Brand mentions and how to make the most of them

Your business exists to serve people. After all, you’re not building in a vacuum, and your business doesn’t grow in silence. You want to be seen, talked about, and remembered—for the products you’ve created, the services you offer, and the value you bring to real people in the real world.

And the thing is, when you show up and do good work, people will inevitably talk about it. That’s what brand mentions are centered around.

Brand mentions are essentially every time your brand shows up online—whether someone links to your site or not. It’s digital word-of-mouth. And there’s research to back this up—over 70% of consumers trust brand mentions more than traditional ads. 

Any time someone mentions your brand name online, without necessarily linking to you, that’s a brand mention. It’s like a signal to search engines that you exist. You’re out there, doing the work, and people are talking about you.

Over time, these mentions help build a picture of your brand’s reputation, relevance, and authority across the web. They help color brand sentiment and brand image.

For example, imagine someone starts a Reddit thread and writes:

“I finally tried XYZ’s serum, and now I get the hype. It’s worth the price!”

There’s no link. No tag. Just someone speaking about your brand in a happy, genuine way. That’s a brand mention—and it matters more than you might think.

In today’s world of AI-driven search results and Google’s obsession with entities, brand mentions are becoming just as meaningful as backlinks. It’s not just about who links to you anymore—it’s about who talks about you, and where that happens.

Why brand mentions matter in modern SEO

When you hear people talk about SEO, it’s easy to think it’s all about backlinks. And yes, backlinks still matter—but that’s no longer the whole picture.

Building a presence on the internet is just as important these days.

That means being talked about in trusted places—whether those mentions are linked or not.

And this is key, because you’re not just creating content for the algorithm or for Google. You’re trying to build something that actually resonates in real spaces, with real people who care about what you do.

This shift is really about how Google sees things now. It’s moved from being strictly link-based to more entity-based.

Instead of only looking at who’s linking to you, Google now also pays attention to:

• Who you are—your brand as an entity
  
• Where and how you’re being mentioned online
  
• And whether those mentions are trustworthy, consistent, and relevant to what you do

Let’s say you’re a skincare brand called XYZ.

You’re mentioned in 10 different beauty and wellness blogs, but maybe only six of those actually link to your site.

But all 10 speak about you in thoughtful, in-depth ways, and they place you right in the middle of conversations about skin health, routines, and trust. 

To Google, that’s enough to connect the dots. It starts seeing you as someone people turn to when they’re looking for answers around skincare.

You’re no longer just a name—you’ve signaled expertise in that space.

Today, brand mentions = trust signals.

Brand mentions help search engines figure out who you are and whether you’re worth showing in results—even if there’s no link pointing to you.

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What are brand mentions?

Brand mentions are all about how you stay front-of-mind for people online—whether they’re talking about your brand, your products, or your company directly, or just referring to you in passing. And this can happen with or without a link.

Types of brand mentions

• Linked mentions: These are mentions of your brand that include a clickable link to your site.
  
  Example: “I’ve been loving the hydration boost from XYZ—this serum is a game-changer.”
  
• Unlinked mentions: These are brand mentions that are just your brand name in plain text without a hyperlink.
  
  Example: “Honestly, XYZ has completely changed my skincare routine.”
  
• Implied mentions: When someone refers to your brand without saying your name directly.
  
  Example: “That serum with the frosted bottle and blue label? Obsessed.”

Formats where brand mentions appear

You may already know that you can set Google Alerts to get email notifications for when your brand receives unlinked mentions, or you can use other social listening tools to get nearly real-time alerts for any brand mentions. You can track your brand alongside your core topics as well as trending topics.

Together, these tools offer valuable insights so you can better understand your target audience—and the language they use. But where exactly do these mentions appear?

There’s a range of different formats where mentions can show up online. Here’s how they break down:

News mentions

Maybe your brand is featured in a press piece or skincare tutorial, like Beauty Roundup on Elle that highlights “three vegan skincare brands leading the hydration game,” and XYZ is right there, center stage. Even without a link, that kind of mention assists Google in understanding what you’re known for. 

Social media mentions

Yes, social media mentions also count, beyond just influencer marketing. For example, if someone posts on Instagram, “This vitamin C serum from XYZ? My skin loves it!”

