Create a topic

A topic is a saved search in Listening (powered by Talkwalker). You specify a subject using keywords and Boolean operators, and define the scope of data that you want to track and analyze over time. You can monitor mentions of your brand, your competitors, and industry-related keywords to gain valuable insights into consumer sentiment and emerging trends.

Tip: Use Talkwalker's AI Query Builder to create detailed and accurate search queries quickly — no technical expertise required. AI Query Builder is an intuitive, AI-powered interface that does all the hard work for you, so you can access actionable insights faster.

With topics, you can also set up automatic alerts to make sure you are promptly notified of any critical mentions, allowing you to respond swiftly and appropriately to maintain your online reputation. See Create an alert for a topic for more information.

Topics draw on up to 13 months of historical data, allowing you to see significant changes over time.

The easiest way to set up a topic is to run a quick search so you can see the kind of results you get, refine your search query as necessary, then save it. You can then edit your topic settings to add a name and description, and make changes to your search query over time. See About search query syntax for a list of supported Boolean operators.

Note: You must have Listening administrator permissions to create topics. If you or someone on your team requires administrator permissions in Listening,please contact our Customer Support team for help.

Set up a new topic

Create a search using a combination of text and Boolean operators to get results for your topic. Your search query can contain up to 1000 characters.

1. Go to Listening, and select the AI Query Builder to start your search.
   

   Alternatively, you can enter your search term directly in the Quick Search field, and then press ENTER. Listening displays a dynamic list of available operators as you type, and validates the syntax of your query as you go, so you can quickly identify and correct any errors.

2. In the AI Query Builder window:
   • Select the type of search query you want to create (Brand or Generic).
   • Enter a brand name or broad topic.
   • Optionally, add more keywords to refine your search.
   • Select Generate.
3. On the Quick Search results page, review your results to check if your query is working the way you expect it, and to get a sense of the volume of mentions your query will return. If volume is too high or you're seeing irrelevant mentions in your results, edit your query to narrow down the results.

   Tip: If you used the AI Query Builder to create your search, you can point to the search name to get the details of the query syntax, and make any necessary changes. You can change or add more specific keywords or exclude certain terms or data types from your search to refine your results.

4. When you’re happy with your search query, select Save to save it as a topic.
5. To change the name of your topic and add a description, select Settings .
6. On the Topics tab, locate your new topic in the list, then select Edit.
7. On the Topic page, enter a new name for the topic, and enter a topic description. Optionally, select a different color for the topic (this is the color used for topic results in Listening widgets).
8. Select Save to update your topic.