Core Concepts
Understanding how HotMention finds, scores, and delivers leads.
Keywords
Keywords are the phrases HotMention monitors across social platforms.
Think of keywords as buyer-intent signals. Choose phrases your ideal customer would use when they have a problem you solve.
Good keyword examples:
- "referral program software"
- "best CRM for startups"
- "affiliate tracking alternative"
- "project management tool for remote teams"
How matching works: HotMention searches for exact and semantic matches. If someone says "I need a simple way to track affiliates", we'll match it to your keyword "affiliate tracking software".
💡 Tip: Use AI-powered keyword discovery in the dashboard to find related phrases your customers use.
Intent Scoring
Every mention gets an AI-generated intent score from 0-100.
HotMention's AI reads each conversation and scores it based on buying intent. High scores mean the person is actively looking for a solution.
What affects the score:
- Urgency ("I need this ASAP" = higher score)
- Specificity ("looking for a tool with X feature" = higher)
- Budget signals ("willing to pay" = higher)
- Competitor mentions (indicates active research)
- Question format ("what's the best..." = higher)
💡 Tip: Focus on HOT (70+) leads first. These convert at 5-10x higher rates.
Platforms
HotMention monitors 6 social platforms for buyer-intent conversations.
High-quality discussions in niche subreddits. Great for B2B SaaS.
X (Twitter)
(All plans (including Free))Real-time conversations, product launches, and feature requests.
Professional networks, B2B decision-makers, and industry discussions.
Threads
(Paid plan)Fast-growing community discussions, alternative to X/Twitter.
Quora
(Paid plan)In-depth Q&A, long-tail searches, high Google visibility.
YouTube
(Paid plan)Comment threads on channels you add — buyer intent shows up as replies asking what tool a creator used.
💡 Tip: Start with Reddit (great signal-to-noise ratio), then expand to X and LinkedIn as you scale.
Pipeline Stages
Track your lead progress from discovery to conversion.
HotMention provides a kanban-style pipeline to manage your leads:
New
Fresh leads matching your keywords. Default stage for all new mentions.
Replied
You've replied or reached out. Move leads here after engaging.
Engaged
The author responded or the conversation moved forward.
Converted
They signed up, bought, or became a customer. Track your wins!
Skipped
Not a fit, spam, or low quality. Keep your pipeline clean.
Why it matters: Moving leads through stages helps you measure conversion rates, optimize your approach, and focus on the right conversations.
Draft Replies
AI-generated replies customized for each mention.
For every lead with high enough intent, HotMention's AI writes a draft reply. It:
- Reads the full conversation context
- Matches your product to their specific need
- Suggests helpful, non-spammy language
- Keeps replies short and conversational
Example Draft
"Hey! You might want to check out [Your Product]. It's built specifically for [their use case]. There is a 3-day free trial to get started — no credit card needed. Happy to answer any questions!"
💡 Tip: Always customize the draft! Add personal touches, reference their specific pain point, and be genuinely helpful.
Next: Master the Dashboard
Now that you understand the concepts, learn how to use the dashboard to filter leads, manage your pipeline, and track analytics.