A keyword monitor finds many posts, and only some of them are signals. When the monitor saves people to a list, Signals only decides whether it saves the people from every post it finds, or only from the posts it flags as signals.
The two settings
| Setting | Saves people from | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Signals only off | Every post the monitor finds (within your filters) | Building an audience around a topic, when anyone talking about it is worth a look |
| Signals only on | Only posts flagged as a trigger, pain or intent | Lists of warm leads, where every person has a reason to hear from you |
It applies to everyone saved by the monitor: authors and, when they're turned on, commenters and likers.
Where to set it
Under Save people to a list, in Watch for new results when you create a keyword monitor, or later in the monitor's Signal & capture settings. The option shows when the monitor judges posts for signals.
What changes in practice
With Signals only on:
- Lists are smaller and every lead has a post to start the conversation from.
- Saving commenters and likers costs less, because only flagged posts qualify. The monthly estimate drops accordingly. See Read the monthly estimate.
- The list depends on how well your ICP describes triggers and pains. If good posts aren't flagged, sharpen them in Targeting. See Add buying triggers and pains.
With it off:
- Lists grow faster, with more people who are merely interested in the topic.
- You'll want to score the list against your ICP before contacting anyone.
Combine it with ICP matches only
Signals only is about the post. ICP matches only is about the person. Together they save only people who match your ICP and wrote, or engaged with, a post that shows a reason to buy. See Only people who match your ICP.
Not sure? Start with Signals only on. Look at the monitor's feed for a week: if you keep finding good authors among the unflagged posts, turn it off, or improve the ICP so those posts get flagged.
Changing it later
The new setting applies to posts found from then on. People already saved stay in the list.