Expertise

Share of voice experts

Share of voice experts measure the percentage of total market conversation, media coverage or advertising a brand commands compared with its competitors. It matters because a brand that consistently holds a larger share of voice than its share of market tends to gain ground over time. Profile's experts track these signals to show where a brand stands and how to close the gap.

2 experts · Updated 28 Aug 2026

Share of voice work at Profile starts by fixing the comparison set: the four or five competitors a buyer would realistically consider alongside the client. Profile then gathers what each of them has published and what has been written about them across the business, finance and trade press those buyers read, and adds LinkedIn activity and search results for the same names. Coverage is counted, then weighted, because a bylined article in a trade title is not equivalent to a passing mention. That figure is set against share of market. The output names the themes competitors own, the ones nobody owns yet, and which of the client's own themes are landing.

How they work

The number is only as good as the two judgements behind it, and both are arguable. Drawing the comparison set too wide flatters the client and too narrow flatters the result, so it is set from where revenue actually comes from rather than from who the client finds irritating. Weighting is the other. Treating every mention as equal produces a figure that rewards volume, which is the opposite of what the work is for. Profile also polls audience perception through its own research unit, because published coverage measures what was said rather than what was absorbed, and the two come apart more often than the numbers suggest. Paid placement is not counted as coverage at all.

When to bring them in

The usual trigger is a competitor being quoted repeatedly on a subject the client knows better, or a sales team reporting that prospects arrive already familiar with another name. Boards also ask for it when marketing spend is under review and nobody can say what presence it bought, and when a firm is entering a market where it has no idea how loud the incumbents are.

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“Journalists are valuable precisely because they can say no. Anything that gets past them arrives carrying an assumption a company cannot buy or write for itself, which is that somebody independent looked and thought it stood up.”

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Published 7 Aug 2026 · Available for comment

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Elizabeth Lorraine · Client Director, Profile

Published 5 Aug 2026 · Available for comment

Most asked

Questions about share of voice experts

The questions we get asked most about share of voice, answered plainly.

What does a share of voice expert actually do?

A share of voice expert defines the market conversation that matters, measures how much of it a brand holds against named competitors, and reports where that share is growing or slipping. This covers choosing the right benchmark set, tracking coverage and mentions, and separating real movement from noise. The goal is a number a business can actually act on when deciding where to spend.

What is share of voice?

Share of voice is the proportion of total market discussion a brand owns relative to its rivals. It can be measured across paid advertising, earned media coverage, social conversation, or search visibility. A higher share of voice indicates greater prominence in the audience's attention.

How is share of voice calculated?

Share of voice is calculated by dividing a brand's measured presence by the total presence of the whole category, then multiplying by 100. The inputs vary by channel, such as ad impressions, media mentions, or social posts. The result is expressed as a percentage that can be tracked over time and against named competitors.

Why does share of voice matter for growth?

Research popularised by Les Binet and Peter Field shows that when a brand's share of voice exceeds its share of market, it tends to grow, and when it falls below, it tends to decline. The gap between the two is often called excess share of voice. Monitoring this helps firms decide where to invest and defend.

What is the difference between share of voice and share of market?

Share of market is the portion of actual sales or revenue a brand holds in its category. Share of voice is the portion of visibility or conversation it commands. The two are linked, because sustained visibility above a brand's market position usually drives future sales.

How can a brand improve its share of voice?

A brand can improve its share of voice by increasing quality media coverage, publishing consistent thought leadership, and sustaining advertising presence in the channels its audience uses. Measurement should come first, so effort targets the areas where competitors dominate. Small, consistent gains often outperform short bursts of activity.

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