Instagram Analytics: The Ultimate Guide – Essential Metrics and Tools for Creators in 2022

While Instagram evolves to stay competitive with TikTok, it’s still a vital tool for content creators.

Our comprehensive guide will help you understand why Instagram analytics are important for content creators, as well as what analytics you can get from Instagram. We will explain how to see analytics on Instagram and essential metrics to track, focusing on video Instagram analytics.

Why Instagram analytics are essential for content creators

More than 1 billion users spend nearly 30 minutes per day on the app. That’s why it’s essential that you master Instagram’s metrics and tools to reach as large an audience as you can, adjusting your strategy with knowledge. With so many tools at your fingertips, you’ll be able to see which content performs best and with which audience. It can help you greatly in 3 areas:

• Target content more effectively.
• Create what works to attract clients or followers.
• Avoid the frustration of missing out on paid opportunities due to low engagement.

Whether you are on your way to becoming a content creator or a seasoned pro, these tips can help you master Instagram analytics. So read on to learn how to get Insights on Instagram and go from amateur to pro.

What analytics can you get from Instagram?

SOURCE: INSTAGRAM

To measure your performance, understand follower demographics and improve your reach, it’s essential you master the basic Instagram Insights. Level-1 metrics are easily browsed in your Instagram Insights dashboard. You’ll need to have a professional account to access Insights, but it’s easy to convert a personal account. Just login to Instagram and go to Settings > Switch Account Type.

Tap on the Insights button to find analytics for the last 7 days categorized the following way:

• Insights Overview
  • Accounts reached
  • Accounts engaged
  • Total followers
• Content You Shared
  • Posts
  • Stories
  • Reels
  • IGTV videos
  • Live
  • Promotions

Within each section, you will find the following Instagram metrics:

• Followers
• Impressions
• Reach
• Likes
• Comments
• Clicks

Level-2 analytics are a bit more detailed:

• Growth
• Rate
• Average

Essential Instagram metrics to track

SOURCE: INSTAGRAM

With the introduction of Reels, Instagram has made no secret of how much their algorithm favors video content over photos. This change to compete with Snapchat and then TikTok has moved content creators to focus on video content even if that’s not their primary media type. So the good news is that video creators have a leg up in this realm of content creation and should focus on creating engaging reels (which can also double as TikTok posts). Never underestimate the importance of video and beef up on your knowledge of Reels, so you’re not wondering, what is Instagram Reels?

Reels analytics show how your Reels compare to other content created over the last week or month and a ranking of your top Reels. Insights on videos contain the same IG analytics. You can sort by the following categories:

• Average Percentage Watched
• Website Taps
• Call Button Taps
• Comments
• Email Button Taps
• Follows
• Business Address Taps
• Impressions
• Likes
• Profile Visits
• Reach
• Saves
• Shares
• Text Button Taps
• Video Views
• Video Interactions

SOURCE: INSTAGRAM

What to do with Instagram Insights data

Once you’ve gathered Instagram follower insights, it’s time to act. Here are some suggestions to improve engagement with your audience:

1. Post at the optimal time for the majority of your audience

Knowing the location of your followers allows you to post when they’re online. Instagram audience insights also tell you the days and hours your followers are most active. Use a scheduling platform to post during those times.

2. Create content based on best engagement

SOURCE: @GLOBALGIRLTRAVELS

Insights allow you to see top stories, posts, Reels, and videos to identify trends. For example, which posts generate the most engagement, such as likes, shares and comments? And of those posts, what is the content type that your audience is most keen to interact with?

3. Use Stories to promote posts

SOURCE: @GLOBALGIRLTRAVELS

It’s no secret that using Instagram’s disappearing Stories to promote your posts is a free and easy way to increase engagement. Are you taking advantage of all the tools within Stories?

• Polls
• Questions
• Quizzes
• Links
• Hashtags
• Mentions

Each of these Instagram Insights tools allows your audience to engage with your Stories, and Insights shows you how many accounts were reached, interactions and click rate. These are valuable data points to help you craft more engaging Stories and drive sales and/or traffic. Here are some things to note about Stories:

• Viewers tend to watch Stories during non-work hours
• Audiences prefer less to more. Keep your Stories under eight slides at a time.
• Followers exit Stories on the first or last post, so make sure those are the most engaging.

Best Instagram analytics tools

As of publishing, Instagram Insights is only available on a mobile device and not yet visible on desktops. However, there are many 3rd-party apps and sites that are available for desktop. These analytics tools also help you schedule posts. They are ranked here in order of quality and ease of use.

1. Sprout Social: This social management tool has some of the best-formatted reports for all your analyses, which is great if you need to make a presentation or just want to review all your data.
2. Iconosquare: Great for managing multiple accounts, Iconosquare helps you understand lost follower actions and offers an image library for your posts. You can see how individual hashtags are performing and get deeper analytics on followers.
3. Keyhole: Keyhole gives you live analytics so you can see which keywords, hashtags, and accounts are trending in real-time.
4. SquareLovin: This app allows you to go deeper to see when your posts perform best so you can avoid dead hours and hone in on optimal posts days and hours.
5. Minter.io: Minter’s analytics are so granular you can even measure which photo or video filter performs best. You can also track benchmarks over time which is helpful if you have a long-term marketing plan.
6. SocialRank: SocialRank has great search tools. You can search for keywords in bios which is helpful if you want to identify influencers to collaborate with. This platform allows you to rank potential followers by demographics so you can be very targeted in your growth.

Content creators who want more control and even deeper analytics will take advantage of these extra tools.

Wrap up

Making money with Instagram is possible if you employ strategies based on a deep understanding of your Instagram analytics! Social media videos are here to stay, and with this guide and all of the resources on the Artlist Blog, you can succeed as a content creator. So now that you know how to check analytics on Instagram, get out there and start creating the content that audiences will crave!