What is an External Item?
If you have content that you wish to view alongside your earned media coverage delivered by CisionOne, you can now add this directly into your Mention Streams as an External Item. Once added as a URL, you can view annual reports, internal reports, non-news and current affairs websites, or small niche websites throughout the platform and in associated reports.
If you have an older article that falls outside the automatic tracking window or a paywalled article that cannot be captured automatically, you can still add it manually to ensure it is included in your Mention Streams.
You can also upload multiple URLs through the Bulk Add URLs option.
How do I add a single External Item to a Mention Stream?
Open the Mention Stream where you want to add the item.
Select the Page icon at the top of the Mention Stream.
Select Manually Add Mention.
Note: Before completing this process, you will be required to review and accept a disclaimer that acknowledges rights-related notices. This step ensures compliance with all legal and usage guidelines. The External Item will now be available within the desired Mention Stream/s and in your own reporting.
Provide the URL of the article if it is older or paywalled.
Tip: Make sure to include ‘https://’ while adding the URL of the article.
Verify the article's details to ensure accuracy.
Select Save.
You will notice that the content is visualised slightly differently to indicate this has been added by you or a team member. You will also notice that the Media Card colour will reflect the chosen media type, such as, online items will appear in light blue.
Note:
External Items added manually do not automatically track or pull in performance metrics. They are only counted toward your Total Mentions.
External items you add are visible only to users within your organization and in your reporting. Other CisionOne customers cannot access them.
The specific metrics that are not generated for External Items include:
Sentiment: The system does not analyze the tone or sentiment of manually added content.
Audience: The reach or audience size of the content is not calculated.
Value: The monetary or impact value of the content is not assessed.
This occurs because External Items are manually added and bypass the automated systems designed to generate these metrics.
How do I add multiple External Items to a Mention Stream?
Use Bulk Add URLs to upload up to 40 URLs to the Mention Stream you are currently viewing.
Open the Mention Stream where you want to add the URLs.
Select Bulk Add URLs.
Paste each URL on a separate line.
Note:
Make sure each URL uses a valid format, including http:// or https:// and a top-level domain, such as .com or .org.
URLs can only be added in bulk to the Mention Stream you are currently viewing.
After you paste URLs, CisionOne validates each URL and shows a status icon.
Green tick: The URL was found in the database and will be added when you complete the process. Existing Items that are already in the Mention Stream also show a green tick.
Blue add (+) icon: The URL was not found in the database and can be manually added as an External Item.
Orange error: The URL format is invalid. Correct the URL before it can be checked or added.
Note: Some URLs, including NLA, CLA, and Financial Times content, require the correct content licence before they can be added.
For URLs marked with a blue add icon, you can manually add them as External Items.
Select the blue add icon.
Review the pre-filled URL.
Complete the required item details.
Continue the bulk add process.
The item is added only after you complete the full bulk add process. Once added, the URL status changes to a green tick.
Warning: You can edit pasted URLs only before you confirm the bulk add process. After you manually add a URL as an External Item, the URL can no longer be edited. To change it, cancel the bulk add process and start again.
Select Done to finish adding URLs.
URLs found in the database appear as standard mentions. Manually added URLs appear as External Items and have a slightly different appearance in the Mention Stream.
What can I do with External Items after adding to a Mention Stream?
After External Items are added to a Mention Stream, you can use those item cards by clicking on the More Options menu to perform the following actions:
Edit or delete the External Item.
Update the title, URL, publication date, or media type.
Push the item to a team.
Email or share the item.
Add the item to a curated email report folder.
Tag the media item.
How do I filter External Items?
To filter a Mention Stream to show only External Items:
Select Filter icon in the Mention Stream.
Select Advanced Filters at the bottom of the Filter menu.
In the left panel, select Others.
Turn on Only show External Items.
Select Confirm.
Where do External Items appear in reporting?
External Items added to Mention Streams are available in:
Mention Stream reports
Scheduled email reports
Curated email reports
Tagged reports
Instant Insights
Note: Cision is not responsible for errors or omissions in external content or for results obtained from using that content. External items added to mention streams are visible only to your organisation.
FAQs
How many URLs can I add at once?
You can follow the Bulk Add URLs steps to add up to 40 URLs at once.
Does CisionOne check whether URLs are already in the database?
Yes. CisionOne checks each URL so existing items can be added with available metadata.
Can I add any URL?
You can add most valid URLs. Restricted content, including NLA, CLA, and Financial Times content, requires the appropriate licence before it can be added.
How do I edit URLs before completing the bulk add process?
You can edit pasted URLs before confirming the bulk add process. After you manually add any URL as an external item, URL editing is locked. To make changes after this point, cancel the process and start again.
Why don't external items generate metrics like sentiment, audience, or value?
External items are manually added to the platform, bypassing the automated systems that calculate these metrics. The platform is designed to generate metrics like sentiment, audience, and value only for content that is automatically captured and processed.