One of the most effective ways to understand how visible and influential your business really is comes down to a single metric: share of voice.
Understanding your share of voice and how it ranks next to that of your competitors can reveal whether you’re leading the conversation in your industry, or quietly falling behind.
In a crowded and competitive market, it’s no longer enough to simply have a great product or service. If your business isn’t being consistently mentioned in the right places, you could be giving your competitors a significant advantage.
Here, we outline how to evaluate your share of voice and strengthen your PR presence.
What is share of voice?
Share of voice, often shortened to SoV, refers to the proportion of media coverage your brand receives compared to others in your sector. Traditionally associated with advertising, share of voice can be measured based on social media mentions, Google searches and online forum references.
For example, research from 2023 examining share of voice between UK insurance providers found that Compare the Market dominated search mentions. In a similar analysis of share of voice between UK supermarkets in terms of social and online mentions, Tesco consistently outranked its competitors.
In pure PR terms, however, share of voice has become a vital measurement tool, particularly in an era where earned media carries more trust and influence than paid activity.
In PR terms, share of voice looks at how often your brand is mentioned in the press compared to your competitors.
This can include national, regional or trade media, online publications, broadcast coverage and sometimes podcasts or blogs, depending on your goals. It can also be refined further to analyse sentiment, key messages or spokesperson visibility.
At its simplest, share of voice answers a critical question: when journalists are talking about your industry, how often are they talking about you?
Why does it matter in PR?
A strong share of voice brings tangible business benefits. Brands that dominate media coverage tend to enjoy greater credibility, stronger brand recognition and increased trust among customers, investors and stakeholders.
If your competitors are securing regular, credible press coverage while you are not, you’re missing out on multiple opportunities. These include increased brand awareness, improved search engine visibility, a greater AI-led search presence, enhanced authority within your sector, stronger reputational resilience during challenging periods and a greater influence over how your industry is perceived.
A great example of earned media share of voice is popular children’s TV show and merchandise brand, Peppa Pig, who recently secured a 75 per cent share of voice through a single campaign. Their ‘Mummy Pig’ campaign generated over 800 pieces of coverage, 127m TikTok views and 1.26m engagements in just 24 hours.
PR coverage also supports your wider marketing activities by helping to ensure audiences have already heard of your business before they ever visit your website or speak to your team.
When potential customers see your brand consistently featured in respected publications, it helps to build trust and confidence long before a buying decision is made.
Determining your share of voice
Calculating your share of voice doesn’t need to be complicated. Start by defining a clear time period, such as the past six or 12 months, and decide which media outlets are most relevant to your business. This could include national press, key trade publications or influential online platforms.
Next, track the number of media mentions your brand received during that period. Then do the same for your competitors. Add all mentions together to create a total number of industry mentions.
To calculate your share of voice percentage, divide your total mentions by the overall industry total and multiply it by 100. For example, if there were 200 total mentions across your sector and your brand secured 40 of them, your share of voice would be 20 per cent.
For a more meaningful analysis, it’s worth going beyond volume alone. Consider the quality of coverage, the prominence of mentions, whether your key messages are included and the sentiment of the articles. A smaller amount of high-quality coverage in influential media can often be more valuable than a larger volume of low impact mentions.
How to identify your real competitors
One of the most common mistakes businesses make when analysing share of voice is choosing the wrong competitors. Your PR competitors are not always the same as your direct commercial rivals.
For example, when one of Osborn’s team worked with an education software provider, the company wanted to understand who was dominating the conversation in the UK edtech industry.
They were concerned that their biggest competitor was getting significantly more media coverage than them. Closer analysis revealed that the space was dominated by a third company, who they hadn’t even considered before or believed to be a competitor.
Through a targeted programme of consistent, proactive PR campaigns, the software provider was able to secure a 68 per cent share of voice in key education titles for the next two years.
To see who’s leading the conversation in your sector, start by identifying the brands that appear most frequently in media coverage related to your sector. These are the companies journalists already see as relevant experts or market leaders. You may find that some competitors you had not previously considered are dominating the conversation.
It’s also important to distinguish between aspirational competitors and realistic benchmarks. Comparing a growing SME to a global household name may not provide actionable insight.
Instead, focus on businesses of a similar size or those targeting the same audience but also keep an eye on industry leaders to understand what good looks like.
Moving ahead of your competitors
Once you understand your current share of voice, the real value lies in using that insight to shape your PR strategy. If your competitors are outperforming you, analyse why. Are they commenting more frequently on industry news, investing in thought leadership or building stronger journalist relationships?
A proactive PR strategy focused on newsworthy stories, expert commentary and consistent messaging can quickly shift the balance. By positioning your business as a credible authority and making it easy for journalists to work with you, you can increase your visibility and influence over time.
Ultimately, share of voice is not just a measurement tool. It is a clear indicator of how present, relevant and trusted your brand is in the public conversation. If your competitors are owning that space and you’re not, it is time to rethink your approach and invest in PR that helps you get ahead rather than left behind.
If you’d like support with identifying your share of voice, understanding where you rank alongside your competitors or building a stronger presence in your industry, Osborn Communications can help. Drop us a line to book a chat.