---
name: al-104-find-local-businesses-already-buying-ads
description: "Build a prospect list of businesses already advertising in your area, check that they actually serve your market and collect their published contact details, like the weekend agent John Apolinar set up with Hermes and ChatGPT/Codex for his local media company. Use when the user wants help with prospect research (sales) for a small business."
---

# Find local businesses already buying ads

Build a prospect list of businesses already advertising in your area, check that they actually serve your market and collect their published contact details, like the weekend agent John Apolinar set up with Hermes and ChatGPT/Codex for his local media company.

## Inputs to collect first
Ask the user for anything below that they haven't already given you. Don't guess missing facts.

- Ad space / my service
- City or region
- My area
- Your own material (text, notes or data)

## Instructions

Do the task below with the user's inputs in place of each [bracket].

Help me build a prospect list for selling [ad space / my service] in [city or region]. Find businesses that are already advertising locally (for example in local papers, radio, billboards, local social ads, or sponsorships) in these categories: [list]. For each one, check whether they actually serve [my area] and note how you confirmed it. Collect only contact details they publish themselves (website contact page, listed phone or email, booking page), plus the source link. Put it in a table: business, category, where they advertise, serves my area (yes/no/unsure), published contact, source. Skip anyone you can't confirm, and don't contact anyone.

## Safety checks (share these with the user)

- Remove names, contact details, account numbers and other personal data the task doesn't need before you paste, and check your AI tool's data and training settings.
- Read and edit the draft before it reaches a customer or goes public. If you later automate this prompt, start with "draft and notify me", not "send automatically".
- Check names, dates, numbers and any claim against your own source material before you use the answer. AI can misread or invent details.
- Say clearly which parts need a person to review or approve before anything is sent, paid, posted or filed.

## About this skill

- Works with: ChatGPT, Codex, Claude, Hermes, Google Sheets
- Based on this real-world example: https://x.com/itsjohnapolinar/status/2110370396188860489
- Free prompt from AgentPlaybook Real Estate: https://agentic-library.netlify.app/prompt/al-104-find-local-businesses-already-buying-ads/
- To install in an agent that supports Agent Skills, save this file as SKILL.md in a folder with the same name as `name` above (for example in your skills directory). Install steps for Claude.ai, Claude Code, Cursor and Codex: https://agentic-library.netlify.app/skills/