{"id":44621,"date":"2025-04-25T17:09:54","date_gmt":"2025-04-25T17:09:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/prowly.com\/magazine\/?p=44621"},"modified":"2025-11-14T11:37:21","modified_gmt":"2025-11-14T11:37:21","slug":"how-to-create-monitoring-queries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/prowly.com\/magazine\/how-to-create-monitoring-queries\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Create Effective Media Monitoring Queries (with Real-Life Examples)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

No monitoring tool can guarantee 100% accuracy\u2014not even the ones with Boolean search.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When building advanced queries, Boolean can be cumbersome, ineffective, and prone to human error<\/strong>. One small mistake and your results can drastically change. But it\u2019s still the most reliable search system. Is it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s a simpler way to create effective queries. Here\u2019s Prowly\u2019s new take on how to quickly create monitoring searches that work.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Digital and social media\u2014track them all in one place, within a single query, dashboard, or project. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to create queries that collect relevant media mentions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The short answer is: check and refine.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s no going around it; your first monitoring searches will probably be pretty inaccurate. Instead of getting an initial spam tsunami, get a tool<\/a> with a results preview built into the query creator.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Prowly\u2019s query builder lets you preview the mentions to see if your search terms have been set up properly.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

And, if you\u2019ve already created a query and your news scans are collecting too many irrelevant results, it\u2019s time to revise the search. Exclude some terms to narrow it down or add more possible keywords to expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A self-serve tool like Prowly lets you edit queries yourself without erasing previous results or valuable historical data.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Get the Enterprise plan to unlock unlimited query-building sessions with a dedicated expert.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
BOOK AN ENTERPRISE DEMO<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

But what\u2019s the secret to building effective queries in Prowly? It\u2019s just four steps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Step 1. Choose your search type<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There are five types of search queries in Prowly:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The first four operate in pretty much the same way: you enter one or more key phrases, include or exclude some terms, and voila. The labels Brand<\/strong>, Competitor<\/strong>, Person<\/strong>, or Keyword<\/strong> make it easier to differentiate between all your queries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Backlink<\/strong> query is a separate type, used only to track a single URL. This is useful if you\u2019re focused on whether a particular link appears in the media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you'd like to add backlink tracking to your standard queries, this will be explained in Step 3: Filters.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 2. Operators and how to use them<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Prowly\u2019s query builder is based on three types of criteria:<\/p>\n\n\n\n