We totally get it – media intelligence terminology can feel overwhelming at first. If you’ve ever found yourself wondering what ‘Share of Voice’ or ‘Sentiment Analysis’ really means, we can assure you’re not alone! Understanding these terms is crucial for PR and communications professionals who want to navigate the media landscape effectively. Without a clear understanding of key terms and concepts, you may miss critical insights, misinterpret data, and ultimately make ineffective decisions that affect outcomes. This glossary is here to help, breaking down the most important concepts in media monitoring and analysis.
Core Media Intelligence Concepts
First, let’s make clear what media intelligence really is and what its main components are:
Media Intelligence: The practice of collecting, analysing, and interpreting media data to extract meaningful insights that support strategic decision-making. It combines media monitoring, media evaluation, and media insights to provide a comprehensive view of media impact, audience perception, and communication effectiveness.
Media Monitoring: The systematic tracking of media mentions across various channels, including print, online, broadcast, and social media. It focuses on capturing and categorising content relevant to a brand, industry, or topic of interest.
Media Evaluation: The process of assessing the effectiveness of media coverage by analysing factors like sentiment, prominence, audience reach, and share of voice. Media evaluation helps organisations understand the impact of their PR and communication efforts.
Media Insights: Actionable findings derived from media analysis that help businesses and organisations shape their communication strategies. Media insights go beyond data points and focus on understanding patterns, audience behavior, and the effectiveness of messaging.
Terminology from A to Z
A
Ad Value Equivalency (AVE) – Assigns a monetary value to media coverage based on the cost of purchasing equivalent advertising space or time. However, AVE is widely criticised for focusing on quantity rather than quality and failing to measure real impact. We do not recommend using AVE and advocate for outcome-based measurement. Learn more about AMEC’s stance here: AMEC No AVE Pledge.
Alert – A real-time or scheduled notification of new media coverage relevant to a client’s keywords or topics.
Also-In Grouping – A method of clustering articles that report on the same story across different media sources, reducing duplication and highlighting variations in coverage.
Analytics Dashboard – A digital interface that visually presents key media monitoring metrics, such as volume, AVE, and media reach.
Article-Level Summarisation – A summary that condenses the key points of an individual article, focusing on its main message, context, and relevance.
Attribute – A specific characteristic or parameter used in media analysis scoring to evaluate and classify media mentions, such as sentiment, prominence, key message, etc.
Audience Reach – The estimated number of people who have potentially been exposed to a specific media mention or publication.
Print: Calculated using the circulation figures of the publication, often adjusted with estimated readership multipliers to account for pass-along rates.
TV & Radio: Based on audience measurement data from industry sources like BARB, Nielsen, or other regional providers, considering viewership or listenership statistics at the time of broadcast.
Online: Estimated using website traffic metrics, including unique visitors per month (UVM) and engagement rates.
B
Broadcast Monitoring – The process of tracking and analysing mentions of a company, brand, or topic on television and radio.
Brand Mentions – Instances where a brand or organisation is referenced in media content.
C
Clipping – A captured media mention from print, online, broadcast, or social media.
Competitor Analysis – Analyses media coverage and performance of competitors, including sentiment, key topics, and share of voice. A comparative analysis of a brand’s media coverage against its competitors, assessing factors such as share of voice, sentiment, prominence, and key message penetration to understand competitive positioning.
Competitor Benchmarking – Comparing media coverage and public perception of a company against its competitors.
Content Analysis – A detailed evaluation of media mentions based on qualitative and quantitative factors such as sentiment, prominence, and messaging.
Coverage Report – A document summarising media mentions over a given period, often including insights on volume, sentiment, and media impact.
Coverage Volume (Total Mentions) – The total number of media appearances across all tracked sources and formats.
Curated Newsletter – A customised report containing hand-selected media coverage, categorised and summarised for easier consumption.
D
Daily Digest – A report summarising key media coverage from the past 24 hours, often delivered to clients via email.
Data Visualisation – The use of graphs, charts, and infographics to present media analysis insights in a clear, accessible way.
Dashboard – A digital interface displaying key media insights, such as sentiment trends and media reach, in real time.
E
Executive Digest – A high-level media summary designed for decision-makers, offering key takeaways and insights rather than raw media mentions.
Exclusions – Specific keywords, topics, or media sources that a client does not want included in their monitoring reports.
F
Filters – Customisable parameters used in media monitoring to refine search results and exclude irrelevant content.
G
Geographic Coverage – The regions or countries where media monitoring is conducted, as specified by the client.
Geographic Distribution – Identifies where media coverage is taking place—locally, nationally, or internationally.
H
Headline Analysis – A review of how prominently a brand or topic is featured in article headlines, which can impact public perception.
Human-Curated Monitoring – Media monitoring conducted with human oversight to ensure greater accuracy and relevance, as opposed to fully automated monitoring.
I
Insights Report – A comprehensive analysis of media coverage trends, sentiment, key messages, and industry topics. Insights reports can focus on a specific brand, competitor, industry, or crisis, helping businesses understand media impact, emerging narratives, and PR effectiveness.
