How to Use Natural Language Orders: Complete Beginner’s Guide
Ready to start trading with Natural Language Orders? This guide walks you through everything from creating your first NLO to managing multiple automated trades. Whether you’re a complete beginner or experienced investor, NLOs make event-based trading simple.
What You’ll Need
Before Starting
- Brokerage account - Connected to PoliStock (Robinhood, Fidelity, Charles Schwab, etc.)
- PoliStock subscription - $120/year for unlimited Natural Language Orders
- Mobile app or web access - Download or log in at www.polistock.app
- Funding - Cash available in your brokerage to execute trades
Skills Needed
- Writing ability - You just need to write in plain English
- Basic investing knowledge - Understanding of stocks you want to trade
- 10 minutes - That’s all you need to set up your first NLO
Step-by-Step: Creating Your First Natural Language Order
Step 1: Log In and Connect Your Brokerage
In the PoliStock app:
- Open the app and log in
- Go to Settings → Connected Accounts
- Select your brokerage (Robinhood, Fidelity, Charles Schwab, Webull, etc.)
- Follow the secure authentication process
- Grant trading permissions
- Confirm your linked account
Security Note: PoliStock uses bank-level encryption. Your login credentials are never stored.
Step 2: Navigate to Natural Language Orders
On mobile:
- Tap the Trading tab
- Select Create New Order
- Choose Natural Language Order
On web:
- Click New Order in the dashboard
- Select AI-Powered Event-Based Order
- Start typing your trade
Step 3: Write Your Order Description
This is where you describe your trade in plain English. You don’t need special terminology.
Format: “Buy/Sell [STOCK] if [EVENT HAPPENS]”
Beginner Examples:
"Buy Apple if they announce a new product"
"Sell Tesla if quarterly earnings miss"
"Buy energy stocks if oil prices spike"
"Sell tech stocks on regulatory concerns"More Specific Examples:
"Buy AMD if they announce a partnership with OpenAI"
"Sell semiconductor holdings if there's supply chain disruption news"
"Buy healthcare stocks if FDA approves new cancer treatment"
"Sell my growth stocks if Federal Reserve raises rates"Step 4: Specify Your Trading Parameters
Stock Selection:
- Which single stock or multiple stocks should this apply to?
- Example: Just “Apple” or “All semiconductor companies I own”
Order Size:
- How many shares? Or dollar amount?
- Example: “100 shares” or “$5,000 worth”
- Example: “25% of my portfolio” or “All my holdings”
Price Limits (Optional):
- Set maximum buy price or minimum sell price
- Prevents overpaying or underselling
- Example: Buy only below $150, Sell only above $300
Risk Parameters (Optional):
- Maximum portfolio percentage in this trade
- Stop-loss limit
- Position sizing rules
Step 5: Review Your Order
Check these details:
- Stock symbols correct
- Buy or sell direction correct
- Event description clear and specific
- Order size appropriate
- Any price limits are reasonable
Example review:
“Order Details:
- Action: BUY
- Stock: AMD (Advanced Micro Devices)
- Trigger: Announcement of OpenAI partnership
- Size: 100 shares
- Max Price: $200/share
- Status: Ready to activate”
Step 6: Activate Your Order
Click “Activate Natural Language Order”
Your NLO is now live and monitoring for your specified event.
Managing Your Active Orders
View Your Orders
In the app:
- Go to My Orders tab
- See all active Natural Language Orders
- View pending, triggered, and completed orders
For each order you can see:
- Trigger event being monitored
- Current status
- Stocks affected
- When it was created
- Performance if already executed
Monitor Order Status
Active - Waiting for event to trigger Triggered - Event detected, trade executing Executed - Trade completed, awaiting settlement Expired - Order timed out (you can renew) Cancelled - You stopped monitoring this event
Modify or Cancel Orders
Change an active order:
- Tap the order in your list
- Select Edit
- Modify trigger, size, or other parameters
- Save changes
Cancel an order:
- Find order in your list
- Select Cancel Order
- Confirm cancellation
- Order stops monitoring immediately
Real-World NLO Scenarios
Scenario 1: Earnings Trading
Your goal: Profit from earnings surprises
Your NLO: “Buy Tesla if they beat earnings expectations by more than 20%”
Parameters:
- Stock: TSLA
- Size: 50 shares
- Max price: $250/share
- Hold for: 1-5 days
What happens:
- AI monitors Tesla’s quarterly earnings
- Earnings release happens
- Beat is detected at >20% above estimates
- Your buy order executes
- You get notified instantly
- Trade analysis provided
Scenario 2: News-Based Sector Rotation
Your goal: Rotate holdings based on market news
Your NLO: “Sell all my tech holdings if major antitrust lawsuits are announced against big tech”
Parameters:
- Stocks: All tech holdings in your portfolio