Even without a link, and even though Google can’t see every post, public mentions like that help build your brand’s presence. These often lead to more conversations in blogs or forums that Google trusts, so social buzz helps your SEO, even if indirectly. Social media posts and mentions on social networks hold lots of information for the public (and Google) about your brand.

Blog and forum mentions

Whether it’s a full review, a casual nod in a blog post, or a comment buried somewhere in a Reddit thread, every mention still counts. They add to the overall picture of how people are talking about your brand. 

For example, in a blog post titled “My Favorite Products for Barrier Repair,” the author writes about using XYZ Calming Mist without linking to it? That’s a brand mention and it’s valuable.

Podcast mentions

Your brand might be named in a podcast episode, maybe the host decided to share their skincare routine with their audience, and they casually drop your name: 

---

“One of the brands I’ve been loving lately is this new vegan skincare brand, XYZ. It’s super gentle, smells like roses, and my skin loves it.”

---

There’s no link or blog post. But your brand is living out loud in someone’s real routine. And to their audience, that mention holds weight. Google notices it too. 

How does Google notice? 

Not through the audio itself, but through what gets published around it. If the podcast has show notes, a transcript, or even a blog summary that includes your brand name, Google can pick up on that. It sees the context, the sentiment, and the connection to skincare; and it quietly adds that to your brand’s growing presence online.

Testimonials and reviews

Reviews don’t always look like classic five-star ratings. Sometimes, they show up in the most human ways—like a shared moment between a customer and someone they love. 

Imagine this: someone buys your toner for their mom, and later posts on X, “Just had the funniest conversation with my mom. I got her this toner from XYZ and she absolutely loves it.”

Attached is a screenshot of their chat—her mom saying, “Thank you again for this toner! My skin hasn’t looked this good since I had you,” followed by laughing emojis and a sweet reply: “Mom, you’re so cute.”

It’s soft, real, and totally unprompted, and that’s what makes it powerful. 

Broadcast mentions

Someone name-drops your brand on TV or radio—maybe it’s part of a beauty segment or just a quick mention in conversation. “Our beauty expert’s pick this month? A barrier balm from a local brand, XYZ.”

It airs once, but then the transcript gets published on the show’s website or quoted in a roundup. There’s no link, no deep dive—but the mention’s out there, and Google sees it. 

How search engines detect and interpret brand mentions

If someone mentions your brand in a tweet or a podcast or a skincare blog—but they don’t link to you—how on earth does Google know? And more importantly…how does it understand what that mention means?

No, it’s not magic or wizardry. It’s just that Google’s become very, very good at reading between the lines. Behind the scenes, there are processes in place—systems that help it understand not just what was said, but how it relates to your brand, your category, and the kinds of questions people are asking. 

These include the following:

• Natural Language Processing (NLP)
• Entities
• E-E-A-T
• Knowledge Graph

Sound technical? It is. But let’s break it down in simpler terms using our XYZ skincare company as our example. 

What’s natural language processing?

Natural Language Processing, or NLP, is basically how Google reads and understands language—not just keywords, but real, everyday speech. It’s what helps the search engine pick up on tone, meaning, and intent, even when something isn’t written in a perfectly polished, SEO-friendly  copy. 

So instead of just seeing individual words like “cleanser” and “barrier,” NLP can understand the relationship between them. 

• It knows that “this toner is so calming” is a good thing.
  
• And “this cleanser is stripping my skin barrier” is…not so great.

It picks up on sentiment, context, and subtle cues that tell it whether someone’s sharing a recommendation, a complaint, or just chatting casually. 

When someone says something like, “I’ve been using that new XYZ essence and my skin has never been softer,” NLP helps Google break that down. 

Google can pick up that:

• XYZ is a brand
  
• The mention is positive
  
• It’s related to skincare and hydration
  
• And it might connect that with previous mentions or reviews about you online
  

So NLP helps search engines understand what’s being said about you—even if it’s not in perfect SEO-optimized language, and even if there’s no link in sight.

What’s an entity, and why does it matter?

Now let’s talk about entities, and we don’t mean ghosts. In SEO, entity has a very different implication.

