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Unlinked Mention Reclamation

This is the highest conversion link work that exists, because the editorial decision to mention you has already been made and you are only asking for a hyperlink. Most people run it badly by monitoring only the exact brand name, missing product names, founder names and misspellings, and by emailing a generic press address that nobody reads.

CATEGORY
Links & authority
FORMAT
unlinked-mention-reclaim.md
STEPS
6
PRICE
Free - no account
WHEN TO REACH FOR THIS

Use when the brand gets written about regularly but the coverage does not link, and you want the cheapest available links.

The skill file

unlinked-mention-reclaim.md 
---
name: unlinked-mention-reclaim
description: Use when the brand gets written about regularly but the coverage does not link, and you want the cheapest available links.
---

# Unlinked Mention Reclamation

This is the highest conversion link work that exists, because the editorial decision to mention you has already been made and you are only asking for a hyperlink. Most people run it badly by monitoring only the exact brand name, missing product names, founder names and misspellings, and by emailing a generic press address that nobody reads.

## What you need first

- a full name list: brand, product names, founder and exec names, common misspellings, any former trading name
- a mention monitoring source and a way to check images as well as text
- a page on your site that is genuinely the best destination for each mention type

## Method

1. Build the name list wide. Misspellings and old trading names produce a surprising share of finds because journalists copy from each other and errors propagate.
2. Filter to mentions where the page has no link to any of your domains at all - not just no link on the mention word, since a link elsewhere in the article means the writer already chose their reference.
3. Score each find by whether the page actually gets traffic or ranks for anything. A mention on a dead syndication mirror is not worth an email.
4. Email the named writer, not the desk, and reference the specific sentence in the piece. Ask for the link on the phrase they already used rather than dictating anchor text - suggesting anchor text is the fastest way to get ignored or marked as spam.
5. Handle image use separately: uncredited use of your chart or product photo is a stronger and more polite ask than a plain mention, because you are asking for standard attribution.
6. Run the sweep on a fixed monthly cadence and log declines, so you stop re-emailing outlets with a blanket no linking policy.

## What this produces

A worked queue of live unlinked mentions with per writer outreach sent and outcomes logged.

## Where this goes wrong

- chasing syndicated copies of one article across dozens of mirror sites that carry no value
- specifying the anchor text you want, which reads as SEO outreach and kills the reply rate
- emailing press@ or info@ instead of the byline, where the request dies in a shared inbox

---

From the QuQi skill library - https://www.quqi.io/skills/unlinked-mention-reclaim
Free to download · no account, no email

What you need first

  • a full name list: brand, product names, founder and exec names, common misspellings, any former trading name
  • a mention monitoring source and a way to check images as well as text
  • a page on your site that is genuinely the best destination for each mention type

Method

  1. 01 Build the name list wide. Misspellings and old trading names produce a surprising share of finds because journalists copy from each other and errors propagate.
  2. 02 Filter to mentions where the page has no link to any of your domains at all - not just no link on the mention word, since a link elsewhere in the article means the writer already chose their reference.
  3. 03 Score each find by whether the page actually gets traffic or ranks for anything. A mention on a dead syndication mirror is not worth an email.
  4. 04 Email the named writer, not the desk, and reference the specific sentence in the piece. Ask for the link on the phrase they already used rather than dictating anchor text - suggesting anchor text is the fastest way to get ignored or marked as spam.
  5. 05 Handle image use separately: uncredited use of your chart or product photo is a stronger and more polite ask than a plain mention, because you are asking for standard attribution.
  6. 06 Run the sweep on a fixed monthly cadence and log declines, so you stop re-emailing outlets with a blanket no linking policy.

What this produces

A worked queue of live unlinked mentions with per writer outreach sent and outcomes logged.

Where this goes wrong

  • chasing syndicated copies of one article across dozens of mirror sites that carry no value
  • specifying the anchor text you want, which reads as SEO outreach and kills the reply rate
  • emailing press@ or info@ instead of the byline, where the request dies in a shared inbox

Use this skill in your own AI

The download is a plain markdown file with the name and trigger in its frontmatter. Where an assistant supports skills it can load itself, that frontmatter is what it reads to decide this one applies.

Claude Code Save it as ~/.claude/skills/unlinked-mention-reclaim/SKILL.md and Claude loads it on its own when what you are doing matches the trigger line. Put it in .claude/skills inside a project instead if the whole team should have it.
Claude Upload the file in the skills section of your settings. Once it is there it applies itself in any conversation where the trigger fits, so you do not have to remember it exists.
ChatGPT There is no skills format to install into, so paste the file contents into a Project instruction or a Custom GPT instead. It then applies to every chat in that project rather than only the one you paste it into.
Anything else Paste the markdown into the chat before your question. It works in any assistant, it just has to be pasted again each time.

Questions about this skill

When is reclamation the right method rather than running an outreach campaign?

When the brand already gets written about regularly. The editorial decision to mention you has been made, so you are asking only for a hyperlink, which is why this converts far better than cold outreach. It has a hard floor: a business nobody writes about has nothing to reclaim and needs digital PR or the relationship sweep instead.

What do I need in hand before starting?

A wide name list covering brand, product names, founder and exec names, common misspellings and any former trading name, plus monitoring that checks images as well as text. Watching the exact brand name alone loses a real share of finds, because journalists copy from each other and errors propagate. You also need a genuine destination page per mention type.

What do I end up with, and which part gets used?

A worked queue of live unlinked mentions, with outreach sent per writer and outcomes logged. The log is the part that keeps paying: outlets with a standing no linking policy surface in it, so the next monthly sweep stops re-emailing them. The raw find list is worth little on its own and decays within weeks.

What most often ruins this, and what does it cost?

Telling the writer which anchor text you want. That turns a routine attribution request into SEO outreach and the reply rate collapses. Emailing press@ or info@ rather than the byline fails for a different reason, the request dies in a shared inbox. Working syndicated mirrors of one article is the third, and it eats the sweep with no value at the end.

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