1. What Is a Voice?

In Launchmetrics, a Voice is any entity — a person, publication, or brand — that generates content capable of influencing consumers in the Fashion, Lifestyle, and Beauty (FLB) industry. Voices are the fundamental unit of our measurement framework: everything we track, analyze, and value flows through them.

Launchmetrics' Voice-Centric approach powers our proprietary Media Impact Value® (MIV®) metric, which assigns a monetary value to every post, article, or interaction — making it possible to measure and compare the real impact of different marketing activities across the customer lifecycle.

2. The Four Voice Types

Every Voice belongs to one of four categories. Correct classification is essential because it determines how content is attributed and measured within the platform.

Edge Cases & Special Rules

Some profiles require extra care when classifying:

• Pets: Not inserted unless the client makes an explicit request.
• Fanpages: Not inserted (official profiles only). Exception: very high-follower fanpages where the person has no official account.
• Resellers & second-hand accounts: Not inserted.
• Repost accounts: Not inserted — they must originate original content.
• Royal houses: Inserted as Brand, labeled agency_foundation.
• Music groups/bands: Inserted as Celebrity, labeled lifestyle (no music-specific label exists).
• Twins & couples sharing accounts: One Voice for the shared account, plus individual Voices if each person also has separate accounts.
• Politicians: Celebrity if highly relevant with large following; Influencer otherwise. Both use the lifestyle label.
• Touristic/event accounts: Classified as Media (e.g., @secret.london).
• Podcasts: Classified as Media — they operate like topic-focused publications.
• Professional coaches/sports professionals: Celebrity if they have a recognized career; Influencer if self-described as non-professional.

3. Voice Structure

Each Voice profile in DeepBlue is made up of five key fields. Getting these right ensures data quality and accurate reporting across all Launchmetrics products.

3.1  Name

For media outlets and brands, the official name is combined with the ISO country code (see Section 4). For influencers and celebrities, only the name is used — no ISO.

• Full name: John Doe
• Name + nickname: John Doe (Johnny)
• Nickname only (if widely known by it): Lady Gaga — no quotes, no parentheses
• Non-western names: include both scripts — e.g., John Doe ジョン・ドウ

3.2  Type

One of the four types described in Section 2. Cannot be left blank.

3.3  Country

The country where the media or brand is headquartered or based. For influencers and celebrities, use their nationality instead.

3.4  Labels

Labels define the thematic focus of the Voice (e.g., type.fashion, type.beauty, type.lifestyle). Multiple labels can be applied. Key special labels:

• type.agency_or_foundation — for associations, clubs, NGOs, royal houses
• type.dmr_import — applied automatically to profiles imported via DMR
• type.retailer — for authorized resellers of other brands

3.5  Sources (Social Networks & Web)

The profiles and pages linked to the Voice. Sources are split into:

• Social (main): Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook — added via the Social option in DeepBlue and crawled automatically.
• Online: Web pages tracked by the Orange tool (search by name, URL, or Orange ID). Blogs must first be added to the Orange tool before they can be linked here.
• Print: Publications tracked in the Lime tool — added by searching the media name.
• Links: Secondary networks (Pinterest, Twitter/X, etc.) or any URL not crawled as a full social profile. Facebook personal pages are also added as links since they cannot be crawled.

4. Naming Convention & ISO Codes

ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 codes (two-letter country codes) are appended to the names of all media and brand Voices so that regional editions can be distinguished. Influencer and celebrity names never include an ISO.

Regional ISOs (APAC, LATAM, Benelux, Nordics, MEA, EMEA, ANZ, Baltics, SEA, Middle East) are used only when the exact country of a regional office cannot be determined. If the country can be found (e.g., from the account bio), always prefer the two-letter code.

5. Voice Lifecycle: Creating, Updating, Merging & Deleting

5.1  Searching Before Creating

Before creating a new Voice, always search DeepBlue first — by URL, by Voice ID, or by name. Using a profile URL gives the most accurate results. Bulk Instagram searches are available via the Instagram Search tool in DeepBlue (up to 100 profiles at once).

5.2  Creating a New Voice

New Voices are created from the Search screen using the New Voice button. Fill in Name, Type, Country, and Labels — then add Sources via Add Source. Always save before exiting.

5.3  Merging Duplicate Voices

When two profiles represent the same entity, they should be merged rather than kept separate. DeepBlue suggests merge candidates when a shared social network or similar name is detected.

• Always start the merge from the most complete profile — or, if both are similar in completeness, from the oldest one.
• During the merge, select which labels, social profiles, and metadata to retain.
• Confirm the final preview carefully before clicking Confirm Merge — the action cannot be undone.

5.4  Editing a Voice

To remove or reassign a social network: open the Voice, click Edit Sources, select the source(s) to remove, and confirm. The lock icon at the top right prevents concurrent editing — click it to take ownership of a profile and release it when done.

5.5  Deleting a Voice

Voices should only be deleted when they are confirmed duplicates, have no content, or are permanently obsolete. If in doubt, check with a team member before deleting. Deletion is irreversible.

6. How Voices Power Launchmetrics Products

The quality and accuracy of Voice profiles has a direct impact on the value clients get from every Launchmetrics product:

7. Data Quality Guidelines

Maintaining Voice quality is an ongoing responsibility. Before deciding whether to include a low-follower profile, consider:

• Content quality: Low follower count + low production quality = discard.
• FLB relevance: If the profile is not Fashion, Luxury, or Beauty-related and the type is Influencer, it can be excluded.
• Tags & brand mentions: Check Instagram post tags — brand associations signal relevance.
• Population context: 3,000 followers in a small market may be more impactful than 5,000 in a large one.
• Always be flexible with explicit client requests — if a client asks for a specific profile, the bar for inclusion is lower.