The Top Instagram Metrics You Need to Measure Your Success

Most Instagram users only care about how many likes and comments they get on their posts. But if you're a brand or business, you need to look closely at other metrics. If you're not tracking your performance, all the effort you put into visibility, engagement, and conversion will go to waste. You can't find out if your strategy is working or if you need to tweak it.

But which metrics are the most important? Instagram Insights presents several of them, and it's impossible to keep track of all. As a guide, here are the most fundamental Instagram metrics you can use to steer your business in the right direction.

What Are Instagram Metrics and Why Should You Track Them?

Instagram metrics measure your posts' performance on the platform. They let you know how your followers respond to your content--which posts they like, share, and save and which ones they don't relate to as much.

Not checking your Instagram metrics is like trying to find your way in the dark. Not only do they point you in the right direction, but they also help you achieve your goals. Here are the top three reasons to keep an eye on Instagram metrics:

• They Let You Know What Type of Content Your Audience Likes

  

  If you're trying to find your style or like exploring different formats, Instagram metrics will tell you which ideas your audience likes and dislikes. When you have this knowledge, you can adjust your strategy accordingly and keep creating posts that are engaging to them.

• You Can Align Your Social Media Strategy With Your Company Goals

  All companies have KPIs they need to hit. Is your social media plan helping you hit yours? If your business goal is to widen your audience or drive engagement, your Instagram metrics will tell you if your strategy is effective. If you're not hitting the target numbers, it's a sign that you need to rethink your approach.

• They Help You Track Your Campaigns' Performance

  

  If you're running a partnership campaign and have promised a certain level of impressions or reach, you must keep a close eye on Instagram metrics. They'll tell you if it's performing as expected. If not, you can re-strategize to deliver the target numbers. The same goes for other types of campaigns, whether it's a product launch or holiday sale.

Where Can You Find Your Instagram Metrics?

Before you can access your metrics on Instagram Insights, you first need to switch to an Instagram creator or business account. Once that's done, there are two ways you can view your metrics.

The first option is to go to your profile and tap "Professional dashboard." You can tap "see all" to view all your metrics in the past month, last 14 days, or past week. The shortcut is to go to your profile, tap the hamburger menu at the top right corner, and select "Insights." That will take you directly to your metrics.

What Are the Most Important Instagram Metrics?

Instagram Insights provides a wealth of valuable data. However, it can be intimidating to dig through all of the numbers. If you're feeling lost, here are the top Instagram metrics you should focus on:

• Impressions

  Impressions are the number of times someone sees your post. Every view from the same account is an impression. So if a person looks at your photo three times, that counts as three impressions. Many impressions can indicate that your followers like your post and are going back to it.

  However, it's not necessarily a good sign when an ad post gets many impressions. If a user sees the same repeated image or video, it can lead to ad fatigue and turn them away.

• Reach and Reach Rate

  Unlike impressions which count the number of views, reach tallies the number of people who have seen your content. If a person looks at your post three times, it will only count as one. It gives you a more accurate idea of how many users view your content.

  Reach rate is another valuable metric. It measures the percentage of your followers who have seen your post. You can calculate it by dividing a post's total reach by your total number of followers and multiplying it by 100.

• Engagement

  

  It's good if many people look at your posts, but do they care about them? Your engagement can answer this question. There are two types of engagement, and the first one is called engagement by followers. It measures the percentage of your followers who interact with your posts. You can calculate it by dividing a post's total number of engagements by your total number of followers and multiplying it by 100.

  The second is engagement by reach. It's the percentage of users who viewed your post and liked, commented, or reshared it. It counts even those who don't follow you as long as they've seen your in-feed post, Reel, or Story. You can calculate it by dividing a post's total number of engagements by total reach and multiplying it by 100.

• Follower Growth Rate

  It's vital to watch your follower growth rate because it tells you how fast you're losing or gaining followers. A positive growth rate indicates that your marketing strategies are working and successfully attracting your target audience. While your actual follower count isn't too important, what matters is how fast that number is increasing.

• Story Engagement

  All brands should take advantage of Stories because half a billion users watch them daily. But it's not enough to post them. Your Stories must be engaging enough to get your audience to react, comment, and visit your profile. You can check engagement by going to your Story and tapping the eye and graph icons.

• Reel Shares

  

  Reels are currently enjoying a lot of popularity on Instagram. Many brands are successful in this format because users like sharing them. If you have a high share count, it means your Reels resonate with your audience. You can track shares by tapping "View metrics" at the bottom of your Reels.

The Bottom Line

When you check your Instagram metrics, you understand your audience and their preferences more. You can then tailor your social media plan and perform better on Instagram.