What is share of voice?
Strip away the formulas and share of voice answers one question: of everything said in this category, how much of it is about us?
The term started with advertising spend. Today it's used for several related measures, including share of paid impressions, share of social conversation, and share of organic search visibility. Always check which one someone means.
How do you calculate share of voice?
The basic formula is the same for every type: the brand's amount divided by the category total, as a percentage.
| Type of share of voice | What is counted | Formula |
|---|---|---|
| Advertising | Media spend or paid impressions | Brand spend divided by category spend |
| Social | Mentions and conversation volume | Brand mentions divided by category mentions |
| Organic search | Visibility for category keywords | Brand visibility divided by total visibility |
| Earned media | Press coverage | Brand articles divided by category articles |
What is an example of share of voice?
Speaking above your share
A challenger brand holds 10% of its category's sales. It raises its advertising so that its spend is 15% of all category advertising.
Its share of voice now exceeds its share of market. A long-standing principle in brand research holds that brands with share of voice above share of market tend to grow over time, while brands below it tend to shrink.
Share of voice vs. share of search vs. share of market
| Share of voice | Share of search | Share of market | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it measures | How much the brand is speaking | How much people seek the brand | How much the brand sells |
| Type of signal | Input | Demand | Outcome |
| Who controls it | Mostly the brand, through spend | Consumers | The market |
| Typical use | Investment planning | Early read on brand demand | Business performance |
Why does share of voice matter?
Share of voice is one of the oldest ways to judge whether a brand is investing enough to grow. Its limit is that it measures what a brand puts out, not whether anyone is listening.
- Investment context. Shows whether spend is high or low relative to competitors.
- Growth planning. Comparing it with market share frames how much investment growth may need.
- Needs a demand partner. Pair it with signals like share of search and sentiment to see whether the voice is landing.
How does Alli do this?
Alli by PMG's Brand Equity focuses on what share of voice can't show on its own: whether people are responding. It measures brand health from unaided signals, including share of search, sentiment, news sentiment, share of traffic, and Share of LLM Presence, each tracked against your competitive set.
Alli Business Insights adds the market around it, tracking competitor moves and category shifts alongside your live performance, so spend decisions come with competitive context.
Explore Alli Brand EquityShare of voice FAQ
What is a good share of voice?
It depends on the category and goals. A common benchmark is to compare share of voice with share of market: a share of voice above share of market is associated with growth over time.
What is excess share of voice (ESOV)?
Excess share of voice is the difference between a brand's share of voice and its share of market. A positive ESOV means the brand is investing above its current size.
Is share of voice the same as share of search?
No. Share of voice measures how much a brand is speaking, through spend, impressions, or mentions. Share of search measures how much people seek the brand by name.
How do you measure social share of voice?
Count mentions of your brand across social channels and divide by the total mentions of all brands in your competitive set over the same period.
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