Share of Voice (SOV)
A brand's percentage of total conversation or coverage compared to competitors in a market.
Definition
Share of Voice (SOV) measures a brand's portion of total conversation or coverage relative to competitors. If industry media coverage totals 100 articles and your brand is mentioned in 25, your SOV is 25%. SOV can be measured across media coverage, social mentions, search volume, or advertising presence.
SOV provides competitive context that absolute metrics lack. Growing from 50 to 75 mentions means little if competitors grew from 100 to 200 in the same period. SOV reveals relative position and trend direction.
Why It Matters
SOV indicates competitive positioning and mindshare. A strong SOV suggests brand prominence in the market conversation; declining SOV warns of competitive pressure even if absolute metrics look stable.
Tracking SOV over time reveals whether PR efforts are gaining ground relative to competitors or falling behind.
Examples in Practice
A challenger brand's SOV grows from 15% to 30% over a year, demonstrating successful PR strategy despite the market leader's larger absolute numbers.
A company notices declining SOV during competitor product launches, prompting responsive PR activity to maintain presence.
A B2B company tracks SOV in industry publications, using it as a leading indicator of market position perception.