What is Net Sentiment?
Net Sentiment, also known as net sentiment percentage or net sentiment score, is a metric that evaluates the overall tone of online conversations about a brand, product, or topic. It is calculated by taking the difference between the proportion of positive mentions and negative mentions, resulting in a score that shows whether sentiment leans more positively or negatively.
Net Sentiment can be expressed as a percentage (e.g. +25 %) or on a scale (e.g. –100 to +100). It distills sentiment into a single, comparable value that indicates overall public attitude.
Why is Net Sentiment Important?
Net Sentiment is valuable because:
- It provides a clear snapshot of public opinion in one metric.
- It simplifies comparisons over time, across campaigns, or between brands.
- It helps detect shifts in perception quickly: a drop in net sentiment can indicate rising negative feedback.
- It adds context to volume metrics: high buzz with a low or negative net sentiment signals potential risk.
It supports strategic decisions: marketing, messaging, or customer care adjustments can be guided by net sentiment trends.
Example of Net Sentiment in action
Consider that in a campaign, 60 % of collected mentions are positive and 20 % are negative. The net sentiment would be +40 %.
Even before full performance metrics (sales, conversions) are available, this net sentiment figure gives a sense of how favorably the campaign is perceived.
When comparing two similar campaigns, the one with higher net sentiment may indicate stronger resonance with audience values, even if total mentions are similar.
What can be measured with Net Sentiment
Net Sentiment can be further unpacked by different dimensions:
- Net Sentiment over time: monitor how the score evolves (daily, weekly, monthly).
- Channel-specific net sentiment: e.g. social media vs blogs vs news.
- Topic-level net sentiment: sentiment for specific themes, hashtags, or subtopics.
- Segmented net sentiment: sentiment by geography, demographics, or audience segments.
- Sentiment volatility: measuring how much net sentiment fluctuates in short periods.
Net Sentiment vs Related Metrics
- Sentiment: raw classification of positive, negative, neutral mentions; net sentiment summarizes it.
- Buzz / mention volume: shows how much people are talking; net sentiment shows how they feel.
- Share of Voice (SoV): sentiment gives tone to share of conversation.
- Impact / Source Impact: a negative comment from a high-impact source may influence net sentiment more than many from low-reach sources.
- Engagement: sentiment and engagement often correlate — emotionally loaded content may drive more reactions.
How to influence / improve Net Sentiment
- Use empathetic, transparent messaging
- Address complaints and issues promptly
- Highlight success stories, testimonials, case studies
- Monitor sentiment keywords dynamically to catch negative trends
- Work with influencers who align with positive brand values
- Tailor communication tone based on audience expectations
Key Takeaways
- Net Sentiment distills public opinion into a single, comparable metric.
- It bridges volume (buzz) and tone (sentiment) for actionable insight.
- A declining net sentiment, even with high buzz, signals risk.
- Best used in combination with Buzz, SoV, Engagement, Impact for full understanding.
- With Palowise, teams can monitor net sentiment in real time, segment by channel or topic, and correlate it with other KPIs for holistic insights.
