A Users Guide to Instagram Insights

In this guide we”ll review the basics of Instagram Insights to uncover trends among your followers and reveal your content’s performance to help make you a better marketer on Instagram.

Accessing Instagram Insights 

Navigate to your profile overview page by clicking on your avatar on the bottom right side of the screen. Under your account description you’ll see a button called, Insights.  When you open Instagram Insights, you’ll be on the Content tab and you’ll see two other tabs: Activity, and Audience. By tapping each tab or post you’ll discover metrics and get an in-depth view of your account statistics.

1. Content

Content shows you an overview and the number of posts, stories, IGTV videos and promotions you’ve shared in the last seven days. This includes the current day. Use this data to find the content that’s gaining traction. Tap on each post, story or promotion to see detailed metrics for each.

• Post Insights shows you an overview of your posts and its reach. Click on an individual posts top see the number of likes, comments, saves, profile visits, reach, Interactions (actions taken from a specific post), and Discovery (how many people see your content and where they find it).
• Story Insights let you see the number of replies your story received, including text and quick action replies. You’ll also find out the number of shares your story had.
• Promotions section will provide more information on your posts if it’s been promoted.

2. Activity

This is an estimated number of the unique Instagram accounts that have seen any of your posts, stories or IGTV videos at least once. It’s different from impressions, which would include multiple views from the same account. Use this data to identify your top-performing content so you can analyze why it’s resonating with your audience. This helps you know what kind of content to produce in the future and what to leave out of your campaign. When you tap on this metric, you’ll see the following details:

• Discovery indicates the number of accounts your posts, stories or IGTV reached and with the number of impressions in the most recent week.
• Interactions lists six actions people can take on your account. You’ll see the number of times people have visited your profile and tapped the link to your website. You’ll also see how many times your call, email, get directions and text buttons have been tapped.

3. Audience

This shows the number of followers you currently have on Instagram. When you have 100 followers or more, the metric allows you to see trends about the people following you. Use this information to make sure you’re reaching your target audience by comparing top locations, age range and gender with your audience persona.

• Growth See how many followers you’ve gained — or lost — over the past seven days.
• Top locations View the top five cities where your followers reside.
• Age range Instagram groups your followers  into the following distribution:
  • 13-17
  • 18-24
  • 25-34
  • 35-44
  • 45-54
  • 55-64
  • 65+ age ranges.
• Gender You’ll see the distribution of men and women that follow you, expressed as a percentage.
• Follower hours and days These statistics show the days of the week your followers are most active as well as the average time of day they’re on Instagram. Use this information to post content when your followers are most active and most likely to see your content in their feed.

Make a habit of viewing or recording your data on a weekly basis; this is an excellent practice that will give you insights and a good estimate of what is or isn’t working.  However, viewing data and the type of content you post can be tricky to decipher because Instagram’s algorithms are at play and you don’t know exactly what is happening in the background. Stay true to your brand’s core message and position while offering value and inspiration. Your audience will perceive this strategy as authentic and genuine.