Extra doesn’t essentially imply higher. Suppose emails in your inbox, glitter on a Mom’s Day card, scorching sauce… That applies to social media metrics, too.
You may be shocked to listen to it.
The extra info you may have, the higher you’ll be able to tailor your social media technique, proper? Effectively, not precisely. Not all social media metrics are created equal, and which of them to give attention to comes all the way down to your particular social media targets.
You may be testing a brand new format, monitoring viewers progress, or making an attempt to grasp how individuals work together together with your posts. And whereas it’s tempting to trace the whole lot, extra knowledge doesn’t at all times imply extra readability.
Metrics are most useful once they information your subsequent transfer — whether or not that’s adjusting your content material, switching up your posting schedule, and even pondering up new merchandise.
On this information, I’ll stroll you thru 12 social media metrics which might be particularly value a have a look at in 2025, once they’re most useful, and the way you should use what you be taught to assist your social media advertising and marketing targets.
Social media metrics are the numbers you have a look at to see how your content material is performing in opposition to your social media targets.
Any time you test how many individuals favored a publish, clicked a hyperlink, or adopted your account, you’re working with social media metrics. Each tells its personal story about your content material’s attain and affect.
You could hear individuals confer with them as “social media KPIs” or key efficiency indicators. They sound related, however they aren’t precisely the identical.
Metrics embrace each single factor you’ll be able to measure in your social media channels.
KPIs are the particular metrics you’ve chosen to trace in direction of your targets.
Let’s have a look at the important thing metrics that deserve your consideration.
Some metrics assist you to get a greater sense of how persons are responding to your content material. If you monitor these particular indicators, you begin to see clear patterns in what your viewers enjoys and comes again for.
1. Engagement price
Engagement price tells you ways a lot your viewers is interacting together with your content material — not simply seeing it, however actively responding to it.
Issues like likes, feedback, shares, or saves all rely in direction of engagement price. It’s a fast technique to perceive whether or not your content material is catching individuals’s consideration and prompting them to reply.
Engagement price is expressed as a proportion you’ll be able to calculate with this formulation:
Freelance social media marketer Rebecca Broad makes use of this metric as a intestine test whereas creating content material. “Maintaining engagement price in thoughts means I continually assess visuals and replica and ask ‘why would anybody care?’” says Rebecca.
“Why would somebody who sees this publish cease scrolling, and spend treasured time and vitality participating with it?” It’s a perspective that may assist you to maintain your viewers on the middle of each inventive resolution.
You may monitor engagement price:
for a single postacross a campaignover time on a platform
Every view offers you barely totally different insights — from how nicely a particular piece of content material landed to how your viewers is participating week over week.
Submit engagement price
Submit engagement price exhibits you which ones posts are making individuals cease and react — not simply scroll by.
One of these social media engagement additionally tells the algorithm your content material is value sharing extra broadly, although they’re typically weighted barely in a different way on every platform. For instance, shares (particularly in DMs) are a powerful sign to the Instagram algorithm. Significant feedback carry weight on LinkedIn, particularly once they get a dialog going.
Monitor this metric when:
you are experimenting with new content material formatsyou’re selling a message you need to stand outyou need to maintain a basic eye on what your viewers responds to
The way to use publish engagement metrics
If you see a spike in engagement, don’t cease on the quantity — determine what’s behind it. Was the publish tied to a trending matter? Did you ask a query that acquired individuals speaking? Did the visible pop within the feed?
These are the sorts of clues that may information what you publish subsequent. And if one thing actually clicks, search for methods to repurpose it elsewhere — Rebecca typically reworks robust LinkedIn posts into weblog CTAs (calls to motion).
On the flip aspect, if engagement is low, that’s your cue to experiment. Change up the format, strive a distinct tone, or shift your focus and see what sticks.
Marketing campaign engagement price
If you need to understand how a whole social media marketing campaign is touchdown — messaging, publish timing, and creatives — marketing campaign engagement price offers you the total image.
