Alerts are the foundation of your media monitoring within the Mention platform. You need to create an alert in order to fetch mentions and data. Once an alert is created, you will be able to access the Mention Feed, Reports, and the Dashboard.
This article explains what an alert is in Mention, how alerts fetch data, and the differences between the Basic Alert, Standard Alert, and Advanced Alert—including why you might choose one over another. It also covers the basics of creating alerts, and the keyword search rules.
Table of Contents
How Do Alerts Function?
Mention Alerts gather new online content through two mechanisms: Keyword Monitoring and Monitored Pages & Reviews. You must create an alert before Mention can fetch mentions or populate your Feed, Reports, and Dashboard.
Keyword Monitoring
Mention monitors online content for text that matches the keywords you configure. At least one keyword is required per alert. Using multiple keywords refines accuracy.
Example:
If you write "Mac" in an alert, Mention may fetch mentions about:
People named Mac
Mac computers
MAC cosmetics
And more
If you write "Mac" and "Apple" together, results focus mostly on Mac computers.
Rules
Keywords are space-sensitive.
Keywords are accent-sensitive.
Keywords are not case-sensitive.
Scope & Limitations
Mention fetches new content only.
❗ Historical content is not fetched unless you are using an Advanced Alert with Historical Data.
Monitored Pages & Reviews
Instead of keyword searches, you may add specific URLs to monitor. Mention then fetches all new posts from those pages.
Supported Sources
Facebook Business Page URLs: posts + comments
X (Twitter) Account URLs: tweets, replies, retweeters
Instagram Business Page URLs: posts
Review Websites: only URLs included in Mention’s accepted list of review sites
💡For more details, see our article: How to Monitor Specific Social Pages
The Basic Alert
The Basic Alert allows you to monitor the web and social media with an easy-to-use interface that utilizes simple monitoring rules and limitations for your search needs.
We recommend using the basic alert if:
You are new to online media monitoring.
You want to monitor any topic on the web using just a few keywords.
Keyword Monitoring Structure
The Basic Alert provides three search boxes:
Required Keywords — All must appear in a post for Mention to fetch it.
Secondary Keywords — Any one keyword may appear for Mention to fetch it.
Excluded Keywords — If any appear, Mention will not fetch the post.
Example configuration:
Required: Apple
Optional: iPhone, Mac, Watch
Excluded: oranges, bananas
This monitors:
Apple AND iPhone (without oranges/bananas)
Apple AND Mac (without oranges/bananas)
Apple AND Watch (without oranges/bananas)
Limitations + Features
Keyword Monitoring
Up to 15 keywords/phrases
5 Primary
5 Secondary
5 Excluded
Monitor these Sources: X (Twitter), Forums, Reddit, Blogs, Videos, News, Web
Choose up to 10 languages and 10 countries
Monitored Pages & Reviews
The basic alert supports:
Facebook Business Page URLs
Instagram Business Account URLs
X (Twitter) Profile URLs
Accepted Review Website URLs
❗ URL quota depends on your Mention subscription.
💡 Learn more: How to Create a Basic Alert
The Standard Alert
The Standard Alert is useful for when you want more control over keyword combination, multiple topics, or more precise monitoring, but do not want to dive into the complexity of the advanced boolean.
We recommend using this alert if:
You are ready to take your online monitoring skills to the next level.
You want to monitor specific topics on the web.
You want to monitor multiple topics at the same time.
Search Operators
The Standard Alert offers these 4 unique search operators to build your query:
AND: this operator will link two keywords together. Both keywords must appear in a publication in order for Mention to bring it into your account.
OR: this operator will monitor the keywords separately. Only one keyword needs to appear in the publication in order for Mention to fetch it.
AND NOT: this operator will exclude keywords. If the keyword appears in the publication, Mention will disregard it.
NEAR: this operator is a proximity operator that will link keywords with a set proximity. If the keywords appear within this proximity of each other, Mention will fetch it.
⚙️ Let's take a look at the example above. This alert is monitoring two separate searches at the same time:
In the first box, the alert is monitoring the following search:
Apple AND Watch when oranges do not appear in the text
In the second box, the alert has another search which is monitoring:
Samsung AND Galaxy
Limitations + Features
Keyword Monitoring
Up to 40 keywords (10 per query box)
Use up to 4 logic operators
Preview estimated mention volume (quota estimation)
Monitor these Sources:
Facebook monitored pages, Instagram monitored pages, X (Twitter), Forums, Reddit, Blogs, Videos, News, WebBlock URLs
Choose up to 10 languages and 10 countries
Monitored Pages & Reviews
Same supported URLs as Basic Alerts.
❗ URL quota depends on subscription.
💡 Learn more: How to Create a Standard Alert
The Advanced Alert
This is the most powerful alert type, offering a blank boolean query field and 20+ operators to define highly complex monitoring rules. We recommend this alert as your go-to.
We recommend using this alert if:
You are ready to begin programming alerts using boolean operators.
You want to monitor key topics on the web with specific parameters in mind.
You want to monitor mentions from the past if you have access to Historical Data.
❗In order to create an Advanced Alert, you will need to have an understanding of how to write a boolean query. If you have any questions or would like some assistance creating your alert, please contact your dedicated account manager.
The Advanced Alert is designed to be a blank template where you will create your entire search query using boolean operators. These operators will allow you to manipulate the text and data that Mention will search for on the web.
⚙️ Let's take a look at the example above. This alert is monitoring 3 separate searches with data operators that will manipulate the mentions that are fetched:
The first search is for Spanish language mentions of Apple AND iPhone.
The second search is for French language mentions of Samsung AND Galaxy.
The third search is for Italian language mentions of Google AND Pixel.
Limitations and Features
Write queries up to 2,000+ characters long
Use 20+ operators
Monitor unlimited languages and countries using language codes and country codes
Fetch up to 2 years of data with Historical Data (if you have the Historical Data add-on)
Block URLs
Monitor Sources: X (Twitter), Forums, Reddit, Blogs, Videos, News, Web
Monitored Pages & Review Sites
Same supported URLs as Basic and Standard Alerts.
❗ URL quota depends on subscription.
💡 Learn more: How to Create an Advanced Alert
How to Create an Alert
To create a new alert:
Go to your Mention Feed.
Click Create Alert.
Choose the alert type (Basic, Standard, Advanced).
Configure your keywords, operators, URLs, languages, and countries.
If you need assistance, contact [email protected].
Can I collect mentions from the past?
You can add Historical Data as an add-on to a Company plan. This allows you to retrieve up to two years of mentions from the past.
Useful for:
Agency prospecting
New client onboarding
Crisis management and analysis
Reviewing data before your Advanced Alert was created
👉 Learn more: How to Activate Historical Data for Your Alert
If you want to collect past mentions through an Advanced Alert, contact your Account Manager
What are the Mention Keyword Search Rules?
Correct keyword formatting ensures Mention fetches all relevant content. These rules apply to Basic, Standard, and Advanced Alerts.
Space-Sensitive
Spacing matters.
"Coca Cola" ≠ "CocaCola"
Accent-Sensitive
Accents must be included explicitly.
"Cóca Còla" ≠ "Coca Cola"
Case-Sensitive
Mention is not case-sensitive.
"Coca Cola" = "coca cola"
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact [email protected]!