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How to use Claude skills for your local newsletter.
You do not need to code or learn prompts. Add a skill once, and Claude follows that playbook every time you ask for the job. Setup takes about three minutes.
The short answer
A Claude skill is a small folder of instructions Claude reads before it does a specific job. Download one of our free skills, upload it in Claude under Customize, then Skills, and ask for the job in plain words. Claude then writes, sells or plans the way our team does in our own local publications.
Set it up in Claude (website or app)
Turn on code execution
Open Settings, then Capabilities, and switch on Code execution and file creation. Skills need it. On a Team or Enterprise plan, an owner may have to allow skills first.
Download a skill
Pick one from the library, enter your email, and download the ZIP. Keep it zipped.
Upload it
Open Customize, then Skills. Click the + button, choose Create skill, then Upload a skill, and pick the ZIP. It shows up in your list with a switch to turn it on or off.
Ask for the job
Start a new chat and ask in plain words, for example: "Use my Local Newsletter Issue Writer skill to build Tuesday's issue from these links." Naming the skill makes sure Claude picks it up.
Tip: each skill comes with a fill-in worksheet (templates/operator-worksheet.md). Paste it into the chat with your details filled in and the first draft gets much closer to send-ready.
Using Claude Code or Codex instead
Skills you upload in Claude also load in Claude Code when you sign in with the same account. To install one by hand, unzip it so the folder sits at ~/.claude/skills/<skill-name>/SKILL.md for Claude Code, or in the skills folder your Codex setup reads. Then ask for the job the same way.
What to expect from the first run
- Claude may ask two or three quick questions first (your town, your send day, your sections). Answer them once and keep the answers in the worksheet.
- It will mark anything it could not confirm. That is on purpose. Check those lines before you send.
- Edit freely. The skill is a starting method, not a rulebook you have to keep. Change counts, section names or tone in
SKILL.mdand upload it again.
Which skill should I start with?
If you publish a local newsletter, start with the issue writer and the subject line writer. If you sell ads, start with the sponsor prospect finder. Realtors should start with the realtor newsletter builder.
Questions
Do I need a paid Claude plan to use skills?
No. Anthropic makes skills available on the Free, Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise plans. You do need the code execution setting turned on, which is one switch in Settings.
What is a Claude skill, in plain words?
A skill is a small folder of instructions Claude reads before it does a specific job. It holds the rules, formats and examples for that job, so Claude follows a proven method instead of guessing.
Will Claude make things up in my newsletter?
Our skills tell Claude to use only the facts you give it or that it can source, and to flag anything it could not confirm. You still read and approve everything before it goes out.
Can I edit a skill to match my publication?
Yes. Open SKILL.md in any text editor and change the sections, counts or tone, then upload it again. Many publishers rename sections to match their own.
Want it done without the setup?
lightbreak writes the whole issue for you every week, and the Local Media HQ team can set up AI across your publication.
Book a free 20-minute callSetup steps checked against Anthropic's help article on using skills in Claude, October 2026. Claude is a trademark of Anthropic; we are not affiliated.