As a result of campaigns typically span a number of codecs and run over a number of days, this metric can reveal patterns you could not spot whereas particular person social media posts alone.
Monitor this metric when:
you are launching a brand new product or serviceyou’re operating a seasonal promotion (Black Friday + Cyber Monday, anybody?)you are elevating consciousness on a subject
The way to use marketing campaign engagement metrics
For manufacturers, marketing campaign engagement price is a useful technique to modify your strategy mid-campaign. If engagement’s low, you may rethink your subsequent publish or shift your advert spend. It’s additionally a sensible technique to check influencer or creator partnerships earlier than making larger commitments in future campaigns.
Creators can embrace robust marketing campaign engagement charges in pitches and media kits. A stable marketing campaign engagement price exhibits manufacturers that you simply received’t simply get them in entrance of individuals — you’ll get individuals speaking, following, and possibly even shopping for. For a model in search of its subsequent associate, that type of outcome stands out.
Platform engagement price
Platform engagement price offers you a broader view of how your content material is performing throughout a whole social media platform. If you monitor this over time, you’ll begin to see whether or not your viewers remains to be responding or if engagement is starting to dip.
Monitor this metric when:
you’re evaluating whether or not your total social technique is working or wants a shiftyou need to know if the platform remains to be value your time, or in case your focus may be higher positioned elsewhere
The way to use platform engagement metrics
If engagement is regular or trending up, it’s an indication that the platform is value continued effort and time.
If it begins to fall, it might imply your content material wants a refresh, your posting rhythm wants tweaking, or your viewers is transferring elsewhere — and it may be value following them.
2. Common video watch time
Common watch time (generally referred to as common view period) is the variety of seconds individuals spend watching your video.
It’s one of many clearest video efficiency metrics — the next common watch time means viewers are sticking round for longer. It issues much more on platforms like Instagram and TikTok, the place watch time influences what will get really helpful or proven to extra individuals.
Relying on the platform, you may be capable of monitor common watch time to your full library or simply particular person movies. YouTube offers you each; Instagram Reels focuses on video-by-video efficiency.
Monitor this metric when:
you’re experimenting with totally different video lengths or formatsyou’re evaluating video content material efficiency throughout platformsyou need to see which matters or kinds maintain individuals watching
The way to use video engagement metrics
An extended common suggests your content material is working — whether or not it’s the pacing, the subject, or how the video opens. Use that perception to information what you create subsequent.
If persons are dropping off early, take a more in-depth have a look at your hook, story construction, or visible pacing. Small changes could make a giant distinction in how lengthy individuals keep.
Social media metrics for monitoring your content material’s visibility
Content material can’t make an affect if nobody’s seeing it. Visibility and consciousness metrics assist you to perceive how typically your posts are being proven, and the way far they’re reaching.
1. Attain
Attain tells you what number of totally different individuals noticed your publish or advert. Every individual is counted as soon as, whether or not they noticed that publish one time or 5 occasions.
If a publish has a attain of 15,000, meaning 15,000 totally different individuals noticed it.
It’s one of many key metrics that Hailley Griffis, Head of Communications and Content material at Buffer, tracks. “Totally different communities and social networks will interact in a different way, however if you’re reaching an elevated variety of individuals, you then’re doing one thing proper,” says Hailley.
Attain helps you evaluate what codecs, matters, or platforms are getting seen essentially the most.
Monitor attain when:
you’re testing totally different codecs to see which of them seize extra attentionyou need to perceive which matters or messages your viewers cares most aboutyou need to see if posting at totally different occasions or on totally different days helps you attain extra peopleyou’re reviewing which platforms your viewers is most lively on
The way to use attain
Similar to you probably did with engagement price, begin by checking which posts had the very best attain, then dig into the context. Was it the subject? The timing? Did somebody share it and prolong your viewers?
Hailley opinions her attain each couple of weeks to seek out these patterns and make small changes that add up over time.
One factor she’s observed: exhibiting up often makes a distinction. “My attain continues to extend on Threads the extra I keep constant,” says Hailley.
