How to add an external URL to a Mention Stream
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 including Instant Insights, Curated Email, Scheduled, Mention Stream and Tagged Reports.
For example, if you have an older article that falls outside of the automatic tracking window or a paywalled article that cannot be captured automatically, you can still manually add them to ensure they are included in your Mention Streams.
Note: External Items must be added individually - there is no option to do this in bulk
Adding External Items to Mention Streams
Manually Add Mention
To add an External Item, click the Page Icon at the top of the Mention Stream you wish to see the coverage available in and then select Manually Add Mention.
If the article is older or paywalled: Provide the URL of the article.
Verify the article's details to ensure accuracy.
Save the addition, and the article will become part of the Mention Stream.
Fill out the form to provide more details about the item you are adding and accept the declaration.
Once the form has been completed, click Save. The External Item will now be available within the desired Mention Stream/s and in your own reporting. 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 eg. chosen Online Items will appear in Light Blue.
Please note: External Items added to Mention Streams do not automatically track or pull in performance metrics. These articles are only counted towards your Total Mentions.
NB The content you add can only be seen by your organisation and in your reporting - it cannot be accessed by any other CisionOne customer.
Bulk Add URLs
Use Bulk Add URLs to upload up to 40 URLs into a selected Mention Stream.
Paste URLs into the field — each on its own line — using a valid format (http/https + top-level domain, e.g., .com, .org).
Note: URLs can only be added to the single Mention Stream you’re currently in.
Checking URLs
After pasting, the system validates each URL:
Green tick — Found in database; will be added on completion.
Blue “add” icon — Not in database; can be manually added as an External Item.
Orange error — Invalid URL format; cannot be checked or added unless corrected.
Existing items already in the stream will also show a green tick.
Licensing Note: Some URLs (NLA, CLA, Financial Times) require the correct content licence and cannot be added without it.
Manually Adding URLs
For URLs marked with a blue add icon, you can manually add them as External Items:
URL is pre-filled
Item is added only after the whole bulk process is completed
Once added, it switches to a green tick.
Editing URLs
You can edit URLs before confirming.
However, after manually adding any URL, editing is locked — you must cancel and restart to make changes.
Completing the Bulk Add
Click Done to finish.
URLs found in the database appear as normal mentions.
Manually added URLs appear as External Items with a slightly different look.
FAQ
How many items can I add at once?
Up to 40.
Does the system check if URLs are in the database?
Yes — all URLs are checked so they can be auto-added with metadata.
Can I add any URL?
Most — but restricted content (NLA, CLA, FT) requires the appropriate licence, and URLs must be valid.
External Item Actions
Once the External Items are available within the Mention Stream, you can action the following via the Item Card Menu:
Edit External Item (to update or remove the Item entirely)
Push to Team
Email or Share
Add to Curated Email Report Folder
Tag Media Item
Filtering
When filtering a Mention Stream, the External Items toggle will automatically be enabled to assist with locating specific coverage. You can also choose to display External Items only within the Mention Stream by selecting Only Show External Items.
Reporting
Once External Items have been added to your Mention Streams, they will also be available for inclusion in Mention Stream Reports, Scheduled Email Reports, Curated Email Reports Tagged Reports and within Instant Insights.
Please note: Cision is not responsible for any errors or omissions contained within content, or for the results obtained from the use of content. External Items added to Mention Streams will be visible to your organisation ONLY. All items will be subject to the 12-month rolling copyright archive period and will not be available on the platform beyond this timeframe.