An entity is basically a “thing” or “concept” that Google recognizes. It could be a person, a brand, a product, or even a serum ingredient like niacinamide.

When your brand gets mentioned enough, in the right places, Google starts treating it as an entity that it might add to its Knowledge Graph (more on this in just a second). Something that actually exists in its “brain.” Not just a keyword floating around.

And why does that matter? Because when you’re seen as an entity, Google is no longer just scanning for words, it’s placing you in context. That means it’s easier for Google to trust what’s being said about you, categorize your brand accurately (for example, as a gentle skincare solution, not just a random name), and rank your content when someone searches for something relevant. 

XYZ wouldn’t just be a skincare brand. Instead, it becomes a brand that Google knows; a brand it can confidently show to people looking for calming cleansers, barrier repair routines, or sensitive skin support. 

What’s the Knowledge Graph?

The Knowledge Graph is like Google’s version of a scrapbook-meets-brain—it’s a huge network of everything it knows. This goes from brands or products to ingredients and ideas—all linked together through the way we speak, search, and connect things online.

It connects:

• Who you are
  
• What you do
  
• Where you’re mentioned
  
• Who you’re connected to
  
• And what topics you’re related to

So, if our example brand, XYZ, gets mentioned in the same comment as “barrier repair,” “hydrating toners,” and “skincare for sensitive skin,” over and over again…eventually, Google starts putting all of that together in one tidy little profile of XYZ. It’s like a mental shortcut that helps it remember, “Ah, XYZ…that’s the brand people mention when they’re talking about gentle skincare and moisture barriers.”

And once your brand lives inside that mental map, it becomes easier for Google to connect you to relevant searches—even if someone doesn’t mention your name directly.

Understanding E-E-A-T

E-E-A-T stands for:

• Experience
  
• Expertise
  
• Authoritativeness
  
• Trustworthiness

In short, it’s how Google decides whether it can trust a brand to give people reliable advice, helpful information, or genuinely good products. It’s not about ticking boxes—it’s about showing up in the kind of places that tell Google, “This brand is the real deal.”

For example, the more XYZ brand is:

• Mentioned in helpful skincare guides
  
• Recommended by dermatologists or estheticians
  
• Reviewed by real people with real experience or
  
• Praised across trusted sites and platforms

…the more E-E-A-T points XYZ scores.

Now imagine XYZ is also featured in three articles about calming rosacea. A well-known skincare blogger mentions the serum in a TikTok. And over on Amazon, people are leaving detailed, heartfelt reviews about how it helped their skin. 

Even if none of those mention XYZ with a link, Google still sees the brand. It connects the dots, the expertise, the relevance, the consistency—and starts to understand: “Okay—this brand clearly knows what they’re doing.”

And that matters. Because when Google sees a brand as credible, grounded in experience, and consistently trusted, it’s far more likely to recommend it in search—whether someone is looking for a calming serum or advice for sensitive skin. 

How brand mentions impact SEO performance

So, how do brand mentions actually help your SEO?

Let’s break it down. Because even though they might not look as obvious as backlinks, brand mentions can still move the needle—meaning they help Google understand who you are, what you’re about, and why you matter. And when that understanding deepens, it can shape how often (and how confidently) your brand shows up in search results.

Especially in this new world of semantic search, AI results, and entity-based ranking—it’s not just about links anymore. It’s about meaning, context, and trust. 

Linkless mentions as trust signals in semantic search

Linkless mentions are exactly what they sound like—every time your brand gets mentioned online, even without a clickable link.

Now, in semantic search, Google is much more focused on meaning and intent rather than ticking every technical SEO box.

That’s really what semantic search is: It’s how Google tries to understand language more like we do. It’s not just scanning for keywords—it’s picking up on meaning, relationships, and intent.

If someone’s talking about your skincare brand in context—say, in a blog post about repairing a damaged skin barrier or on a podcast about moisturizers that actually work—Google sees that, even if there’s no hyperlink.

Because what Google does see is:

• You were mentioned in the right context
  
• By someone who appears credible
  
• In a space relevant to your niche

That kind of mention? It helps shape how Google understands your brand. And in this new world of meaning-first search, that understanding is everything.