“I’ve noticed the identical sample for different creators too. Whereas my Threads engagement remains to be rising, I’ve additionally seen will increase in total attain in the previous few months of sustaining consistency.”
2. Impressions
Impressions rely what number of occasions your content material is proven on somebody’s display, even when it’s to the identical individual greater than as soon as.
For instance, say somebody faucets via to an Instagram publish out of your tales after which additionally sees the publish of their feed the following time they open the app. This counts as two impressions, though it’s the identical individual.
It’s straightforward to confuse impressions with attain, however they measure various things. Attain tracks what number of distinctive individuals noticed your posts. Impressions rely all views, together with repeat ones.
For Meryoli Arias, Head of Social Media at Glide, impressions are a north star metric. “As a social media marketer, my major focus is top-of-mind relevance. And the quantity of occasions my message and model is in entrance of X quantity of individuals (impressions) helps me with that,” she says.
Monitor impressions when:
you’re testing or evaluating content material formatsyou’re checking if the algorithm is exhibiting individuals your postsyou’re measuring total model consciousness
Simply take into account: a publish can rack up hundreds — even hundreds of thousands — of impressions with out resulting in extra followers or engagement, or assembly your corporation goals.
“I had a viral publish that hit 2 million impressions. One thing that took me two minutes to create was being appreciated by so many individuals,” says Meryoli. However regardless of its success, the publish did not do a lot to spice up any of Meryoli’s enterprise targets, like enhance click-throughs or sign-ups.
“I realized that virality shouldn’t be and will by no means be the purpose of social media. An excellent faucet within the shoulder for the ego doesn’t equal enterprise success.”
The way to use impressions
Have a look at which codecs, matters, or publish kinds get essentially the most impressions, then tweak issues like hashtags, posting schedule, or content material collaborations to construct on what’s working.
In case your impressions begin to slide, it could be time to revisit your content material codecs, check a brand new posting rhythm, or experiment with matters your viewers hasn’t seen from you shortly.
⚡
Viewers metrics offer you a way of who’s following alongside and the way that neighborhood is rising or altering. They assist you to see who’s within the proverbial room, so who to speak to in your content material.
1. Follower progress
Follower progress tracks what number of new persons are selecting to observe your account over time. It’s some of the seen social media metrics, and sometimes one of many first numbers individuals have a look at when making an attempt to measure progress.
For Meryoli, it’s one other north star metric. She makes use of follower progress to see whether or not her content material is reaching new individuals and rising her viewers — an indication that it’s drawing consideration and constructing momentum.
Monitor this metric when:
you need to see in case your content material or campaigns are reaching recent eyesyou’re measuring the affect of a current launch, collaboration, or experimentyou’re setting targets for total model consciousness or neighborhood progress
The way to use follower progress
Follower progress is usually a useful KPI, nevertheless it’s most significant when paired with metrics like engagement and conversions. A rising follower rely by itself doesn’t say a lot about whether or not these followers are taking motion. That’s why it’s generally referred to as a “vainness metric” — it displays potential attain, not affect.
Use it as a sign, not the ultimate measure of social media success. In case your follower rely goes up however feedback, likes, or clicks aren’t, it may be time to regulate your content material or CTAs to raised interact your followers or attain the proper viewers.
2. Viewers demographics
Viewers demographics present you what varieties of individuals make up your viewers — particulars like age, gender, and site.
It’s a easy technique to test whether or not you’re attracting your target market. You should utilize that info to create extra content material for the individuals already following you and modify your social media technique if that you must attain another person.
Monitor this metric when:
you need to know should you’re attracting your goal audienceyou’re contemplating a shift in content material model or matters and need to test fityou’re making ready a model or investor pitch or media package that wants viewers proof
The way to use demographics
Manufacturers can use this knowledge to form social media content material for various teams. That may imply altering tone or visuals, adjusting timing, or operating focused advertisements primarily based on who’s most certainly to reply.
