Share of Model: A New Metric for AI-Era Marketing Strategies

Your Customers Aren't Googling Anymore

For years, marketers obsessed over "Share of Voice". how often you showed up in search results and media coverage. That metric is dying. Why? Because people aren't clicking through 10 blue links anymore. They're asking ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity for answers, and those answers either include your brand or they don't.

Welcome to "Share of Model". the metric that actually matters now.

What Share of Model Actually Means

When someone asks ChatGPT for recommendations in your category, does your brand get mentioned? That's Share of Model. It's simple: if you're not in the AI's answer, you don't exist to that customer.

Millions of people now skip Google entirely and ask AI directly for advice. If you're not showing up in those responses, you're invisible to a huge chunk of your market.

Why Your Old Metrics Don't Work Anymore

Share of Voice Is Dead

Share of Voice assumed that visibility meant consideration. Show up in search results, get clicks, win customers. But AI changed the rules:

• No clicks needed: AI gives the answer directly. users never visit your website
• No list of options: Instead of showing 10 results, AI picks winners and explains why
• Conversational depth: Users ask follow-ups and go deeper without ever leaving the AI
• Trusted recommendations: People treat AI like a knowledgeable friend, not a search engine

Your SEO Strategy Is Becoming Obsolete

You optimised for Google rankings. That's great. for the people still using Google. But when someone asks ChatGPT instead, your #1 ranking means nothing. You're winning yesterday's game while your competitors play tomorrow's.

How to Measure Your Share of Model

1. Test What AI Says About You

Ask the major AI tools what they recommend in your category:

• "What are the best [category] providers in [location]?"
• "I need help choosing [product/service]. What are my options?"
• "Compare the top [category] companies for [use case]"
• "Who should I hire for [your service category]?"

Write down whether you appear, how prominently, and what the AI says about you. Do this monthly to track progress.

2. Competitive Benchmarking

Share of Model is inherently relative. Track how often competitors appear in AI responses for the same prompts. Calculate your share as:

(Your mentions / Total category mentions) × 100 = Share of Model %

3. Sentiment and Context Analysis

Mentions aren't enough. context matters. When your brand appears in AI responses:

• Is it recommended or merely listed?
• What attributes are highlighted?
• How does the positioning compare to competitors?
• Does the AI cite specific strengths or use cases?

How to Actually Improve Your Share of Model

Create Content AI Can Understand and Cite

AI models learn from content that's publicly available. Make yours easy to find, understand, and reference:

• Say what you do clearly: No jargon. Just "We do X for Y because Z"
• Document your work: Detailed case studies with real results
• Answer common questions: Write content that directly addresses what people ask
• Use structured data: Schema markup helps AI understand your content
• Put names on content: Real experts, not "The Marketing Team" (your team's AI expertise becomes a visible asset)

The Expertise Signal

LLMs favour content that demonstrates expertise, authority, and trustworthiness (E-E-A-T). This means:

• Named authors: Content attributed to real experts, not anonymous corporate voices
• Credentials and experience: Clear demonstration of qualifications and track record
• Third-party validation: Reviews, testimonials, media mentions, and industry recognition
• Specific examples: Concrete case studies rather than generic claims

Distribution Matters

LLMs learn from content across the web, not just your website. Increase Share of Model by:

• Guest articles: Contribute to industry publications and relevant platforms
• Podcast appearances: Many podcast transcripts are publicly available and LLM-accessible
• Professional profiles: Maintain detailed LinkedIn profiles and company pages
• Directory listings: Complete, detailed listings in industry directories
• Media mentions: Pursue press coverage and journalist relationships

What This Means for Your Marketing Budget

Where to Shift Your Spending

Share of Model is more important than Share of Voice now. Adjust accordingly:

• Reduce: Pure search engine tactics (if they don't help with AI visibility)
• Keep: Foundational SEO (technical stuff, quality content. still matters)
• Increase: Expert content, thought leadership, detailed case studies
• Test: Direct relationships with AI platforms

The Early Bird Gets the AI Citations

Most marketers haven't figured this out yet. The category leaders in Share of Model right now are winning by default, not because of fierce competition. Get in early, and you establish presence in AI training data that compounds over time. Being cited creates visibility, which creates more citations, which creates more visibility.

This first-mover advantage won't last forever. But right now? It's wide open.

Measuring Success in the AI Era

Share of Model won't replace all traditional marketing metrics, but it should join them as a critical measurement. Forward-thinking marketing teams are already tracking:

• Monthly Share of Model percentage across major LLMs
• Quality of mentions (recommended vs. listed vs. absent)
• Category prompt coverage (percentage of relevant queries that include your brand)
• Competitive positioning in AI responses
• Attribution clarity (does AI correctly describe what you do?)

What You Should Do Right Now

AI is becoming the primary way people discover information. Share of Model will determine which brands get considered and which disappear. This isn't a future trend. it's happening right now.

Start today: Open ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Gemini. Ask them about your category. See if you show up. Document what they say (or don't say) about your brand. Then fix your content, your expertise signals, and your distribution strategy for AI visibility.

The first-mover advantage is real. But it won't last forever.