Three questions for every article
For each piece of coverage, ask:
- Is the publication reliable? Established editorial oversight, corrections policy, reputation for accuracy.
- Is this specific article independent? Not sponsored, not a press release, not a contributor post, not supplied by the subject.
- Is it substantial? The subject is the focus, treated in depth — not a quote, a list entry or a mention.
An article must pass all three to count. A reliable publication running a sponsored feature fails the second question. An independent journalist mentioning you in one line fails the third.
The Indian media landscape
India’s media mix makes assessment harder than it looks. A single subject’s search results typically combine national dailies, regional papers, business publications, trade press, syndicated stories, press releases, sponsored content, contributor articles and newswire reproductions. Publication names alone are not enough: the same masthead can carry both a strong independent profile and a paid feature on the same day.
Signals of sponsored or supplied content
- “Partner content”, “brand story”, “featured”, “sponsored” labels, sometimes tiny
- Bylines like “Staff Writer”, “Guest Contributor” or an agency name
- Identical text across multiple outlets on the same day
- Quotes only from the subject, no other voices
- Publication date matching your press release
Syndication counts once
A wire story reproduced in fifteen newspapers is one source, credited to the wire agency, and usually a weak one because wire announcements are often press-release based.
Get your links assessed
Not sure what your coverage counts as? Send us your links and a researcher will grade them.