Should you’re a creator, demographic knowledge can strengthen your pitch to manufacturers. If you present that your viewers strains up with who they’re making an attempt to succeed in, you change into a way more interesting associate.
Understanding if — and the way — individuals speak about your model may also help you see what’s working and the place there’s room to enhance. Social media monitoring and listening instruments make it straightforward to trace these conversations and see how individuals really feel.
1. Model mentions
Model mentions measure how typically your model title pops up in posts, captions, or feedback, whether or not somebody tags your @deal with or simply varieties your title. Not each point out comes with a tag, so should you’re simply counting on notifications, you’re possible lacking items of the larger dialog.
You may maintain tabs in your model title, key hashtags, and any phrases related to you throughout totally different social media platforms. There’s no fancy formulation right here — it’s merely the full rely of what number of occasions you’re talked about throughout the time you’re checking for.
Monitor this metric when:
you need to measure model consciousness throughout a number of platformsyou need to catch early indicators from campaigns, partnerships, or product launchesyou’re preserving an eye fixed out for potential points earlier than they escalate
The way to use model mentions
Model mentions can present patterns in who’s speaking about you and what will get them sharing. Possibly a marketing campaign hashtag takes off, otherwise you discover extra chatter after a launch or large announcement. This knowledge helps you fine-tune your advert concentrating on, spot potential model advocates, and even join with tremendous followers who’re already cheering you on.
Model mentions additionally play a key function in monitoring model sentiment (developing subsequent), which digs into the temper and emotion behind these conversations.
2. Model sentiment
Model sentiment measures how individuals really feel about your model, content material, or product — whether or not their feedback and posts are principally optimistic, destructive, or someplace in between.
Whereas mentions inform you how typically your model comes up in dialog, sentiment reveals what’s truly being mentioned and the way individuals really feel.
Studying via feedback and mentions your self offers you a way of sentiment, however this will get tough as your viewers grows. Sentiment evaluation instruments may also help by reviewing these mentions robotically and tagging the tone behind every one.
For instance, “This candle smells unbelievable and lasts for days” would register as optimistic. A remark like, “This bundle took ages to reach and got here broken” would lean destructive.
Monitor it when:
you’re checking reactions to a product launch, seasonal marketing campaign, or new collaborationyou’re seeing a spike in mentions and need to perceive what’s inflicting themyou’re exploring methods to show optimistic sentiment into testimonials or social proof
The way to use model sentiment
For manufacturers, test sentiment on particular campaigns to see should you’ve nailed it — or if there’s one thing that you must modify. Are prospects complaining about transport occasions? Examine if the difficulty is with the provider or inside logistics. Are they sad that you simply’re non-responsive? A device like Buffer’s engagement options may also help you keep on prime of feedback.
For creators, sentiment may also help you notice which merchandise or sources are actually hitting house. Mix that with metrics like gross sales or click-through charges (extra on this under) to determine what to supply subsequent. Are individuals loving your behavior monitoring template? A targets template may be a pure subsequent step.
Should you’re deciding the place to speculate time or finances, enterprise end result metrics can level you in the proper course. They assist you to see how your content material is driving outcomes like rising your viewers, growing web site visitors, or making higher use of your advert spend.
1. Click on-through price (CTR)
Click on-through price measures how typically individuals click on on a hyperlink after seeing your publish or advert. Should you’re sharing a hyperlink to your newest weblog article, product, or signup web page, CTR reveals how efficient your publish is at turning an impression right into a go to.
CTR is expressed as a proportion you’ll be able to calculate with this formulation:
Most main social media platforms — together with Fb, LinkedIn, X/Twitter, Threads, and Bluesky — assist clickable hyperlinks in posts. Instagram is slightly totally different: you’ll be able to’t add hyperlinks to common posts, however you’ll be able to add them to tales with hyperlink stickers.
Should you use a trackable hyperlink — often known as a UTM — you will discover out precisely how many individuals landed in your web site from a particular publish. Rebecca tracks CTR for posts that ship individuals off a social media platform to grasp what’s catching individuals’s consideration and prompting them to click on.