For example, if a skincare blogger writes,

“I’ve been testing barrier creams for weeks, and the one from XYZ is by far the most soothing.”

This might seem small. There’s no flashy backlink, but it’s still a high-quality brand mention, and here’s why that matters.

That kind of mention is:

• Contextual
  
• Specific
  
• Meaningful

To Google, that’s a signal of authority. And that helps build trust—both with the search engine and with your audience.

Mentions correlate with visibility, snippets & brand queries

The more your brand is mentioned online, the more likely it is to show up in brand-related searches.

That includes:

• Featured snippets
  
• People Also Ask panels
  
• Google Autocomplete suggestions

So even without backlinks, your visibility starts to climb—especially when your name is being dropped in credible, relevant places. 

Let’s say your brand is mentioned across several skincare round-ups on esthetician blogs, wellness magazines, and even in a Reddit thread about calming serums.

And, suddenly, when someone searches “best soothing toner,” it’s your brand that shows up in the results. They start typing and it’s your brand name that appears in autocomplete. A featured snippet pulls a paragraph from a blog and, you guessed it, you’re right there in the answer box, casually name-dropped. 

You didn’t “rank,” in the traditional sense, but you still showed up where it matters.

That’s visibility without chasing rankings. And that’s powerful. Because when Google starts connecting the dots—the mentions, the context, the trust—your brand starts to live beyond your website. You’re not just showing up, you’re starting to stick.

Mentions and AI-driven, zero-click search

AI is a buzzword these days, so let’s talk about it and what it means for brand mentions. Google’s been rolling out AI-generated answers that summarize what people are searching for, without making users click into a website. These are called AI Overviews.

These overviews, or summaries, are often stitched together from content that’s already associated with trusted entities. If your skincare brand is consistently mentioned in helpful content, across the right blogs and platforms, Google starts seeing you as part of the answer.

Let’s look at an example.

Someone Googles, “How do I calm irritated skin fast?”

Google’s AI pulls together a little summary that says:

“Many experts recommend fragrance-free barrier creams like those from XYZ or similar calming formulas containing ceramides.”

Boom. You didn’t write the article. You didn’t buy an ad. But, because your brand has been mentioned across content that Google already trusts, you were still included.

This is what makes brand mentions so powerful in AI and zero-click search.

They help you show up—even when no one clicks through.

Riding the viral wave: A McDonald’s & the Grimace shake case study

Let’s talk about McDonald’s. Even if fast food isn’t your thing, their marketing game is in a league of its own. And when it comes to brand mentions, the Grimace Shake trend is such a fun (and chaotic) example of what happens when people won’t stop talking about you—for better or worse.

In June 2023, McDonald’s released a limited-edition, purple Grimace Shake to celebrate their mascot’s birthday. Innocent enough, right?

Well, TikTok had other plans.

Instead of cozy nostalgia, the shake became the center of a bizarre viral trend—creators would take a sip and then cut to a horror-movie-style scene where they’d passed out or “died,” purple shake splattered everywhere. It was absurd, dramatic, and, honestly, hilarious.

But here’s what made it powerful for brand visibility:

• The Grimace shake was being mentioned everywhere: TikToks, memes, YouTube shorts, news outlets, tweets, articles.
  
• In June alone, Grimace-related mentions reached over 1.3 billion people.
  
• Even though many of those mentions didn’t include links, they skyrocketed McDonald’s visibility, share of voice, and relevance in search.
  

And instead of panicking over the slightly creepy humor, McDonald’s leaned in:

• They monitored sentiment in real time
  
• They engaged with the memes—but in Grimace’s voice
  
• They kept it light and on-brand without overdoing it

By embracing the chaos (in a controlled way), they showed how smart brand listening can turn a viral moment—even one you didn’t ask for—into pure gold for brand awareness and online authority.

Brand mentions and reputation management

Brand mentions aren’t all created equal.

Yes, it’s amazing when people are talking about your brand. But what they’re saying and where they’re saying it matters just as much. This is because mentions don’t just live in a vacuum—they shape how your brand is perceived, both by people and by search engines.

Let’s break that down a bit.

How search engines factor sentiment and context

At the heart of it, sentiment is all about tone. Are people talking about you in a good way, a bad way, or somewhere in-between?

