Social media analytics are more important than ever, but the way we use them is changing.
In 2025, it’s no longer about chasing surface-level stats like likes and follower counts. Today’s marketing teams are focused on metrics that actually move the needle: Who’s engaging with your content? What’s leading to conversions? What signals show that people trust your brand, or don’t?
Why does this shift matter? Because clearly defined metrics don’t just make your reports look better; they build buy-in across teams, improve client communication, and give you a roadmap for growth.
If you’ve ever looked at your analytics and wondered what’s truly worth tracking (and what’s just noise), this guide is for you. Here are 10 social media analytics that actually matter in 2025, and how to use them to drive real results.
10 Social Media Metrics You Should Track
1. Impressions And Reach
Reach is how many unique people saw your post. Impressions? That’s how many times it showed up on someone’s screen. So if I scroll past your reel three times while ignoring it entirely (sorry), that’s 3 impressions, but still just 1 reach.
These are classic “top-of-funnel” metrics. Great for seeing how far your content is spreading. Not so great at telling you if anyone cared. A post might rack up thousands of impressions but with little engagement or action, which means a superficial impact.
Still, impressions and reach are useful for spotting which formats or topics are gaining traction and when. Evaluate them alongside deeper metrics (like engagement or conversions) for context.
2. Engagement And Engagement Rate
Engagement tells you people did something with your post. But engagement rate is even more telling;it shows you how many people interacted out of everyone who saw it. A smaller brand with 10% engagement is often doing better than a massive one with 1%.
Pay close attention to what kind of engagement you’re getting. A post with 200 likes and no comments might look popular, but did it really spark anything?
Shares are particularly important. Instagram Chief Adam Mosseri has stated that posts with a high share rate is the most important metric for reaching more people. So if your post is getting shared often, chances are it’ll keep spreading.
Recommended: Social Media Manager
3. Video Views And Watch Time
Video views count how many people hit play, while watch time (or view duration/completion rate) shows you how long they actually stuck around. That’s the number to watch if you want to know whether your video is holding attention.
Most platforms (looking at you, TikTok and Reels) prioritize content that keeps viewers watching. If viewers are dropping off early, something’s off. Maybe the intro is slow, or your value isn’t clear fast enough. Use that drop-off data to optimize content: tighten your edits, lead with a hook, cut the filler.
Think of every second as a chance to earn the next one.
4. Conversion Rate
Conversion rate tells you how many people clicked on your post and then did the thing you asked, such as signing up, making a purchase, or booking a demo.
Say 100 people view a post, and 5 take action. That’s a 5% conversion rate, which is solid for most campaigns. Typically, anything between 2–5% means you’re reaching the right audience with a clear message.
If you’re seeing loads of traffic but barely any conversions, analyze your post-click experience. Is the landing page relevant? Does it follow through on what the post promised? Is the CTA clear, the form short, and the load time fast?
Also, track everything properly. Use UTM tags or conversion pixels so you can see which posts are actually driving results.
5. ReQueue Performance
Here’s a little secret: your best posts might not be your newest ones.
CoSchedule’s ReQueue lets you bring back high-performing posts without manually digging through your content archive. The tool figures out which posts did well and automatically schedules them again for later.
But don’t just let them run in the background. Check how those reposts are performing. If they’re still getting clicks, comments, or shares the second (or third) time around, you’ve got yourself some evergreen winners. Study them. Steal from them. Make more like them.
6. Brand Mentions
Brand mentions show how often people talk about you on social media, tagged or not. You’ve probably already got your eye on the direct @mentions. But don’t overlook the casual name-drops, branded hashtags, or offhand comments that never tag you at all.
A sudden spike in mentions could mean your latest campaign is catching fire. Or a customer complaint is picking up steam. Either way, you want to be in the loop. This kind of feedback gives you a direct line to how your brand is perceived.
Tools like Keyword.com, Sprout Social and CoSchedule make it easier to monitor mentions. Ideally, you want more people talking about you, and for the right reasons.
7. Top-Performing Posts
Your top-performing posts offer a blueprint. Look at your past month or quarter: Which social posts got the most traction? Engagement? Clicks? Conversions? Patterns will start to emerge about content formats, preferred tone, and posting schedules.
Once you know what’s clicking, build on those formats and topics. Borrow structure or tone from past winners. You also don’t need to reinvent the wheel every time. Repurpose your winners. For instance, you can turn a strong LinkedIn post into a short-form video or expand a successful tweet into a full blog.
If it worked once, it can probably work again (and then some).
8. Optimal Posting Time/Days
Social algorithms may not be strictly chronological anymore, but they still favor early engagement. The more people interact with your post right after it goes live, the more likely it is to get pushed to others. It’s a snowball effect, but only if you start it at the right time.
