, and the expiry date in the draft match the terms you submitted. FTC 16 CFR Part 255 (ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/rules/16-cfr-part-255-guides-use-endorsements-testimonials-advertising) requires that promotional claims be truthful and not misleading. A draft that modifies an offer term requires a Request Changes decision.
3. No topic from Section 4 (Topics to Avoid) appears in the draft. Read Section 4 of your brief and confirm none of those topics appear in the draft. If one does, click Request Changes and remove it.
4. The call to action in the draft matches Section 5 of your brief exactly. Confirm the action, the method, and any link or phone number in the draft match what you submitted. A call to action with a wrong link or phone number requires a Request Changes decision.

Compliance and tone checks (4 checks)

5. No client is named by name unless you named them in the brief and have their permission. Confirm the draft does not name any specific client. If a client name appears, click Request Changes and replace it with a generic description (e.g., 'a local restaurant group').
6. The tone matches Section 6 of your brief. Read the draft as a client will read it. If the tone is significantly more formal, more casual, or more promotional than the description in Section 6, click Request Changes and add a Comment describing the adjustment needed.
7. No [NOT PROVIDED] placeholder remains in the draft. If the draft contains a [NOT PROVIDED] placeholder, either fill in the missing information manually before sending, or click Request Changes to send the draft back for revision.
8. The newsletter is the right length for your audience. A newsletter that runs over 400 words is likely to be skimmed or ignored. If the draft is significantly longer than you intended, click Request Changes and add a Comment specifying the target word count.

After completing all 8 checks, add a Comment to the Human Review task summarizing what you checked. Example: 'Checked all 8 items. Removed one fact not in brief. Confirmed offer terms. Approved.' The tasks help documentation (DEV v0.11.0, confirmed 2026-08-30) states: 'Use comments to document your decisions. Even a brief note explaining why you rejected or requested changes helps workflow owners and other reviewers understand the history.'

This template covers the monthly brief an owner completes before running the newsletter drafting workflow in Dave by voolama (hellodave.ai), and the 8-point checklist to run before approving the draft. Three things it does not cover:

• Building the newsletter drafting workflow. The five-node workflow (Start, User Interaction, Agent Interaction, Agent Review, Human Review, End) and the two agent Config JSON entries are covered in the companion guide at hellodave.ai/guide/customer-newsletter-drafting-workflow. That guide has not been published yet: it is awaiting approval in the admin queue.
• Sending the newsletter to subscribers. Dave by voolama (hellodave.ai) generates the draft and records the approval. Sending the newsletter to subscribers is a separate step outside the platform, using the business's existing email tool. The workflow-editor and agents help documentation (DEV v0.11.0, confirmed 2026-08-30) do not describe any integration with named email marketing platforms.
• Marketing compliance beyond FTC 16 CFR Part 255. State consumer protection laws, CAN-SPAM Act requirements (15 U.S.C. 7704), and industry-specific advertising rules may impose additional requirements on a business's newsletter. Dean Brown's expertise is in product strategy and content operations, not in marketing law or advertising compliance. This template is not legal or marketing compliance advice. Consult a qualified attorney for compliance questions specific to the business's industry and state.