Step 3: Cover page
The cover page usually includes:
Subject full name
A profile picture from an associated social media profile (unless anonymized or hidden by format settings)
A disclaimer stating whether a human analyst reviewed the subject
If FCRA settings or a custom disclaimer apply, a report addendum with the relevant legal or organizational text
Report format options can hide logos, bios under handles, or anonymize the profile image. Configure these in Format Reports.
Continue → Step 4
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Step 4: Subject summary / abstract
When Include report abstract is enabled in report format settings, an optional summary page appears after the cover. It typically covers:
Overview of the subject’s social media presence (followers/following, post volume and frequency, topics discussed often)
Counts of social profiles, web/news items, and flagged posts
Sentiment trends (when available for the use case)
An AI Flagged Posts Summary when the subject has original posts or replies that were flagged (unless excluded in format settings)
Continue → Step 5
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Step 5: Social profiles
The social profiles section shows:
Subject properties you provided
Which social platforms Ferretly searched and analyzed
Counts of web and news results
For each associated profile: match criteria (identifiers used to link the profile to the subject)
This section answers “what was searched and how was identity tied to each handle?” before you read insights or flags.
For a standalone export of profile-focused data, see the Subject Profile Report.
Continue → Step 6
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Step 6: Post insights
Post insights are a short (often one- or two-page) summary of patterns across the subject’s analyzed activity. Sections may include:
Section | What it shows |
|---|---|
--- | --- |
Score | Combined view of sentiment and flagged activity across accounts. Not an organizational risk or hire/no-hire rating. Use only for consistent comparison when your process allows it. See Understanding Subject Scores. |
Behavioral composition | Flagged posts grouped by behavior type. See Behavior Composition. |
Word cloud | Frequent words/phrases by size; color from more negative (red) to more positive (green). See Word Cloud. |
Sentiment over time | Average post sentiment across time intervals (x-axis = time, y-axis = sentiment; line color also reflects tone). See Sentiment Over Time. |
Channel volumes | How many posts were found per platform |
Follower / following counts | Aggregated counts where platforms provide them; not all platforms expose the same metrics |
OCEAN personality | Estimated Big Five trait profile from post text. Informational only. See OCEAN Personality Model. |
Continue → Step 7
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Step 7: Flagged posts and related sections
Flagged posts
The main body lists flagged posts, typically four per page, ordered by the report setting you chose:
Chronological (default)
By platform
By behavior
Change organization in Format Reports.
Keyword flagged posts
A separate section can list posts flagged by custom keywords in the report profile.
Web / news and media posts
Relevant web and news articles about the subject appear sorted chronologically when that content was part of the run.
Images and media storage
When Ferretly runs a check, it stores post text and metadata. Images are not bulk-stored—only the image URL is kept. If an image is included on a flagged post in the report, that image is rendered and stored for the report. Images may later fail to display if the platform expires or removes the original media.
Continue → Step 8
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Step 8: Post pages guide (help pages)
If Show Help Pages is enabled in the report profile’s format settings, the PDF includes a key that explains how to read each post card—icons, flag types, and related symbols.
Use this when sharing the report with reviewers who are new to Ferretly layout.
Continue → Step 9
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