That’s where your data comes in. When is your audience scrolling—Monday mornings or Thursday evenings? CoSchedule’s Best Time Scheduling tool digs into your historical engagement to suggest appropriate timings. Like so:
And if your audience spans time zones? Posting once and hoping it works for everyone probably won’t cut it. You might need to schedule different drops for different regions. What’s golden hour in New York is the middle of the night in Sydney.
9. Optimal Messaging (Top Content Themes)
It’s worth tracking which types of content actually perform. Not just individual posts, but recurring themes. Are your followers engaging more with quick tips or longer how-tos? Are they reacting to personal stories, or skipping straight to the educational stuff?
Start tagging posts by theme (think: educational, promotional, inspirational, product-focused, meme-based) and compare performance over time. Look at metrics like engagement rate, shares, or saves. You’ll start to see patterns. Maybe your how-tos quietly crush it. Maybe your product updates are a snooze. That’s okay. Knowing what doesn’t land is just as useful. You’ll know what to avoid.
10. Format Performance
Social content comes in many formats. However, some formats pull their weight. Others simply take up space. Your job is to figure out which is which.
Look at the data. Are videos doubling your engagement compared to image posts? Are carousels converting better than single images? Does plain text on LinkedIn outperform your polished visuals?
Cut what’s underperforming. Double down on what works.
And don’t get too comfortable, either. Formats evolve. What worked last year (or last month) might already be slipping. Reels, Stories, Threads, Lives—there’s always something new. Don’t chase every new trend, but do experiment with formats that fit how your audience consumes content.
Emerging Social Analytics That You’ll Want To Know
Sure, likes, clicks, and shares are still part of the picture, but if that’s all you’re looking at, you’re probably missing the stuff that matters most. If you want a clearer read on how your brand is doing and how your team is functioning behind the scenes, it’s time to go deeper.
1. Social Sentiment
You can have thousands of mentions, but what are people actually saying?
Sentiment analysis answers that by breaking down the emotional tone behind comments, tags, reviews, and replies, whether they’re positive, neutral, or negative. Let’s say a campaign goes viral: sentiment tells you if people are hyped, frustrated, or confused, which makes a huge difference in how you respond.
Social media marketing software like Mentionlytics and Brandwatch can track sentiment trends and flag specific keywords over time, helping you connect the dots between engagement spikes and actual audience reactions.
2. Response Rate
Response rate measures how quickly your brand replies to conversations, from DMs to comment replies.
People generally expect a reply within 24 hours. If they’re ignored or left hanging, that frustration can show up in reviews or future posts. On the flip side, prompt responses often diffuse tension or turn a neutral interaction into something memorable.
If you’re managing multiple accounts or juggling customer service duties with marketing, response tracking tools (and alert systems that show missed comments) can make a big difference here.
3. Predictive Content Analysis
Ever wished you had a preview of how your next post might land before it goes live? That’s the idea behind predictive content tools.
These AI tools scan your content—images, tone, hashtags, even timing—and predict whether it’s likely to hit or flop. Is it foolproof? No. But these forecasts are certainly a smarter gut check, backed by data.
You don’t always need a high-end tool either. Sometimes, just reviewing past posts and identifying themes (e.g., videos with questions in the caption get more comments) can serve the same purpose.
4. Internal Efficiency Metrics
This is the stuff most people don’t talk about, but every team feels. How much time are you spending getting content out the door? What’s stuck in approval limbo? Are your best posts getting reused?
Metrics like time-to-publish, average post volume per channel, or how often content is repurposed can reveal a lot. Are things flowing, or are you burning energy in the wrong places?
CoSchedule’s calendar view can give you a bird’s-eye view of what’s going out, where, and when. You’ll quickly see if one platform’s starving while another’s overloaded, or if a week slipped by without a post.
Clients care about this too. Being able to show how many posts were published, how fast approvals are happening, or which assets are getting recycled adds credibility and proves value.
5 Essential Features to Look For In Your Metrics Tool
1. Automated, Effortless Reporting
If you’re still copying from dashboards into spreadsheets, you don’t have the right tool. Look for one that auto-generates social media analytics reports on a schedule, complete with key insights, charts, and client-ready exports. Look for features like:
- Pre-built templates (monthly, campaign, platform-specific)
- One-click exports to PDF or email
- Auto-summarized takeaways (e.g., “Video drove 73% of Q3 leads”)
2. Focused, Actionable Metrics
Prioritize tools that highlight KPIs linked to actual performance, like ROI, engagement quality, or lead conversions. Make sure you can:
- Customize what metrics you see
- Filter by campaign goals or platforms
- Get alerts when something meaningful changes
More metrics shouldn’t mean more confusion. If the tool doesn’t help you act on what you see, give it a pass.
