Monitoring Daily Media Playbook
Once your search is built and saved, daily monitoring helps you stay informed with minimal effort. The goal isn’t to watch coverage all day. It’s to set up the right signals so important updates reach you automatically.
Before you begin, make sure your search is saved in Explore. If not, start with the Brand Monitoring Playbook.
How Daily Monitoring Works
Daily media monitoring works best when you use all three tools together. Each plays a different role:
- Monitor Streams → Ongoing visibility into coverage
- Smart Alerts → Notifications when coverage activity shifts
- Digest Reports → Structured media scans sent on a schedule
Together, these tools make up your daily monitoring system.
Step 1: Set Up Monitor Streams
Monitor Streams give you a live view of coverage as it comes in.
Use Monitor Streams to:
- Check coverage throughout the day
- Track multiple topics in one place
- Quickly scan what’s new
📺 Watch: How to Set Up a Monitor Stream
🔗 Step by Step: Setting up a Monitor Stream
Step 2: Create Smart Alerts
Smart Alerts notify you when activity changes or spikes, so you don’t have to watch coverage waiting for something to happen.
Use Smart Alerts to catch:
- Spikes in coverage
- Sentiment shifts
- High-impact mentions
These keep you informed when something notable happens, so you don’t have to monitor your coverage manually.
📺 Watch: How to Create an Alert
🔗 Step by Step: How to Create a Smart Alert
🔗 Step by Step: Types of Alerts Available
Step 3: Schedule Digest Reports
Digest Reports send a summary of coverage on a schedule you choose. These reports can be sent as infrequently as once per week or as often as twice per day.
📺 Watch: How to Create a Digest Report
🔗 Step by Step: How to Create a Digest Report
Want a branded version?
If your account includes Newsletters, you can create custom-branded versions of Digest Reports for internal or external audiences.
🔗 Step by Step: How to Create Manual or Automated Newsletters.
A Simple Monitoring Routine
Here’s how most teams use this workflow day-to-day:
- Review your emailed Digest Report when it’s delivered
- Glance at your Monitor Stream when you log into Meltwater
- Let Smart Alerts surface changes that need your attention
Set these up once, then let it run in the background while you focus on the insights.
What’s Next?
Consistently monitoring coverage is just one part of the workflow.
- For building and refining brand searches, see the Brand Monitoring Playbook
- For analyzing and sharing insights, explore the Reporting & Sharing Insights Playbook
Final Tip
Regular monitoring works best when it’s consistent.
Set it up once, then trust your Monitor streams, alerts, and digest reports to keep you informed.