Social Listening

Monitoring social platforms and the web for mentions of a brand, competitors or topics to understand sentiment and trends.

By Brandon MinaCEO, BrandPilot AIUpdated November 2026

Short answer

Social listening is the practice of monitoring social platforms, forums, news and the wider web for mentions of a brand, competitors, products or topics. Unlike simple monitoring, it analyzes sentiment, themes and trends behind those conversations. Teams use the insights to manage reputation, spot emerging issues, inform product decisions and shape content.