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 5 social platforms for buyer-intent conversations.
High-quality discussions in niche subreddits. Great for B2B SaaS.
X (Twitter)
(Starter plan and above)Real-time conversations, product launches, and feature requests.
Professional networks, B2B decision-makers, and industry discussions.
Threads
(Growth plan and above)Fast-growing community discussions, alternative to X/Twitter.
Quora
(Scale plan only)In-depth Q&A, long-tail searches, high Google visibility.
💡 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.
Contacted
You've replied or reached out. Move leads here after engaging.
Converted
They signed up, bought, or became a customer. Track your wins!
Archived
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]. We have a free plan 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.