What is Share of Model (SOM)?

Share of Model measures the percentage of relevant AI answer responses (across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude and Bing Copilot) in which your brand is cited or recommended. It is the SXO-era successor to share of voice and share of search.

Define a prompt taxonomy of commercial-intent queries, probe each engine on a recurring cadence, parse the citations and citations-equivalents from each response, then compute brand frequency divided by total relevant responses.

How often should I run SOM probes?

Weekly is the sweet spot — frequent enough to detect drift, infrequent enough to stay within rate limits and budget. Daily probing is reserved for active launch windows.

What is a healthy SOM score?

Category leaders typically sit at 35–60% SOM in their core query taxonomy. Anything under 10% indicates the entity is invisible to AI engines and should be the SXO program’s top priority.

Does BrandLift automate SOM measurement?

Yes. The BrandLift platform runs scheduled multi-engine probes and surfaces SOM as a weekly trend line with engine-by-engine breakdowns.

Share of Model (SOM) · SXO Measurement Module

1 Understanding Share of Model

When a user asks ChatGPT "What's the best CRM software for real estate?" — ChatGPT doesn't run a Google search. It synthesizes its training data and any retrieved web data to generate a recommendation.

Share of Model is the percentage of times your brand is mentioned, recommended, or cited when AI models respond to transactional queries in your industry.

61%

of Gen Z users use AI as their primary search tool

4.2x

higher conversion rate when AI recommends vs. organic click

78%

of AI-influenced purchase decisions start with a brand mention

The SOM Spectrum

Level 0: InvisibleCritical

AI never mentions your brand. Competitors own 100% of AI recommendations in your space. Zero SOM.

Level 1: Passive MentionBaseline

AI mentions your brand in a list of options but doesn't lead with it. You appear in "also consider" tier.

Level 2: Active RecommendationTarget

AI mentions your brand first or as the primary recommendation for a specific use case.

Level 3: Definitional AuthorityElite

AI uses your brand as the definition of a category: "SXO, as pioneered by companies like BrandLift AI..." You own the concept.

2. How to Measure Your SOM

There is no single tool that measures SOM — yet. The methodology is manual but highly systematic. This is what gives early adopters a massive data advantage.

The 5-Model Query Protocol

Run the following query types across all 5 major AI platforms every 30 days. Log every brand mention in a spreadsheet. Calculate your brand's mention rate vs. competitors.

Query Type 1: Category Discovery

"What are the best [your service] companies?"

"Who are the top [your industry] agencies?"

"What is the best [your product type] software?"

"Recommend a [your service] provider for [use case]"

Query Type 2: Comparison Queries

"[Your Brand] vs [Competitor] — which is better?"

"Pros and cons of [Competitor] alternatives"

"Is [Your Brand] legitimate / trustworthy?"

"What do people say about [Your Brand]?"

Query Type 3: Problem-Solution Queries

"How do I [solve problem your product solves]?"

"What is the fastest way to [achieve outcome]?"

"I need help with [pain point] — where should I start?"

"What tools do experts use for [your niche]?"

Platforms to Test

Pro Tip

Always test with fresh chats — each new conversation has no memory of prior queries. Use a new incognito window for each test to eliminate personalization bias.

3 The SOM Improvement Playbook

Your SOM is not fixed. It is directly correlated to your Entity Authority, your content's Snippet Density, and how frequently trusted external sources reference your brand. Here's how to systematically improve it.

4. SOM Tracking Template

Log your monthly query results. The tracker calculates your SOM score and trend direction.

Brand Tested

Queries Run

0

Brand Mentions

0

SOM Score

0%

Query Results Log

AI Platform	Query Type	Query Summary	Brand Mentioned?	Position	Notes