CTR isn’t a conversion metric — it received’t inform you if somebody truly purchased these earrings or joined your course. But it surely’s a powerful signal your content material is drawing individuals one step nearer to your corporation goals.
Monitor this metric when:
you need to direct individuals a product web page, touchdown web page, or signup formyou’re checking whether or not your advert spend is resulting in web site visitsyou need to evaluate how totally different CTAs or headlines carry out
💡
The way to use click-through price
A excessive CTR is an effective signal that your copy, photographs, or CTA are piquing your target market’s curiosity. If CTR isn’t the place you hoped, that’s your cue to strive one thing new: tweak your message, refresh your visuals, or experiment with totally different CTAs to see what will get individuals clicking.
Manufacturers can use CTR to identify which advertisements or posts are compelling sufficient to get individuals to click on via. If a product drop publish isn’t driving many clicks, take into account altering up the copy or shifting your concentrating on for the following spherical.
Creators can use a powerful CTR as a strong speaking level in model pitches — it proves you’ll be able to ship actual visitors, not simply rack up views. If CTR drops, see it as a nudge to change up your publish construction, check new codecs, or experiment with recent methods to encourage clicks.
2. Price-per-click (CPC)
Price-per-click — or CPC — is an ad-specific metric that tells you ways a lot it prices you for every click on in your advert. It’s a helpful technique to maintain tabs on how your advertisements are performing when your purpose is to deliver individuals to a particular web page.
As a result of CPC measures value, that is one social media metric the place the next quantity isn’t at all times a very good factor. A decrease CPC, however, means you’re paying much less every time somebody clicks.
CPC is a core paid social metric and is simple to calculate:
You may calculate CPC for particular person advertisements or have a look at it over a whole marketing campaign.
Should you spent $50 on an advert that acquired 100 clicks, your CPC for the advert can be 50 cents — $50/100.
Should you spent $500 {dollars} on a marketing campaign that acquired 2,000 clicks, your CPC for the marketing campaign can be 25 cents — $500/2,000.
Monitor this metric when:
you’re operating advertisements to drive visitors to a web site, retailer, or signup pageyou need to evaluate CPC throughout social media channels to see the place your finances goes furtheryou’re testing advert variations to see which one drives extra clicks for much less
The way to use cost-per-click
Begin by wanting on the vary of CPC throughout your advertisements. If one model prices extra to get a click on, have a look at the distinction in copy, visuals, or CTA — did one embrace a transparent profit? Was it shorter, extra particular, or higher matched to the viewers? Use this info to regulate new advertisements within the marketing campaign.
Evaluate CPC by platform, too. If one constantly offers you decrease prices, take into account shifting extra of your advert spend there or repurposing what labored within the inventive or copy on different channels.
3. Return on advert spend (ROAS)
Return on advert spend (ROAS) measures how a lot you earn for each greenback spent on advertisements. It’s one of many clearest methods to test whether or not your paid campaigns are turning clicks into revenue.
Whereas CPC measures how a lot your advertisements value you, ROAS measures how a lot your advertisements earn you.
Right here’s the best way to calculate it:
So, should you made $5,000 from a Fb marketing campaign and spent $1,000 on advertisements, your ROAS can be 500%.
Digital advertising and marketing marketing consultant Laura Holyer considers ROAS (and income) one of many prime paid social media metrics to trace.
It’s a platform-specific metric, and each the income and the advert spend knowledge come from the identical place — normally the social media platform’s personal monitoring instruments. Which means your numbers could be affected by issues like cookie restrictions or lacking conversion knowledge.
That’s why, says Laura, you must take the numbers “with a pinch of salt” in the event that they’re coming from the platform itself. “Then we have a look at Blended ROAS figures as one of many prime metrics,” she says.