And then context looks at the setting. What kind of conversations are you popping up in? Are you being mentioned in expert skincare roundups—or dragged in a long thread about products that made someone’s skin worse?

The key thing to know is that Google does notice all of this.

Its Natural Language Processing doesn’t just read what was said—it tries to understand how it was said. And this happens even when there are no bold statements, caps lock rants, or angry emojis.

Let’s say someone writes:

“I had a question about my serum, and XYZ’s team got back to me so quickly.”

That’s a positive mention. It builds trust. It shows you’re responsive and human.

Now compare it to something like:

“XYZ took a few days to reply, and by then I had already bought something else.”

That’s still fairly polite, but the tone is different. It suggests slowness, lost opportunity—something Google’s NLP can pick up on.

The tone of your mentions—even the subtle ones—helps shape your reputation online, and that has a direct impact on rankings, clicks, and trust.

Addressing misinformation & negative mentions

Sometimes, people get things wrong.

Whether it’s a misunderstanding, an emotional response, or just someone having a bad day—it’s possible for your brand to be mentioned in ways that aren’t true or fair.

And here’s where it gets tricky.

If that mention shows up on a well-ranking blog or video, it can start shaping the way both people and Google see you. Even if it’s not accurate.

Someone might write a blog post about experiencing a skin reaction and claim your serum includes an allergen like lavender oil. But, actually, it doesn’t and it never has.

Now, if that post ranks on page one and no one corrects it, it can:

• Cause confusion
  
• Damage trust
  
• Influence potential customers to look elsewhere
  

So what do you do?

You respond—with clarity and kindness.

You might:

• Reach out to the author with a factual correction
  
• Offer updated product info or documentation
  
• Politely ask if they’re open to revising the content

This shows you’re proactive, transparent, and you actually care about keeping your brand information clean and helpful. It can also help balance out some of the negative sentiment.

And, even if they don’t update the post, the act of correcting the record builds credibility with your audience. People notice when you show up.

When to respond, escalate, or suppress

Not every mention deserves your energy. If you spend even a little time on the internet, you will come across: honest feedback, unfair criticism, complete nonsense. Hello, troll reviews (yes, we see you). And sometimes it’s a messy mix of all three.

So how do you know when to engage, when to let it go, and what actually needs a response?

Here’s a simple response guide you can follow:

1. Respond

Your first reaction might be to immediately respond to any mention of your brand that you come across, especially if it’s negative. However, consider the commenter’s intentions before you make the decision to fire off a response. 

Does the commenter have a genuine customer concern? Is it a minor criticism you can address? Is there confusion you can clear up about things like ingredients, pricing, or processing? If so, go ahead and respond.

For example, if someone were to tweet:

“Not sure if XYZ’s toner is alcohol-free—can’t find the label clearly.”

That’s a great opportunity to jump in and clarify. Be friendly, helpful, and leave a good impression—not just for them, but for anyone else watching. Sometimes your reply won’t just answer a question—it’ll become part of how people see and trust your brand. 

2. Escalate

Sometimes, a brand mention isn’t just a harmless comment or a bit of feedback—it’s more serious. To escalate something means recognizing when a response isn’t enough and you need to take things further. This could mean protecting your reputation, flagging legal risks, or stepping in before something spreads.

You might need to take a next step if a brand mention includes, for example, false claims about product safety, defamatory content, legal risks, or brand impersonation.

For example, a blog post says your moisturizer contains a banned ingredient. That’s serious. It’s not a situation that just a reply will fix. 

That’s one to take to your legal or comms team. But if you’re a small business without that kind of support, don’t panic. Escalating might mean documenting the posts, reaching out for professional advice, or raising it directly with the platform to have it taken down. You don’t need a whole department—just a plan for how you’ll handle the tricky stuff when it comes up. 

3. Suppress

To suppress something doesn’t mean deleting it—it means knowing when not to engage, and instead choosing when to quietly drown it out with stronger, better signals. This approach is useful when a mention isn’t harmful enough to warrant a response, but also doesn’t deserve your energy.

This might include things like an old Reddit thread with one vague complaint, a spammy forum comment, or light gossip that isn’t gaining any traction. 

