Why Untagged Audio Mentions Are a Measurement Gap

Key takeaways:

• An untagged audio mention is when a creator says a brand’s name out loud in a video but never tags it or types it.
• Most tools only read text (captions, hashtags and handles), so these mentions don’t show up in reporting.
• Missing them undercounts organic impact, hides natural advocates and makes untagged content look smaller than it is.
• To capture these mentions, transcribe what creators say and search it alongside captions and hashtags. WeArisma’s Audio Intelligence does this.

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A creator films a “my favourite products for fine hair” video. Halfway through, she picks up a bottle of shampoo, says the brand name, explains why she loves it, and moves on. There’s no tag, no hashtag and nothing in the caption.

Let’s say her video reaches 10,000 views, and 20 people actually go and buy that hair product. In the brand’s reporting, that video doesn’t exist.

This is one of the biggest blind spots in influencer and social measurement. Here’s what an untagged audio mention is, why most tools miss it, and how to start counting it.

What is an untagged audio mention?

An untagged audio mention is when a creator names a brand or product out loud in a video, without tagging the brand’s account, using a hashtag or writing its name in the caption. The audience hears it, but there’s no text to search for or find.

It’s one type of untagged mention, and these spoken ones are the hardest to catch, because nothing is written down.

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Why do creators mention brands without tagging them?

Short-form video is a talking format. “Get ready with me”, “come shopping with me”, “things I’d buy again”, “my favourite products for fine hair”: brands come up in conversation, the way they would between friends.

And people are listening. 88% of TikTok users say sound is vital to the TikTok experience (TikTok and Nielsen, 2020).

Captions do a different job. They’re short, written for the algorithm, and often just a joke and a few hashtags. A creator can spend ages talking about your product without writing or tagging your brand anywhere.

This is especially true for organic content. Paid partnerships usually include tagging in the brief. But the creators who are not briefed or paid, the ones who truly like your brand and naturally talk about it, are being missed.

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Why can’t most tools find spoken mentions?

Most tools match keywords in text: captions, hashtags and handles. If a brand name isn’t written down, there’s nothing to match, so the video is never picked up. To a text-based tool, the above example is just another “my favourite products” video. The mention was there. It just wasn’t typed.

Why do untagged mentions matter?

Missing a few videos might sound minor, but in practice, it changes the entire story your reporting tells.

These videos matter more than they look. 61% of TikTok users say they discover new brands and products on the platform (TikTok and Material, 2021). If that discovery happens in an untagged video, your reporting misses the moment someone first heard about you.

• Campaign impact looks smaller than it is. If a gifting push or event sparks organic conversation, the spoken mentions won’t reach your reporting, so earned reach and value are undercounted.
• You miss your natural (and best) advocates. Creators who talk about your brand unprompted are strong candidates for your next partnership or campaign. But if they don’t tag you, they won’t be on your radar at all.
• Untagged content gets underestimated. Tagged content is the part of the conversation you already know about. Untagged is where word of mouth lives, and it’s usually bigger than your tools suggest.

For senior teams, this is a budget question too. When marketing spend is under scrutiny, a report that misses part of the reach can make a programme look like it isn’t paying off, when it’s actually working harder than the numbers show.

How do you track spoken brand mentions?

To track spoken brand mentions, you need to transcribe what creators say in their videos and make those words searchable, like any caption.

1. One search, not two. Transcripts should sit in the same keyword search as captions and hashtags. A separate tool means a separate workflow, and it won’t get used.
2. A clear reason for every match. You should be able to see whether content surfaced because of what was written or what was said.
3. Spoken mentions counted as untagged. If a brand was only said out loud, nothing was written or tagged, so it should count as untagged. That keeps your untagged numbers true.

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How does WeArisma Audio Intelligence find spoken mentions?

Audio Intelligence is a WeArisma add-on. It transcribes what creators say and adds those words to your keyword search, right alongside captions and hashtags.

• Audio is its own match source. Content can match on text, audio or image, so you can see exactly which videos surfaced because of what was said.
• Audio matches count as untagged. Your untagged numbers reflect what’s really being said about your brand.
• Covers campaign and organic content. Track what’s said about you, whether or not you briefed it.

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See what you’ve been missing

Want to know how much of your brand’s conversation is happening out loud? We’ll take a look for you. Request a custom audio snapshot for your brand, or book a live demo.

Request an Audio Intelligence snapshot for your brand

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FAQs

What is an untagged mention?

An untagged mention is a post that talks about or shows a brand without tagging its account or using its hashtag. Spoken mentions are the hardest to find, because nothing is written down.

How do I find untagged mentions of my brand?

Start with keyword search on captions, which finds brands named in text without a tag. To find brands that are only said out loud, you need a tool that transcribes video audio, such as WeArisma’s Audio Intelligence.

Can social listening tools pick up spoken brand mentions?

Most can’t. They match keywords in captions, hashtags and handles, so a brand that’s only said out loud is missed. Tools that transcribe video audio can find those mentions.

Why do untagged mentions matter?

They’re often organic word of mouth. Missing them undercounts campaign impact and hides creators who are already talking about your brand or products.