Free tool · SOV
Share of Voice Calculator
Share of voice measures how much of the conversation in your category belongs to you. Enter any two of your mentions (or spend), the total for the market, and your share of voice — and this calculator solves for the third.
Share of voice is easy to measure — easy to game
The formula is one division. The hard part is defining the category honestly and choosing a unit that actually reflects presence rather than noise.
The denominator decides everything
Draw the category too narrowly and your SOV looks dominant; draw it too broadly and it vanishes. SOV is only comparable when the set of competitors and the time window stay fixed across measurements.
Volume is not sentiment
A crisis can spike your mentions and inflate share of voice while damaging the brand. Always read SOV next to sentiment and share of positive voice — loud is not the same as winning.
Pick one unit and hold it
SOV works for mentions, impressions, or media spend — but the numerator and denominator must use the same unit. Mixing your spend against competitors’ mention counts produces a number that means nothing.
Calculate your share of voice
Enter your mentions (or spend) and the total for the market.
Your brand’s mentions, impressions, or spend in the category. Use the same unit as the market total.
The total across the whole category — every competitor combined, in the same unit as your figure.
Your slice of the total category conversation, as a percentage.
Waiting for input
Enter any two of your mentions, total market mentions, and share of voice — the third fills in automatically.
SOV = your mentions ÷ total market mentions × 100.
What is share of voice?
Share of voice (SOV) is the percentage of all activity in your category that belongs to your brand. It started as a media-spend metric — your ad spend as a share of total category spend — and now applies equally to earned mentions, social conversation, and search impressions.
The unit can be anything that captures presence: PR mentions, social posts, impressions, or paid spend. The only rule is that the numerator (you) and denominator (the whole market) use the same unit and the same time window, so the share is an honest comparison.
Calculate share of voice
SOV = (Your mentions ÷ Total market mentions) × 100
1,200 of your mentions out of 8,000 total → SOV = (1,200 ÷ 8,000) × 100 = 15%
Calculate your mentions
Your mentions = Total market mentions × (SOV ÷ 100)
8,000 total × 25% target SOV = 2,000 mentions you need
Calculate the market total
Total market mentions = Your mentions ÷ (SOV ÷ 100)
1,200 mentions at 15% SOV → 1,200 ÷ 0.15 = 8,000 total in the category
How to use this share of voice calculator
Three fields, one ratio — fill in the two you know.
Choose one unit and define the category
Decide whether you’re measuring mentions, impressions, or spend, then list the exact competitor set you’ll count as the market. Keep both fixed every time you measure so the trend is real.
Enter the two values you have
Know your mentions and the market total? Get your SOV. Have a target SOV and the market total? See how many mentions you need to get there. Any two of the three solve the third.
Read it against sentiment and share of market
SOV is a leading indicator, not the outcome. Compare it to your share of market and to sentiment — the goal is share of positive voice that tracks ahead of where your market share is today.
Share of voice questions
Still stuck? Book a walkthrough and we’ll go through your numbers together.
What is a good share of voice?
There’s no universal benchmark — it depends on how many players share the category and your ambitions. The more useful lens is the relationship to share of market: a brand whose SOV sits above its market share (“excess share of voice”) tends to grow market share, while one below it tends to shrink. Aim to lead your SOV indicator ahead of your current market position.
Can I measure share of voice in spend instead of mentions?
Yes. SOV originated as a media-spend metric and works identically for spend, impressions, or mentions. The only requirement is that your figure and the market total use the same unit — your spend against total category spend, or your mentions against total category mentions. Never mix units across the numerator and denominator.
How does share of voice relate to share of market?
The two are tightly correlated, and the gap between them is predictive. The “excess share of voice” rule, popularised by Les Binet and Peter Field, holds that when SOV runs ahead of share of market, the brand tends to gain share over time; when it runs behind, share erodes. Tracking the SOV-to-market gap is one of the most reliable forward indicators in brand marketing.
How often should I measure share of voice?
Match the cadence to how fast your category moves and how noisy mentions are. Most brands track SOV monthly or quarterly to smooth out one-off spikes from launches, news cycles, or crises. Whatever cadence you choose, hold the competitor set and time window constant so changes reflect real shifts in presence rather than a redefinition of the market.
One metric is a number — Multiply connects them all
When every campaign metric, brief, and account signal lives in one AI operating system, you stop calculating in spreadsheets and start acting on the full picture. That's Multiply.