Item-Level Scoring – Assigning specific labels (e.g., sentiment, topic category) to each individual media mention for better analysis.
K
Keyword Monitoring – Tracking specific words or phrases in media coverage to capture relevant mentions for a client.
L
Listening Tools – Digital tools used to track brand mentions and conversations across media and social platforms.
Live Monitoring – Real-time tracking of media mentions, often used for crises or major events.
M
Media Analysis Report – see Insight Report
Media Lists – An exhaustive list of all publications monitored for different media types, updated annually for accuracy.
Media Mentions – Tracks the total number of times the client’s brand, executives, or related topics are mentioned across media outlets, including news articles, blogs, social media, and podcasts.
Media Monitoring – The process of tracking and analysing media coverage across print, online, broadcast, and social media.
Media Reach – The estimated audience size exposed to the media coverage.
Media Score – A weighted score evaluating media coverage based on factors like prominence and sentiment.
Mentions Volume – The total number of times a brand, topic, or spokesperson appears in media content within a specific timeframe. A high volume does not necessarily indicate positive visibility; sentiment and prominence must also be considered.
O
Online Monitoring – The tracking of media mentions across digital publications, blogs, and news websites.
OCR (Optical Character Recognition) – A technology used to extract text from scanned images, PDFs, or print media. In media monitoring, OCR is essential for capturing and analysing printed articles that are not available in a digital format.
P
Paywall – A restriction placed by online publications requiring users to subscribe to access content, which can affect media monitoring capabilities.
Press Clipping – A physical or digital excerpt of media coverage related to a client.
Press Release Presence / Analysis – Measures the pickup, tone, and overall impact of press releases in media coverage.
Prime Sentiment Score – A refined sentiment analysis that prioritises high-impact sources and prominent mentions over general coverage.
Prominence Score – A ranking of how significantly a brand or topic is featured within a media piece. Factors include headline placement, article length, visual emphasis, and frequency of mentions within the content.
R
Reputation Analysis – The assessment of how a brand is perceived in the media, including sentiment trends and crisis impact.
Reach – The estimated number of people exposed to media coverage.
Real-Time Monitoring – See Live Monitoring
S
Scoring Methodology – The method used to categorise media mentions based on topic, sentiment, or relevance.
Sentiment Analysis – The process of evaluating the tone of media coverage as positive, negative, or neutral. Sentiment is determined using AI-driven analysis, human review, or a combination of both, with context playing a crucial role in accuracy.
Sentiment Score – A numerical representation of sentiment analysis, quantifying the proportion of positive, negative, and neutral mentions.
Share of Voice (SOV) – Measures the percentage of total media mentions a brand holds compared to competitors or industry peers.
Social Media Monitoring – Tracking mentions, conversations, and trends across social platforms.
Spokespeople Analysis – Monitors media coverage of designated spokespeople, including sentiment and message alignment.
Spokesperson Mentions – The number of times a company’s key representatives are referenced in the media.
Spokesperson Visibility – Tracks how often key executives and company representatives are mentioned in media coverage.
Story-Based Summarisation – A summary that consolidates multiple related articles covering the same topic or event, providing a broader overview of media coverage.
STT (Speech-to-Text) – A written version of spoken content generated through automated transcription, converting audio from broadcast clips to text for analysis and reference.
Summary – A concise overview of key points from a media mention or report, highlighting the most relevant information without including full details.
T
Tone of Coverage – See Sentiment Analysis
Top Journalists/Influencers – Identifies the journalists and influencers who most frequently mention the client’s brand.
Top Media Outlets and Sources – Identifies the specific media outlets (print, digital, broadcast) that have mentioned the client’s brand most frequently.
Topic/Keyword Analysis – Tracks the frequency and context in which specific keywords, topics, or themes related to the client appear in media coverage.
Trend Analysis (Volume Over Time) – Examines how media mentions fluctuate over time to detect patterns and anomalies.
V
Vanity Metrics – Quantity-based metrics that may look impressive but do not necessarily indicate meaningful impact or business success. Examples include media coverage volume, social media followers, advertising value equivalency (AVE), and impressions. While these metrics can contribute to brand awareness, they do not provide insights into engagement or audience behavior and should not be analysed in isolation.
Value Metrics – Outcome-based metrics that provide actionable insights into how communication drives business success. Value metrics measure audience engagement, conversions (e.g., clicks, registrations, subscriptions), behavioral change, and intention. They help organisations assess PR effectiveness and demonstrate return on investment (ROI) more accurately.
Visual Mentions – Instances where a brand appears in images, video, or graphics rather than in text.
Final Thoughts
Mastering media intelligence terminology is essential for professionals in PR, communications, and brand management. Whether you’re analysing media impact, tracking competitive performance, or responding to emerging trends, understanding these key terms can help you make informed decisions and maximise the effectiveness of your media monitoring efforts.
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