How to Set and Audit Alerts in PolicyNote: A Video Series

Most teams that feel like they're drowning in alerts don't have a tool problem. They have a settings problem. The difference between a legislative tracker that buys you peace of mind and one that floods your inbox comes down to how the alerts are scoped, filtered, and audited over time.

In this nine-part video series, Mateo Lambert-Fortoul, Customer Success Manager at PolicyNote, walks through how to set up alerts that surface what matters, and how to audit them on a regular cadence so they keep pace with your team's shifting priorities. 

Each video is short and focused on a specific setting or audit step you can apply directly in PolicyNote.

1. Why Alert Overload Is a Settings Problem, Not a Tool Problem

When clients say they're getting too many alerts or are worried they're missing something, the issue is almost always how the alerts are configured. Mateo explains why layering filters by region, subtopic, and keyword variation is what separates a noisy tracker from one that quietly does its job.

2. Setting a Solid Foundation: Broad to Narrow

The strongest alerts start broad and get refined. Mateo demos how to use the Discover tab to gauge volume on a topic like electric vehicles, then layer subtopics like charging stations or battery storage to cut a thousand results down to something usable.

3. Using AI-Assisted Search to Catch Keyword Variations

When you're new to a topic, AI-Assisted Search is the fastest way to set up a strong alert. Mateo shows how the AI captures variations you might not think of (EV, electric car, electric vehicle) and how to layer filters like jurisdiction and status directly into your prompt.

4. The NOT Operator: Cutting False Positives

Some keywords drag in results from unrelated industries every time. The NOT operator strips them out. Mateo walks through how adding a single NOT clause can cut a search from thousands of results down to a few hundred without losing what matters.

5. Policy Filters: Bills, Regulations, and Document Types

PolicyNote covers both legislation and regulations, and each has its own document types: bills, amendments, resolutions, memorials, and more. Mateo shows how to filter your search and alerts to the specific document types your team actually tracks.

6. Notification Cadence: Real-Time, Daily, and Weekly Alerts

Even a well-scoped alert becomes noise if it's hitting your inbox every hour. Mateo breaks down when to use real-time alerts (highest-priority issues only), daily digests (active monitoring), and weekly digests (lower-priority tracking), plus how to set role-based alerts so the right people see the right updates.

7. Why Audit Your Alerts, Starting With Geographical Coverage

Setting alerts is only half the job. Priorities shift between January and October, sessions end, and new issues emerge. Mateo explains why the strongest GA teams audit their alert settings at least quarterly, and what falls out of date the fastest.

If your team has expanded into new states or restructured regional coverage, your alert geography needs to follow. Mateo shows how to audit jurisdiction settings by user, so each person on your team is only getting alerts for the states they're responsible for.

8. Catching Emerging Keywords in Your Issue Areas

Policy language evolves. The terms legislators used last year on AI, ESG, or any topic tied to a news cycle might not be the terms they're using now. Mateo demos how to use AI-Assisted Search to surface related keywords, so your alerts include the new vocabulary instead of the old.

9. Checking Your Alert History to Find Underperformers

Your alert history shows which alerts are actually earning their place in your inbox. If you haven't clicked into an alert all quarter, it probably needs refining or killing. Mateo shows how to read the alert history view to spot stale alerts fast.

Next Steps

Want to see this setup running on your team's actual issue areas? Walk through PolicyNote with a product expert who can map alerts and audit cadence to your priorities. Get a custom demo tailored to your policy needs.