- Size: 100% of position
- Sell immediately on news
What happens:
- AI monitors regulatory and legal news
- Major antitrust news breaks
- Your tech positions automatically sell
- Proceeds held in cash
- You decide next move with reduced risk
Scenario 3: Risk Management
Your goal: Protect against market crashes
Your NLO: “Sell 50% of my portfolio if market drops more than 15%”
Parameters:
- Stocks: Major holdings
- Size: 50% of each position
- Trigger: Market-wide correction
What happens:
- AI monitors market indices
- 15% drop detected
- Your defensive sell order executes
- You reduce downside exposure
- You maintain partial upside participation
Scenario 4: Opportunity-Based Trading
Your goal: Capture specific opportunities
Your NLO: “Buy renewable energy stocks if new climate legislation passes”
Parameters:
- Stocks: ICLN, TAN, NEE
- Size: $10,000 total
- Split equally across stocks
What happens:
- AI monitors legislative announcements
- Climate bill passes
- Your buy orders execute across all three stocks
- You capture the upside immediately
- News analysis provided
Common NLO Patterns for Different Investor Types
For Active Traders
“Buy volatile stocks if gap up occurs on earnings” “Sell rallies on technical resistance levels” “Buy on support level breaks for swing trades”
For Long-Term Investors
“Buy blue chips if market correction exceeds 20%” “Dollar-cost average into S&P 500 every month on weakness” “Rebalance portfolio on quarterly basis”
For Income Investors
“Buy dividend stocks if yields exceed 4%” “Sell covered calls on earnings announcements” “Rotate to utility stocks on rate increase news”
For Options Traders
“Buy call options if earnings beat confirmed” “Sell puts on company partnership announcements” “Roll positions on earnings dates”
Tips for Writing Effective NLOs
✓ DO This
Be Specific:
- “Buy if revenue growth accelerates above 25%”
- NOT: “Buy if company does well”
Use Clear Trigger Events:
- “Earnings announcement,” “FDA approval,” “Partnership news”
- NOT: “If things change”
Set Clear Conditions:
- “Buy on dips below $150”
- NOT: “Buy on dips”
Specify Time Horizons:
- “Hold for 5 trading days”
- NOT: “Hold forever”
✗ DON’T Do This
Don’t be vague:
- ❌ “Buy if something good happens”
- ✓ “Buy if profit margins expand”
Don’t overspecify:
- ❌ “Buy if exactly $150.27 and it’s a Tuesday”
- ✓ “Buy below $155”
Don’t mix multiple unrelated events:
- ❌ “Buy if earnings beat OR recession ends OR crypto rallies”
- ✓ Create separate orders for each event
Don’t ignore portfolio risk:
- ❌ “Buy $100,000 worth” (if portfolio is $50,000)
- ✓ “Buy $5,000 worth” or “Buy 10% of portfolio”
Notifications and Alerts
How You’re Notified
When your event triggers:
- Push notification on mobile
- Email alert
- In-app notification
- SMS alert (premium feature)
Information Included
- Stock traded
- Event that triggered it
- Order execution price
- Shares acquired/sold
- Gain/loss if available
- AI market analysis
Customizing Notifications
In Settings → Alerts:
- Choose notification types (push, email, SMS)
- Select which events to notify
- Set quiet hours (no alerts 10pm-8am)
- Group similar alerts
Common Questions About Using NLOs
Q: How fast do NLOs execute?
A: Typically within 1-3 seconds of event detection. This is institutional-grade speed, much faster than you could manually place a trade.
Q: Can I cancel my NLO before it triggers?
A: Yes, anytime. Just find it in “My Orders” and select “Cancel.” Your money remains in your account.
Q: What if I don’t have enough cash?
A: Your NLO will be flagged. You need sufficient buying power for the order size. Add funds or reduce order size.
Q: Can I set multiple NLOs for the same stock?
A: Yes, you can have multiple orders on the same stock as long as they don’t conflict (e.g., buy and sell orders for different events).
Q: Are there any fees for NLOs?
A: PoliStock charges 0.5% commission on NLO volumes. Standard brokerage fees still apply.
Q: What happens if my order executes but I’m not online?
A: Your order still executes perfectly. You’ll receive notifications and can view execution details in your history anytime.
Mistakes to Avoid
❌ Setting orders too large - Start small until comfortable ❌ Forgetting to fund account - Ensure buying power available ❌ Vague trigger events - Be specific about what you’re trading ❌ Too many simultaneous orders - Manage portfolio risk ❌ Not setting price limits - Protect against slippage ❌ Ignoring notifications - Check your trades daily
Next Steps
- Start small - Create 1-2 NLOs with small positions
- Learn from execution - See how your trades perform
- Refine triggers - Adjust based on results
- Scale up - Gradually increase order sizes
- Build strategy - Combine multiple NLOs for systematic approach
Ready to automate your trading? Start with your first Natural Language Order today.