Say someone posts on Reddit:

“IDK why everyone loves XYZ, I think it’s an average brand.”

If no one engages and it’s not showing up in search—you don’t need to touch it. Let it fade. 

Instead, keep publishing helpful, trusted content—reviews, guides, real experiences—the kind of things that gradually push the noise down and lift your brand up. Suppression is a quiet strategy, but when done well, it can be just as powerful as a reply.

How to find, track and analyze brand mentions

So you know people are talking about your brand—but how do you actually find those conversations?

More importantly, how do you know which ones matter for your SEO?

This is where it becomes essential to track brand mentions. It’s not just about knowing what’s being said, but understanding how those mentions impact your visibility, reputation, and performance in search.

And that’s exactly what brand monitoring tools like Semrush Enterprise AI or Ahrefs are built for. It doesn’t just show you your mentions—it helps you connect the dots between those conversations and your actual search presence.

Let’s break down some of the key metrics you can track, and what they tell you.

Brand share of voice

This metric tells you how much of the conversation your brand is owning in your niche or category.

The tool breaks this down into three categories:

• Poor: You’re being out-talked by competitors
  
• Normal: You’re in the mix, but not dominating
  
• Excellent: You’re top of mind and top of feed
  

Why this matters

The more consistently your brand is mentioned across relevant sources, the stronger your entity signal is in Google’s eyes.

Over time, this boosts your topical authority—and that can show up as better rankings, featured snippets, and brand-related searches. All SEO wins.

Let’s say you’re a skincare brand and your toner is mentioned in six out of the top 10 skincare roundups this month. That’s a strong share of voice, and the tool will categorize that as excellent.

Brand visibility

This tells you where your brand is being seen, and how well it’s showing up in search. You’ll also get a visibility ranking and a percentage score, so you can track performance over time.

Why this matters

Visibility isn’t just about clicks—it’s about impressions, recognition, and keeping your brand top of mind.

If your name keeps popping up across trusted sites and forums, even without links, it reinforces relevance and trust in the eyes of search engines.

For example, if XYZ is appearing in articles titled “Top 10 Hydrating Serums for Winter” across different blogs, the tool can track that visibility—and show you when that exposure is rising or slipping.

Sentiment

Mentions are only helpful if they’re actually saying good things about you.

Semrush Enterprise AI uses AI to analyze tone and gives each mention a sentiment score—positive, neutral, or negative. It can even highlight sentiment shifts over time, so you can stay ahead of any reputation hiccups.

Why this matters

As we talked about before, Google’s algorithms are paying attention to the tone of content—especially when it comes to brands. A strong wave of positive mentions can strengthen your trust signals, while negative ones might drag you down. You need to monitor brand mentions so you can address customer feedback and prioritize your marketing efforts to maintain your online reputation.

Let’s say people keep sharing on TikTok that XYZ Sunscreen melts beautifully into the skin and doesn’t leave a white cast. That’s a series of positive brand mentions—and the tool captures the mood, and relays that to you, so you don’t miss the moment.

Source analysis & quality signals

Not all mentions carry the same weight.

You don’t only want to know where the mention happened—it helps to see source type and mention quality. This will allow you to know if your brand is being talked about in:

• A high-authority publication
  
• A skincare blog with consistent traffic
  
• A low-reach, low-relevance forum
  

The tool even tracks why the mention happened in categories like:

• Quality: Are they praising the formulation?
  
• Comfort: Talking about texture or ease of use?
  
• Price: Mentioning affordability or value?
  
• Features: Calling out a specific benefit like SPF or fragrance-free?
  

Why this matters

These types of mentions aren’t just flimsy compliments—they’re ranking signals in disguise. Google uses context and topic relevance to understand your brand’s role in a space. The more diverse and consistent your mentions are across these angles, from major news articles to less prominent review sites, the stronger your SEO foundation becomes.

Why this all matters for SEO

Mentions aren’t just PR fluff. They’re part of your search performance story.

