share of voice: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
Low-mediumFormal, technical, business
Quick answer
What does “share of voice” mean?
The percentage of total media or advertising conversations, mentions, or spending that a particular brand, product, or company receives within a specific market or category.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
The percentage of total media or advertising conversations, mentions, or spending that a particular brand, product, or company receives within a specific market or category.
A marketing and communications metric measuring comparative visibility or presence in a competitive landscape. It can refer to traditional advertising spend share, earned media presence, or social media mentions relative to competitors.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Both use the term identically. There is no significant variation in usage. Minor spelling differences in related words (e.g., analyse/analyze) do not apply to this fixed phrase.
Connotations
Slightly more common in UK English within public relations and media contexts; slightly more associated with paid advertising metrics in US English, though this distinction is blurring.
Frequency
Comparable frequency in business/marketing contexts in both regions.
Grammar
How to Use “share of voice” in a Sentence
[Brand X] has/commands a [adj] share of voice in [market Y].[We aim to] increase our share of voice by [method Z].The analysis compares the shares of voice of [competitors].Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “share of voice” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- We aim to increase our share of voice.
- The campaign successfully grew their share of voice.
American English
- The goal is to maximize our share of voice.
- They need to measure their share of voice.
adjective
British English
- The share-of-voice metric is crucial.
- We need a share-of-voice analysis.
American English
- Their share-of-voice data is impressive.
- A high share-of-voice position is ideal.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Primary context. Used in marketing strategy, competitive analysis, PR reports, and media planning.
Academic
Used in media studies, marketing, and communications research papers.
Everyday
Very rare. May be used by professionals discussing work informally.
Technical
Core term in marketing analytics, media monitoring, and social listening software reports.
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “share of voice”
- Using it as a verb (e.g., 'We need to share of voice').
- Confusing it with 'share of market' (which is sales-based).
- Using plural 'share of voices' instead of 'shares of voice'.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Market share measures percentage of sales or revenue. Share of voice measures percentage of advertising spend, media coverage, or online conversation.
Yes, absolutely. It is commonly used to describe a brand's percentage of mentions or conversations within a specific topic or industry on platforms like Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn.
It is a countable noun phrase. You can have 'a significant share of voice' or compare 'the shares of voice' of different brands.
It can be measured by comparing advertising expenditure (via media audits), by analysing volume of earned media coverage, or by using social listening tools to track online mentions relative to a defined competitor set.
The percentage of total media or advertising conversations, mentions, or spending that a particular brand, product, or company receives within a specific market or category.
Share of voice is usually formal, technical, business in register.
Share of voice: in British English it is pronounced /ʃɛːr ə(v) vɔɪs/, and in American English it is pronounced /ʃɛr əv vɔɪs/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “A seat at the table (metaphorically related)”
- “Having a voice in the conversation”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a pie chart (SHARE) of all the talking (VOICE) about smartphones. Apple's slice is its SHARE OF VOICE.
Conceptual Metaphor
THE MARKET IS A CONVERSATION. BRANDS ARE PARTICIPANTS. INFLUENCE IS AUDIBILITY/VOLUME.
Practice
Quiz
'Share of voice' is primarily a metric used in which field?