3. Unified Dashboard For All Channels
Switching between Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and Facebook tabs wastes time. A good tool pulls all your channel data into one clean interface, so you can compare performance across platforms, spot what’s working and what’s not, and normalize inconsistent metrics (like views vs. reach). I’d also recommend checking whether it integrates with up-and-coming platforms like Threads or YouTube Shorts without workarounds.
4. Customizable And Shareable Reports
Your analytics tool should let you adjust what each stakeholder sees, without creating separate reports from scratch. Look for:
- Filters by campaign, audience, or channel
- Branded exports (logos, custom colors)
- Shareable links, scheduled email reports, or downloadable formats
For agencies, the ability to create client-by-client views is essential. For in-house teams, segmenting by department need (e.g., high-level summaries vs. granular performance) saves time and keeps everyone aligned.
5. AI Insights and Smart Alerts
The beauty of modern platforms is that they can coach you through the data. CoSchedule’s Insights Assistant, for instance, can highlight patterns, explain anomalies, and even suggest next steps with an in-depth analysis and recommendations.
Look for:
- Natural-language summaries (“Engagement rose 30% due to X post”)
- Predictive insights (e.g., what time to post or which topic to lean into)
- Alerts for spikes in performance or negative sentiment
This layer of intelligence can flag trends you’d otherwise miss. For example, advanced sentiment tracking might warn you of a brewing PR issue before it spreads.
4 Social Tools To Build Your Marketing Analytics Dashboard
There’s no universal dashboard tool that works for every team. Your choice depends on how many platforms you manage, what level of social media reporting you need, and how much manual work you’re willing to do.
Here’s how different social media monitoring and reporting software stack up:
1. Native Platform Analytics
Sometimes, simple is fine. If you’re only managing one or two accounts, the built-in analytics from Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube, and others can cover the basics. Reach, followers, engagement—it’s all there. Plus, they’re free and decently reliable. However, you won’t get a unified view across platforms and pulling reports can get tedious fast.
2. CoSchedule
If your job looks like a never-ending rotation of blogs, reels, social, and campaigns, CoSchedule is your friend. It gives you one calendar to plan, publish, and track it all. In their new Analytics Dashboard, you’ll see metrics like clicks, impressions, and shares across all your platforms without hopping between tabs. You can even recycle your best social posts with ReQueue (which is brilliant if you’re short on time) and let Best Time Scheduling figure out when to post. It also integrates with Google Analytics, so you can see which posts are actually driving traffic and conversions.
3. Later
If Instagram, Pinterest, or TikTok are your bread and butter, Later has what you need. The drag-and-drop calendar is beginner-friendly, and it handles analytics like Story drop-offs or hashtag performance. It even lets you turn your IG feed into clickable links with Linkin.bio, meaning you now have proof that your aesthetic posts drive sales. Later admittedly isn’t ideal for complex, multi-platform setups, but for a small, scrappy team with visual content? It works.
4. Google Looker Studio
If you want to build your own dashboard, exactly the way you want it, Looker Studio is incredibly powerful. You can mash together social metrics, web traffic, email data—whatever you want—and see it all live. But: setup takes time. You’ll need to connect third-party tools (some cost money), and you’ll probably spend a weekend figuring out how to make the charts look just right.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Often Should I Create A Social Media Analytics Report?
It depends on your goals, team size, and how often you’re posting. But a good rule of thumb is to check in weekly and deliver a formal report monthly. Weekly reviews help you spot early trends or issues, while monthly reports give clients or leadership a clear, high-level view of performance and progress over time.
How Can I Create A Social Analytics Report?
The easiest way is to use a social media management platform with built-in reporting features. Tools like CoSchedule make it simple to pull key metrics, visualize trends, and generate presentation-ready reports.
How Do I Know If My Content Is Performing Well?
AI insights are a smart starting point. Great social platforms (like CoSchedule) offer automated performance summaries that highlight trends, flag anomalies, and suggest what’s working. Over time, these insights help you fine-tune your content strategy and see results.
What Should I Do If My Social Metrics Are Declining?
Start by digging into your analytics to identify what’s actually dropped: reach, engagement, conversions? Then audit your content: what’s still resonating, and what’s fallen flat? Look at successful peers for inspiration, test new formats or topics, adjust posting times, and ask more explicitly for interaction. Often, small tweaks can reset momentum.
What Should I Include In A Monthly Social Media Report For My Clients Or Leadership?
Include a quick summary of what you published, the core metrics tied to goals (reach, engagement, conversions), highlights from your top-performing posts, and any key takeaways or lessons learned.
Ready To Build Your Dashboard?
When you’re managing content, tracking performance, and juggling client needs, staying organized is key. With CoSchedule’s Social Calendar, you can plan your posts, see what’s performing at a glance, and quickly share results. And you’ll never use spreadsheets. Expect helpful insights, tools to reshare what’s working, and reports that are easy to send to your team or clients.
