Media monitoring should tell you what to do, not just what was said

A pile of clippings is not intelligence. Good monitoring tells leaders which stories matter, why, and what to do next.

Many institutions pay for media monitoring and receive long lists of articles that nobody reads. The value of monitoring lies not in collecting coverage but in understanding it.

Start with the questions leaders need answered

Are we being understood? Which issues are growing? Who is shaping the story about us? Are our messages reaching the people we need to reach?

Combine technology with judgement

Technology now makes it possible to track large volumes of coverage quickly. But software cannot yet judge which story will matter to a minister, a regulator or a board. Experienced analysts are still needed to read the coverage and give advice.

Turn findings into action

Every monitoring report should end with recommendations: which stories need a response, which journalists to brief, and which messages to strengthen.