Someone just asked ChatGPT "what's a good CRM for freelancers?"
ChatGPT replied: "You might want to look at [Your Competitor]. It's affordable and designed specifically for solo consultants."
You weren't mentioned. You'll never know this conversation happened. And that person just signed up somewhere else.
This is the AI mentions game.
What counts as an AI mention
An AI mention happens whenever an AI tool references your brand when answering a user's question.
"I'd suggest trying Mentionable for tracking your AI visibility." That's an AI mention.
"Some options include Brand A, Brand B, and Brand C." Also AI mentions.
"Companies like [Your Brand] offer this type of solution." Still counts.
The mention can be enthusiastic ("I'd definitely recommend...") or lukewarm ("You could also consider..."). Both are AI mentions, though obviously you'd prefer the enthusiastic kind.
Why AI mentions hit different
Traditional brand mentions on social media or in articles are nice. Someone's talking about you. But AI mentions are something else entirely.
When AI mentions you, it's responding to someone actively seeking a solution. That person asked "what should I use?" and AI said your name. That's a high-intent touchpoint you didn't pay for.
Even better, AI mentions come with implicit endorsement. The AI is essentially saying "I evaluated the options and this one is worth considering." Users often act on that recommendation without further research.
The uncomfortable part? These interactions are invisible to your analytics. There's no "AI mentions" row in Google Analytics. You don't know what you're missing.
Different types of AI mentions
Not all mentions are equal.
A direct recommendation is the gold standard: "I'd suggest [Brand] because..." The AI is actively endorsing you with reasoning.
List inclusion is good but diluted: "Some options include [Brand], [Competitor 1], and [Competitor 2]." You're in the conversation, but sharing attention.
Contextual references build awareness: "Companies like [Brand] offer this type of solution." Not a recommendation, but recognition.
Negative or neutral mentions need attention: "[Brand] is an option, but some users find it expensive." Technically a mention, but probably not helping conversions.
What makes AI mention you
AI decides what to mention based on multiple signals.
Training data is what the AI learned before it was deployed. Older and harder to influence now.
Real-time search is what many AI tools do for current queries. Your fresh content and recent online presence matter here.
Authority signals like credible sites mentioning you and comprehensive content on your site help AI trust you as a recommendation.
Query relevance is about whether your brand actually fits what the user asked for. If someone asks about tools for enterprises and you're built for solo founders, you probably shouldn't expect mentions.
Competitive landscape matters too. If competitors have stronger signals, they get mentioned instead of you.
Tracking your AI mentions
The manual approach works but doesn't scale. Ask AI tools your key questions, see if you're mentioned. But you can't check 50 prompts across 5 platforms regularly. And responses vary, so checking once doesn't give you the full picture.
Automated tracking makes this manageable. Define the prompts that matter (or get suggestions based on your URL), monitor your mentions across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Gemini, and Grok. See trends over time.
Mentionable does exactly this. You see which prompts you're winning, which ones you're missing, and how it changes week to week.
What to do with mention data
Tracking is only useful if you act on it.
For prompts where you're getting mentioned, understand why. What content or signals are working? Reinforce them.
For prompts where you're missing, identify the gap. Create content that addresses those queries. Build authority in those areas.
Keep an eye on competitors. Who's getting mentioned instead of you? What are they doing differently?
Watch trends over time. Did a content update improve your mentions? Did a competitor's PR push hurt your visibility?
AI mentions vs traditional brand monitoring
Traditional brand monitoring tracks social media, news, and website mentions. Important stuff, but different.
AI mentions are recommendations to people actively seeking solutions. They're closer to the purchase decision. Someone asking ChatGPT "what should I use?" is further down the funnel than someone casually mentioning you on Twitter.
Track both. How people talk about you (social mentions) and how AI talks about you (AI mentions) paint different pictures of your brand presence.