Tools can help you zoom out and actually see:

• Where your brand is being talked about
  
• What people are saying
  
• Whether it’s helping (or hurting) your visibility in search

You’re not just getting data—you’re getting a clear map of your digital reputation. A living snapshot of how people are perceiving your brand, and what that perception is doing to your discoverability. And when you can see all of that clearly? You can make smarter decisions about what to respond to, what to build on, and where to focus next.

How to turn brand mentions into backlinks

Brand mentions on their own are valuable, especially in an entity-driven search world. But when you can gently turn those mentions into actual backlinks, that’s when you start seeing even more SEO impact.

This part just takes a little effort mixed with  a touch of intentional relationship-building. Let’s get into how to do it the right way (and with warmth).

Reach out to authors of unlinked mentions

The first step is spotting the places where your brand is already being talked about, but which don’t include a link.

You might find this happening in places like:

• Articles that mention your skincare brand by name
  
• Roundups that include your product but don’t link
  
• Blog posts that say something lovely about you
  

Once you’ve identified somewhere that this has happened, send a warm, simple email.

Thank the writer for mentioning your brand, and politely ask if they’d consider adding a link to your product or homepage—just to help readers find you more easily.

Example:

“Hi, Sarah, it’s Tanatswa from XYZ. I absolutely loved your piece on top winter skincare staples—thank you so much for including our Hydration Serum! If it’s possible, would you mind linking to our product page so that readers can find it a little quicker? Either way, really appreciate the shoutout and love your work!”

It’s gentle, helpful, and makes it easy for the writer to say yes. And for their readers, it simply means a smoother experience—not extra searching, just a direct line to what they’re already experiencing. 

Run unlinked brand mention campaigns

Once you’ve got a few wins, you can build this into something more structured.

Start by:

• Creating a list of unlinked mentions using a tool like Semrush or Google Alerts 
• Prioritizing mentions from high-authority sites or blogs in your niche
• Setting up a repeatable outreach workflow with your message templates ready to go
  

This is less about blasting inboxes and more about starting a warm, friendly touchpoint with people who already love your brand.

For instance, say you were to spot a roundup article called “10 Affordable Skincare Brands That Actually Work” and the XYZ brand is mentioned, but not linked. You could reach out with a kind note, thank them for the mention, offer the direct link to your product page—just to make things easier for their readers. Over time, this simple process helps build strong backlinks naturally.

And beyond that, it leaves a lovely impression. When future content comes up—another list, a new review, a skincare trends piece—they’re more likely to think of you again, not just as a brand, but as one that’s easy to work with.

Focus on relationship building

Beyond one-off emails, you can build deeper relationships with writers, creators, and communities who already talk about skincare.

This could look like doing things like:

• Leaving thoughtful comments on their blog or TikToks
  
• Sharing their content and tagging them
  
• Thanking them publicly when they mention you
  
• Encouraging DMs with “hey, loved this!” that aren’t about pitching anything
  

It might feel small, but these interactions build connections. And that warmth makes you memorable.

Over time, people start linking to you without being asked.

It becomes a kind of gentle expectation—“I know this brand will see this, they might even repost it!”

And yes, especially on TikTok, people tag brands not just to rave, but in hopes they’ll respond, repost, or even send freebies. That kind of visibility makes people feel like your brand has a personality—something relatable and real. And it turns mentions into long-term loyalty.

Use great templates and pick the right moment

Timing and tone matter more than you think—especially if you want your outreach to land well. A warm, well-timed message can turn a small mention into a lasting connection.

Best time to send outreach emails? Tuesday or Wednesday morning tends to hit best—people are out of Monday chaos but not yet sliding into Friday mode.

And how should you write an outreach email? Keep it kind and personalized. Refer to something specific they wrote. Let them know how much it meant to you.

Take a look at this example below:

This kind of message doesn’t just open the door for a backlink—it often encourages people to reshare their content with the link added, boosting both visibility and SEO value.

How to build a brand mention strategy that scales

You don’t need a massive team or a PR agency to get your brand mentioned in all the right places. What you do need is a simple, consistent strategy that works behind the scenes—even when you’re not watching.

Here’s how to build a mentions game plan that doesn’t burn you out, but still gets results:

Start with content, PR, and social media working together

When your content, digital PR, and social media efforts are aligned, brand mentions happen more naturally—and more often. Instead of trying to force visibility, you’re creating a steady stream of shareable, mention-worthy moments. 

