monitoring-google-news-coverage-for-brand

Monitors Google News coverage for a brand using apidojo's Google Search scraper on Apify. Triggers when the user asks to: track news coverage about a brand on Google, monitor press mentions in Google News, find recent news articles mentioning a company, track media coverage for a brand or executive, monitor competitor news coverage, find press releases or news stories about a brand on Google, or research how a company is being covered in the press. Returns article title, publication, date, URL, and coverage sentiment per article. Ideal for PR agencies, communications teams, brand managers, and reputation monitoring services.

Monitoring Google News Coverage for a Brand

Tracks press and media coverage of a brand across Google News. Identifies publications, volume, sentiment, and stories that need PR attention.

Prerequisites

• APIFY_TOKEN environment variable set
• Optional: Apify MCP server installed

Inputs

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Notes
startUrls	array	Optional	[]	Google search URLs
searchTerms	array	Optional	[]	Keywords to search on Google
countryCode	string	Optional	US	Country for Google search (e.g. US, GB, TR)
languageCode	string	Optional	—	Language for results (e.g. en)
maxItems	number	Optional	Unlimited	Maximum results to return across all queries
maxPagesPerQuery	integer	Optional	1	Maximum result pages per query
mobileResults	boolean	Optional	false	Fetch mobile SERP layout
customMapFunction	string	Optional	—	JavaScript function to transform each output object

Workflow

text

Progress:
- [ ] Step 1: Search Google News for brand + time filter
- [ ] Step 2: Classify editorial vs. press release
- [ ] Step 3: Classify coverage sentiment
- [ ] Step 4: Identify top publications and story themes
- [ ] Step 5: Deliver press monitoring report

Step 1: Run google-search-scraper

Recommended — run_actor.js (handles waiting, output, and file saving automatically):

bash

# Quick answer (prints table to chat)
node scripts/run_actor.js \
  --actor "apidojo~google-search-scraper" \
  --input '{"param": "value"}'

# Save as CSV
node scripts/run_actor.js \
  --actor "apidojo~google-search-scraper" \
  --input '{"param": "value"}' \
  --output YYYY-MM-DD_results.csv --format csv

# Save as JSON
node scripts/run_actor.js \
  --actor "apidojo~google-search-scraper" \
  --input '{"param": "value"}' \
  --output YYYY-MM-DD_results.json --format json

APIFY_TOKEN must be set in environment or .env file.

If Apify MCP is available:

text

Tool: apify:run-actor
Actor: "apidojo~google-search-scraper"
Input:
{
  "queries": ["\"[BRAND_NAME]\" news", "[BRAND_NAME] announcement"],
  "maxPagesPerQuery": 3,
  "countryCode": "US",
  "searchType": "news"
}

REST API fallback:

bash

curl -X POST \
  "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/apidojo~google-search-scraper/runs?token=$APIFY_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"queries": ["\"[BRAND_NAME]\" news"], "maxPagesPerQuery": 3, "searchType": "news"}'

Step 2: Classify Coverage

text

coverage_type:
  PRESS_RELEASE = domain: prnewswire, businesswire, globenewswire
  EDITORIAL = major publication (TechCrunch, Forbes, WSJ, Bloomberg)
  TRADE = industry publication
  NEGATIVE_FLAG = title contains: "lawsuit", "scandal", "fraud", "investigation"

sentiment_from_headline:
  POSITIVE = "raises", "launches", "wins", "grows", "partners", "expands"
  NEGATIVE = "cuts", "loses", "sued", "drops", "fails", "controversy"

Step 3: Edge Cases

• Brand name is common word: Use exact match quotes; add qualifier
• Old coverage returned: Use after:[DATE] query operator
• Negative from major publication: Flag as PR_ATTENTION_NEEDED
• Competitor coverage much higher volume: PR gap analysis signal

Output Format

text

# Google News Monitor: [BRAND_NAME]
Period: [DATE_RANGE] | Articles: [N] | Publications: [N] | Date: [DATE]

Coverage: Editorial [N] | Press Releases [N] | Negative flags [N]
Sentiment: [X%] Positive | [X%] Negative | [X%] Neutral

## Headlines (Chronological)
| Date | Publication | Headline | Type | Sentiment | URL |
|------|------------|---------|------|-----------|-----|

## ⚠️ PR Attention Needed
[Negative articles requiring monitoring]

Troubleshooting

Too few results: Brand has limited press; try without quotes for broader matching. Reviews not press in results: Add -site:yelp.com -site:glassdoor.com to queries. Google blocks news search: Use searchType: "web" with news-domain anchors.