What it means
A recommendation always counts as a mention, so Mention Rate = Shortlist Share + Recommendation Gap. Formula: eligible answers that mention the brand ÷ eligible answers × 100.
It is a supporting metric rather than a headline one: it shows awareness in the answers, while Shortlist Share shows selection. The AI Recommendation Index and the paid audit report it as a percentage; the free check reports a count out of five answers.
Why it matters
Mention Rate tells you whether an engine treats the brand as part of the category at all. Read next to Shortlist Share, it separates two different problems: not being known, and being known without being chosen.
Example
Illustrative: a brand is named in 18 of 30 eligible answers on one engine, a Mention Rate of 60%. It is recommended in 6 of them, so Shortlist Share is 20% and Recommendation Gap is 40 percentage points.
Common misunderstandings
- Being mentioned is not being on the shortlist.
- Mention Rate says nothing about sentiment or whether the description is accurate.
- It describes the measured answers at one point in time and does not guarantee future ones.