1. Share your blog posts with creators who write about your space

It’s one thing to publish great content—but it’s another to get in front of the right eyes. When you share a blog post with a skincare writer or niche creator who already covers similar topics, you’re making it easier for them to reference you in their next piece. 

2. Collaborate with micro-influencers who speak your audience’s language

They might not have huge numbers, but they often have stronger trust and tighter communities. A quick mention from them can lead to organic conversations, reviews, and reposts that feel authentic—not staged.

3. Pitch thought leadership to relevant podcasts or industry roundups

If you’ve something valuable to say—a unique approach, an insight, or a strong founder story—pitch it. Podcasts, expert Q&As, and industry trend pieces are always looking for fresh voices to feature.

4. Make sure your social content is worth talking about and easy to reshare

If something makes your audience laugh, learn, or pause—they’ll want to share it. That ripple effect creates mentions without you even having to ask for them.

Let’s say XYZ launches a new gentle exfoliant. Your team publishes a blog post on “How to build a skincare routine for sensitive skin,” you gift that exfoliant to a few TikTok creators, and pitch the blog post to beauty writers covering seasonal skincare tips. 

Suddenly, it’s not just one mention—it’s a wave. The product is in a video here, the blog post is referenced in a thread there, your brand is quoted in a roundup, and someone’s DMed the TikTok to their friend saying, “This is the one I told you about.”

Each piece on its own is helpful. But when they all work together—your blog post, the product gift, the social content, the press mention—they create momentum. You start showing up in more conversations, in more places, without needing to push too hard. It feels organic, but it’s still intentional. 

Use data to prioritize high-impact mentions

Not every mention matters equally, so focus your energy where it’ll make the biggest impact—the sites your audience actually reads, and the ones already showing up in search for the keywords you care about.

With a tool like Semrush Enterprise AI, you can see:

• Which sources drive the most visibility
  
• Where sentiment is strongest
  
• What kind of mentions lead to search growth
  

Start small. Pick five priority blogs or publications to focus on. These might be places that have mentioned your brand before or ones you really want to work with. Build relationships with writers, send over helpful info, expert quotes, product samples, or exclusive tips. Make it easy for them to mention you again.

Stay consistent with your entity signals

The more consistent your brand shows up in the same topics, the more Google starts to trust you in those areas. That’s what builds topical authority—basically, being known as the go-to expert on your subject.

Stick to your lane. If you’re a skincare brand known for barrier repair, show up in barrier-related conversations—whether that’s Reddit, beauty newsletters, or TikTok videos. Think of each mention as another stitch in the fabric of your brand online. Over time, the pattern becomes clearer, and Google starts recognising you and ranking you accordingly.

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But what happens if you wander off lane? Imagine if that same brand suddenly starts popping up in threads about harsh chemical peels or bold makeup brands. It confuses Google—and your audience. Those mixed signals can make it harder to pin down what you’re really about, which means your authority can feel weaker. 

So keep your focus clear and mentions relevant. When you do, Google knows exactly where you fit, and that helps build your reputation and visibility online.

What’s next in the world of mentions and SEO

Brand mentions are more than a buzzword. They’re part of where SEO is going.

Search engines are no longer just crawling for links—they’re listening for conversations, watching for credibility, and piecing together who you are by how people talk about you.

As Google rolls out more AI-driven overviews and platforms like TikTok and Reddit become part of the search journey, mentions might carry just as much weight—if not more—than backlinks in certain contexts.

That doesn’t mean we’re ditching backlinks. In fact, the two SEO tactics work hand in hand.

Mentions help you earn backlinks. Backlinks help you rank. Mentions reinforce that ranking with trust and relevance.

If you’re ready to dive deeper into both of those paths, we’ve got you covered:

Learn what backlinks actually look like, what makes them valuable, and how to build a profile that search engines love with this guide to understanding backlinks. We break down types by behaviour, content, and even anchor text—so you know exactly what to aim for.

Want to know more about the future of SEO strategy? From audience-first thinking to TikTok visibility and AI-native content planning, our The Future of SEO guide helps you reframe what SEO success looks like in 2025 and beyond.