Which metric assesses relative share of coverage against competitors?

• A. How news coverage compares with competition
• B. Share of voice of overall coverage
• C. Tone of coverage
• D. Percent of stories mentioning key messages

Answer: (B)

Measuring relative presence in the media compared to competitors is captured by the share of voice concept. It focuses on how much of the overall coverage is about your brand versus others within the same topic or time period. You calculate it by taking your brand’s coverage (mentions, articles, or impressions) and dividing it by the total coverage across all brands, usually shown as a percentage. This is the best choice because it directly reflects your standing in the conversation, not just how much coverage you have or the sentiment it carries. Other options look at tone, or how often key messages appear, or describe the overall amount of coverage, but they don’t quantify your relative share against competitors. For example, if there are 500 total articles and your brand appears in 120, your share of voice is 24%, showing your relative prominence in the discourse.