Share of Voice in the Age of AI: How To Own More of the Conversation
At its core, the goal of marketing and communications is simple: get the right message in front of the right audience at the right time.
But in financial services, where hundreds of brands are competing for attention with similar messages, cutting through the noise is harder than ever. Standing out isn’t just about having a strong point of view. It’s about ensuring that point of view shows up consistently and credibly wherever your audiences are looking.
That’s why brands need to think about share of voice (SOV) through a broader lens. SOV should not be viewed as a single metric tied to media coverage, but as the outcome of a multi-disciplined, integrated communications strategy spanning paid, earned, and owned channels.
Why Strong Messaging Alone Isn’t Enough
Great messaging is essential, but it’s not sufficient on its own. Even the most differentiated narrative can get lost if it isn’t distributed effectively.
What truly drives visibility is how well you optimize your content for each channel, and how deliberately you orchestrate those channels to reinforce one another. An integrated approach ensures your brand shows up consistently across media coverage, your own platforms, and paid amplification, positioning you as a credible voice on the issues that matter most to your audiences.
How We’ve Traditionally Measured SOV
Share of voice has long been a core success metric in communications. Usually, it’s measured by analyzing media coverage over a defined period, tracking key message pull-through, and benchmarking against competitors to estimate how much of the conversation a brand “owns.”
While useful, this approach has always had limitations. It assumes audiences are consuming the same coverage we’re measuring and that they’re reading all of the same articles. In reality, audiences encounter brands across many touchpoints, not just traditional media.
The Shift in the “Discovery” Phase
Today, discovery behavior is changing rapidly – from traditional search engines to social media, AI-powered tools, and large language models (LLMs). Across demographics, people are increasingly turning to AI to learn about topics, compare service providers, and synthesize complex information.
This shift changes how brands should think about visibility. We used to think about a few specific SEO-driven tactics to improve search results rankings – like blog content or keyword optimization. But now, there is a growing landscape of factors that contribute to search results. So the focus should be about ensuring your perspectives are reflected across the broader digital ecosystem that informs AI-generated answers.
In some ways, this evolution makes SOV easier to conceptualize. Instead of assuming audiences read every individual article, AI systems aggregate information on their behalf. But it also raises the bar. These systems draw from a wide range of sources, including high-authority websites, owned content, data-rich resources, and clear, digestible formats beyond traditional media.
Research from industry studies, including this recent Muckrack study, shows that when content that is structured clearly, written accessibly, and published on authoritative platforms is more likely to be surfaced and cited on different LLMs.
Why an Integrated Strategy Drives Real SOV
The implication is clear: increasing share of voice isn’t simply about generating more media placements. It requires an integrated content strategy.
That looks like:
- Earned: Securing coverage in influential outlets and contributing thought leadership that shapes industry narratives.
- Owned: Publishing high-quality, accessible content that reinforces your expertise and provides depth on priority topics.
- Paid: Amplifying key messages to reach priority audiences and reinforce visibility where organic reach alone may fall short.
When these channels work together, your brand will show up more consistently across the channels and platforms where your audience is actively engaged.
From Measuring Mentions to Owning the Conversation
Ultimately, the goal isn’t just to track mentions. It’s to shape the conversation.
Financial brands that take a holistic view of share of voice, treating it as the product of integrated communications rather than a single PR metric, are better positioned to build credibility, influence perception, and remain visible as information ecosystems evolve.
In an ever-evolving landscape like financial services, the brands that win won’t be the loudest in any one channel. They’ll be the ones that show up thoughtfully, consistently, and cohesively across all of those that matter.