As a substitute of every platform in isolation, Blended ROAS seems on the larger image: how a lot complete income you’re incomes throughout all channels — natural social media, Google searches, electronic mail newsletters, paid advertisements — in comparison with what you’re spending on promoting.
Right here’s the formulation for Blended ROAS:
If your corporation brings in $8,000 total after spending $1,000 on advertisements throughout all channels, your Blended ROAS is 800%.
Monitor this metric when:
you need to measure whether or not your advert spend is changing into salesyou’re evaluating which channels are bringing in essentially the most returnyou’re making an attempt to determine the place to shift finances or prioritize spend
The way to use return on advert spend
Use ROAS to identify which campaigns are bringing in gross sales and which of them may want a change in course — whether or not that’s updating the provide, tweaking the inventive, or rethinking the channel.
Laura factors out that the affect of a marketing campaign additionally exhibits up in methods apart from income. Should you’re operating a model consciousness marketing campaign, you may not see gross sales immediately — however you may discover extra individuals looking for your model. These sorts of shifts present that your campaigns are working, even when it takes individuals slightly longer to behave.
As soon as which metrics to concentrate to, the following step is determining the best way to monitor them. Most platforms provide built-in analytics instruments, however there are additionally third-party choices that will provide a extra full view.
Platform native insights
Most social media platforms include built-in analytics, so you’ll be able to regulate key metrics with out ever leaving the app.
What you’ll see (and the way a lot element you get) is dependent upon the platform, and generally in your account sort, however practically all of them cowl the fundamentals: impressions, attain, engagement, follower progress, and demographic knowledge.
LinkedIn analytics affords these metrics at each the publish and account stage.
Instagram creator and enterprise accounts go even deeper with their analytics. The info breaks down:
impressions and engagements from followers vs. non-followerspercentage of impressions by content material (and viewers) sort
You additionally get knowledge about when your viewers is most lively every day of the week.
X/Twitter analytics are solely obtainable to premium customers. These detailed metrics embrace each tweet- and account-level impressions, engagement, hyperlink clicks, and follower progress. Hyperlink clicks are an essential metric right here, since tweets instantly assist clickable hyperlinks. Free customers nonetheless get entry to primary insights on the tweet stage.
Fb, TikTok, and YouTube all have built-in metrics you should use to measure your social media efficiency on these channels.
It’s at all times useful to see all these metrics proper the place you create and publish, however there are a number of limitations — network-specific metrics instruments solely present you what’s taking place on that one platform.
Should you’re sharing content material on a couple of social channel (and likelihood is, you might be), these built-in dashboards aren’t going to provide the entire story. Third-party social media analytics instruments turn out to be useful should you’d wish to zoom out for a birds-eye view and see how all of your channels stack up collectively.
For a extra full view of your social media efforts, you may need to discover third-party analytics instruments.
Social media analytics instruments
Whereas platform-native metrics are useful, social media analytics instruments offer you a extra full image of your efficiency — particularly should you’re working throughout a number of platforms. Right here’s why they may be value contemplating.
Should you handle a number of social media accounts, third-party analytics instruments prevent bouncing forwards and backwards between apps. You may deliver all of your numbers collectively in a single dashboard and get a have a look at how your social media efforts stack up throughout each platform you utilize.
Some instruments — like Buffer — provide each metrics and personalised insights. Suppose:
which day of the week your posts do bestwhat varieties of content material get essentially the most engagementhow many occasions a day you may need to publish for the perfect outcomes
Monitoring mentions and sentiment is one other large win. Whereas native instruments are sometimes restricted to primary social media metrics, many third-party platforms assist you to maintain tabs on these model metrics.
And should you’re placing collectively studies to your crew or purchasers, these instruments make that job quite a bit easier. Most provide customizable reporting options so you’ll be able to create studies that match your particular social media KPIs.
Buffer’s analytics instruments assist you to with detailed, personalised metrics and insights that assist you to obtain and measure social media success — you’ll even get suggestions on when, what, and the way a lot to publish primarily based in your knowledge.
Join at the moment to check it out at no cost. 🥳
