Keywords and Boolean Queries

Overview

Boolean queries are the foundation of keyword-based social listening in Trigify. They let you define exactly what content to find by combining keywords with AND, OR, and NOT operators.

How Boolean Operators Work

Operator	What It Does	Example
AND	All keywords must be present in the post	"sales automation" AND "recommendations"
OR	At least one keyword must be present	"looking for tools" OR "which platform"
NOT	Excludes posts containing these keywords	"CRM" NOT "job posting"

Adding Keywords

In the search creation wizard (Step 2), you will see three input fields:

AND (all must be present): Type a keyword or phrase, then press Enter. Each keyword appears as a tag.
OR (any can be present): Same process. Posts matching any one of these keywords qualify.
NOT (exclude these): Keywords here filter out unwanted results.

The Query Preview below the fields shows your complete boolean expression in real time, so you can verify the logic before saving.

You must press Enter after typing each keyword to save it. Simply typing in the field will not add the keyword. If you cannot proceed to the next step, check that your keywords have been saved as tags in the input field.

Keyword Limits

Platform	Max Keywords	Notes
Business Network (LinkedIn)	6 total	Combined across AND + OR + NOT
X (Twitter)	10 total	Combined across AND + OR + NOT
Reddit	10 total	Combined across AND + OR + NOT
YouTube	10 total	Combined across AND + OR + NOT
Podcasts	10 total	Combined across AND + OR + NOT

Writing Effective Queries

Use Specific Phrases

Multi-word phrases work as a single keyword. "Sales automation" matches posts containing that exact phrase, not just posts with "sales" and "automation" separately.

Combine Operators Strategically

Example: Finding buying intent

AND: "looking for recommendations"

OR: "which tool should I use"

NOT: "job posting"This finds posts where someone is asking for tool recommendations while excluding job listings.

Exclude Noise

The NOT field is powerful for filtering out irrelevant content. Common exclusions include:

"job posting" or "hiring" to remove recruitment posts
"tutorial" if you only want discussion posts
Competitor names if you want to focus on your own brand

You do not need to add @ handles or hashtag symbols. Trigify finds content based on the keywords you enter, regardless of formatting.

Start broad with a few keywords, then narrow down using the NOT field once you see the preview results. This helps you avoid missing important signals while you refine your search.