Reputation Intelligence Playbook

Turn signals into informed action.

A shift in your brand’s reputation rarely arrives with a flashing warning light. It usually starts as a small shift in coverage, sentiment, or emerging activity in a category. 

This playbook guides you through creating a Reputation Intelligence dashboard that separates the signal from noise/helps you spot that shift, understands what is shaping perception, and prioritizes the coverage that needs attention. Then package those signals into a stakeholder-ready report.

Before You Begin 

You should already have a brand search saved in Explore. Your search is the foundation for your Reputation Intelligence dashboard, reporting, and ongoing analysis. So make sure it captures coverage where your brand is the primary subject, rather than a passing mention.

Brand Monitoring Use Case Playbook

For the most accurate results, your brand should appear in the title, in the ingress, or several times in the body of each document. For example:

(title:”your brand” OR ingress:”your brand” OR “your brand”{4,})

Remember: Your search doesn’t need to predict every potential reputation issue. Start with a reliable brand search, then let the Reputation Intelligence dashboard organize your data into meaningful reputation signals you can investigate and act on.

Prepare Your View

Create your Reputation Intelligence dashboard and put your inbox on watch.

Step 1: Create your Reputation Intelligence dashboard

Create your dashboard using your brand search. The dashboard gives you the canvas. Your job is to find the story behind the data. 

Expect lower volume than your full Explore search. The dashboard only includes content that matches your search keywords and is classified as reputation-relevant.

📺 Watch: How to Create a Reputation Intelligence Dashboard

🔗 Step-by-Step: How to Create a Reputation Intelligence Dashboard in Analyze

Step 2: Schedule a Reputation Intelligence Digest

Set up an AI-powered email Digest Report to keep key stakeholders informed as the conversation evolves. Use it as your early-warning system, then return to the dashboard when something deserves a closer look.

📺 Watch: How to Schedule Reputation Intelligence Digest Reports

🔗 Step-by-Step: Setting Up a Reputation Intelligence Digest

Monitor & Investigate Reputation Signals

What’s changing, and what’s driving it?

Step 3: Spot movement in the Reputation Overview

Start with the big picture. Review coverage volume, sentiment, and what’s currently shaping the conversation.

Look for movement, not just numbers. A sudden spike, a sentiment shift, or a new category may be the beginning of a larger story.

📺 Watch: How to Investigate Your Reputation Intelligence Dashboard (Spot the signal chapter)

🔗 Step-by-Step: Using the Reputation Intelligence Dashboard

A note about your Risk Score: 

Risk Score does not measure the overall health of your brand. It helps you decide where to look first. Treat it as a directional signal, not a verdict, and not a score attached to each article.

🔗 Understanding Reputation Risk Score

Step 4: Find the driver

Use the Exposure Matrix and Reputation Trends widgets to identify the reputation category pillar behind the movement. This is where the noise starts to clear.

Then move to the positive and negative driver widgets to see how the issue is being framed in coverage.

Pro Tip: Click on the wand 🪄icon to get an AI-generated widget insight with Mira Companion, or use the Reputation Category filter to drill in to a particular reputation pillar.

📺 Watch: How to Investigate Your Reputation Intelligence Dashboard (Find the Driver chapter)

🔗 Step-by-Step: Using the Reputation Intelligence Dashboard

Step 5: Validate the evidence

Select a data point to open the underlying content. Investigate what is driving the trend. Review the narratives, sources, authors, sentiment, and highest-priority documents.

Reputation Labels are assigned to each document. But note that one article can carry several labels or mention several brands, so prioritizing your brand’s prominence in your saved search matters here.

Read enough of the coverage to test the pattern before you report it:

• Does the narrative appear across several independent sources?
• Who is amplifying it, and through which media channels?
• Is this a short-lived spike or a pattern that continues across the period?

📺 Watch: How to Investigate Your Reputation Intelligence Dashboard (Validate the Evidence chapter)

🔗 Step-by-Step: Reputation Labels in Content Cards

Step 6: Build the takeaway

Use your investigation to help you answer four questions:

• What changed?
• What category or narrative drove the change?
• Which coverage, sources, or voices support the finding?
• What should stakeholders watch or do next?

If you cannot support the takeaway with the evidence, keep investigating. The dashboard points you to the signal. The underlying mentions give you the context, proof, and examples you need to trust the takeaway.

Optional: Add competitive context

Review & Communicate Findings

Who needs to know, and what is the takeaway?

Step 7: Share a live dashboard during active moments

When a reputation moment is developing, share a live dashboard link so stakeholders can view the latest activity, trends, and supporting context in one place.

📺 Watch: How to Share a Dashboard from Analyze (Shareable Link chapter)

🔗 Step-by-Step: How to Share a Dashboard from Analyze

Step 8: Export a static view for follow-up reporting

After the moment stabilizes, export a static view to preserve a point-in-time snapshot of what happened, what changed, and what drove the conversation.

Before exporting, review the dashboard to make sure it clearly captures:

• The key takeaway
• Major volume or sentiment shifts
• Peak moments or turning points
• The narratives, sources, or channels that shaped the conversation

Remember: The goal is not to share all the data. It’s to give stakeholders a clear understanding of what happened, what it means, and what to do next.

📺 Watch: How to Share a Dashboard from Analyze (Export section)

🔗 Step-by-Step: How to Share a Dashboard from Analyze

Step 9: Strengthen future monitoring

Use what you learned to improve your search, reporting, and investigation workflow before the next reputation moment.

Consider:

• What signal appeared first?
• Which sources, channels, or narratives drove the most impact?
• What examples best explain the takeaway?
• Should your brand search, dashboard filters, or reporting cadence be adjusted?

Continue building your reporting and communication skills with:

• Data-Driven Communications
• Using Data Smarter

Final Tip: Every major reputation moment starts as a small signal. Regular monitoring helps you recognize the conversations shaping your brand before they become harder to steer.