Booking on mention.media: how it works in four steps
How your first booking on mention.media works: briefing, confirmation, payment and approval. Includes tips for a briefing that convinces publishers.
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A booking on mention.media has four steps: you find a medium, send a briefing, pay the media price directly to the publisher once it is confirmed, and approve the delivery at the end. All coordination runs through messages within the booking, so everything stays traceable in one place.
The marketplace is currently in beta. We are testing with the first publishers, and registration is still closed. If you are planning bookings, join the waitlist. You can look at the process now, so your first briefing is ready when the marketplace opens.
The process at a glance
The table below shows who acts at each step.
| Step | What happens | Who acts |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Find a medium | Filter, check the metrics, choose a format | You |
| 2. Send a briefing | Describe your brand, message, preferred date and link request | You |
| 3. Confirm and pay | The publisher confirms, an invoice follows, the media price goes directly to the publisher | Publisher and you |
| 4. Deliver and approve | The publisher publishes and supplies proof, you review and approve | Publisher and you |
Step 1: Find the right medium
In the marketplace you filter by media type, format, niche and maximum price. Each domain also comes with SEO metrics based on data from DataForSEO: monthly organic traffic, keywords, top 10 and top 3 rankings, traffic value, Domain Rank, referring domains, backlinks and spam score. Without signing in, you see a demo extract with anonymised publishers.
Do not rely on a single number. For an online shop selling outdoor equipment, a medium with a matching niche and a clean spam score is usually worth more than a large domain with no topical fit. If you already have a press release or an article, the Content Assistant can help. You paste in the text, choose the formats you want, and get suitable channels suggested with reasons. Signed-in advertisers can add the selection straight to the basket.
On choosing a format: the marketplace offers editorial, sponsored post/advertorial, guest article, press release and social media post. The article on editorial links explains what an editorial link achieves and how it differs from paid contributions.
Step 2: A briefing that publishers confirm
The briefing is how you request the booking. It decides whether the publisher agrees and whether the result suits you. The clearer you write, the fewer follow-up questions there will be.
What to include
- Brand: Who are you, what do you offer, and which website should be named?
- Message: Which one or two key points should the piece convey? Give facts you can back up.
- Preferred date: Is there an occasion, such as a season or a product launch? Give a time window rather than a fixed date.
- Link request: Which target URL and anchor text fit? Also say whether you expect a DoFollow link.
- Format: Editorial, guest article or sponsored post? This tells the publisher straight away what to deliver.
Stay realistic about the link
Whether a link is DoFollow, nofollow or sponsored is the publisher's decision, based on its editorial guidelines. Settle this in the briefing, not after publication. The article on DoFollow vs. nofollow for advertisers describes which link type you can expect for each format. A mention without a DoFollow link can also have value, because it makes your brand visible in a relevant environment and can be used as a source by chat assistants.
Paid contributions must be labelled as advertising. In its spam policies, Google requires paid links to be marked with rel=sponsored or rel=nofollow. Plan for this and do not ask the publisher to leave out a label.
Step 3: Confirmation, invoice and payment
After your briefing, the publisher reviews the request. It can accept or ask follow-up questions, which you answer directly in the booking. The booking only counts as confirmed once the publisher confirms it.
You then receive the invoice. You pay the media price directly to the publisher, by bank transfer, PayPal or Wero. An online payment via Mollie is also available as an option. On top of that comes 1 credit (currently €29.95 net) per confirmed booking, which goes to mention.media. The media price and the credit appear separately on the invoice. There is no commission and no percentage surcharge.
An example: with a media price of €300, you pay €329.95 in total. On a marketplace with a 25% commission, it would be €375. The article Why 0% commission is fairer explains why we calculate this way.
Step 4: Review and approve the delivery
After payment, the publisher publishes the piece and supplies proof. You review the delivery at your own pace. Check these points:
- The piece is online and reachable at the stated address.
- Brand, message and facts match your briefing.
- The link points to the agreed target URL.
- The link attribute matches what you agreed.
- Paid content is labelled as advertising.
If everything fits, you approve the booking. If something differs, you write to the publisher through the booking and ask for a correction. What the individual rel attributes mean technically is covered in the reference on link attributes.
What applies during the beta
- Registration is still closed. Interested parties join the waitlist.
- We are working with the first publishers. The selection will grow until the marketplace opens.
- mention.media does not promise any particular ranking results. A booking gets you a mention in a vetted medium, not a guaranteed position.
- If you have questions about the launch, you can reach us via the contact page.
Our advice: write your briefing now as a template. With your brand, message, time window and link request ready, you can start straight away with your first booking.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a booking take?
That depends on the publisher. It confirms the request and sets the publication date within your preferred timeframe. A briefing sent early, with a time window, helps with planning.
When do I pay, and who do I pay?
Once the publisher has confirmed, you receive the invoice. You pay the media price directly to the publisher, and the credit of €29.95 net goes to mention.media. Both amounts appear separately on the invoice.
Can I choose the link type myself?
You can state a preference in the briefing. The publisher decides on DoFollow, nofollow or sponsored based on its editorial guidelines. Settle this before the confirmation.
What should I do if the delivery does not fit?
Write to the publisher through the messages in the booking and name the deviation specifically. Only approve the booking once the delivery matches the briefing.