Refining Alerts with Restrictions and Filters

Well-configured restrictions transform noisy alerts into precise monitoring tools. This guide covers all available restriction options and how to use them effectively.

Accessing Restrictions

When creating or editing an alert, scroll to the Restrictions section to access all filtering options.

Language Restrictions

Focus monitoring on specific linguistic markets.

How to use:

• Select one or more languages from the dropdown
• Only podcasts in selected languages will trigger alerts

When to use:

• Your brand operates in specific language markets
• You want to separate monitoring by language for different teams
• Transcript quality varies by language and you want to focus on your strongest markets

Location Restrictions

Target geographic regions relevant to your business.

How to use:

• Select one or more countries/regions
• Podcasts from selected locations will be monitored

When to use:

• Regional marketing campaigns
• Location-specific brand presence
• Regulatory or compliance monitoring by region

Category Restrictions

Filter by podcast genre classification — one of the most powerful restriction options.

Two modes available:

Restriction Mode

Only monitor within specified categories.

• Example: Monitor "Business" and "Technology" categories only
• Use when you know exactly which verticals matter

Ignore Mode

Monitor everything except specified categories.

• Example: Ignore "True Crime" and "Comedy" categories
• Use when a few categories consistently produce false positives

When to use:

• Your brand is industry-specific
• Certain categories never produce relevant mentions
• You want separate alerts for different verticals

Podcast Restrictions

Include or exclude specific shows.

Two modes available:

Restriction Mode (Include Only)

Only monitor specified podcasts.

• Enter podcast names or IDs
• Perfect for competitor tracking
• Useful for monitoring a defined media list

Ignore Mode (Exclude)

Monitor everything except specified podcasts.

• Block persistent false positive sources
• Exclude your own podcasts from brand monitoring
• Remove irrelevant high-volume shows

Pro tip: From the mentions view, use "Remove and ignore podcast forever" to quickly add podcasts to your ignore list.

Episode Count Restrictions

Filter by podcast content volume using the range slider (0 to 1000+ episodes).

Minimum episode count:

• Only monitor podcasts with at least this many episodes
• Filters out new/unestablished shows
• Focus on proven content producers

Maximum episode count:

• Only monitor podcasts with fewer than this many episodes
• Focus on emerging shows
• Find new entrants before they're established

Use cases:

• Enterprise brands may want 50+ episode minimums for quality assurance
• VCs might want to find emerging podcasts with fewer than 20 episodes
• Researchers can isolate podcasts by maturity level

Audience Ratings and Reviews

Filter based on podcast quality and reach metrics.

Audience Size

Slider from 0 to 2M+ listeners (logarithmic scale, midpoint ~250,000).

• High-reach targeting: Set minimum for major brands
• Micro-influencer focus: Set maximum to find niche shows

Review Counts

• Apple review count: 0 to 500K+ (midpoint ~63,000)
• Spotify review count: Similar range

High review counts indicate engaged audiences.

Rating Scores

• Apple podcast rating: 0 to 5 stars
• Spotify rating: 0 to 5 stars

Filter for quality content by setting minimum rating thresholds.

Combining Restrictions

For most effective monitoring, combine multiple restrictions:

Example: Enterprise B2B Alert

• Languages: English
• Categories: Business, Technology (Restriction Mode)
• Minimum episode count: 50
• Minimum audience size: 10,000

Example: Niche Consumer Brand

• Categories: Health & Fitness, Lifestyle (Restriction Mode)
• Audience size: 5,000 - 100,000 (sweet spot for engagement)
• Minimum rating: 4.0 stars

Example: Competitive Intelligence

• Podcasts: [List of 10 competitor shows] (Restriction Mode)
• No other restrictions needed

Testing Your Restrictions

After configuring restrictions:

1. Save the alert
2. Check the Latest Mentions tab
3. Review mention quality over 24-48 hours
4. Adjust restrictions based on results

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Too restrictive: Starting with too many filters can miss valuable mentions. Start broader, then narrow.

Forgetting language: If you only care about English, set it — otherwise you'll get all languages.

Not using Ignore mode: If one podcast keeps producing false positives, add it to ignore rather than loosening other restrictions.

Static restrictions: Review and adjust restrictions quarterly as the podcast landscape evolves.

Quick Reference

Updated on: 18/12/2025