Social Media KPIs: What Instagram and LinkedIn Each Count

A social media KPI is a number you picked because it shows whether a goal was met, and the networks do not agree on what their numbers mean. Instagram's "Interactions" are actions such as likes, comments, saves and shares Source [1], while a LinkedIn Page counts clicks, reactions, comments and shares as the interactions in its engagement rate Source [2].

Autonomah's plans are not sold by a count of posts: the site says the price of each plan follows its scope, not a count of pieces Source [3].

How Instagram defines its metrics

Instagram's insights overview shows Views, Interactions, New followers and Content you shared Source [1]. The help page defines the main ones.

• Views: the number of times your content was played or displayed, across reels, posts, stories, live videos and ads Source [1].
• Viewers: the number of unique accounts that have seen your content on screen at least once Source [1]. For reels it counts accounts that saw the reel on screen whether or not it was played, and the page says viewers is different from views, which may include multiple views by the same accounts Source [1].
• Interactions: the actions people take when they engage, such as likes, comments, saves and shares Source [1].
• Accounts engaged: the number of unique accounts that interacted with your content Source [1].
• Content you shared: the number of stories, reels or posts you posted in the selected timeframe within the past 90 days Source [1].

Two caveats are on the page. The page says the Views metric is being gradually introduced and may not be available to you yet, and it labels the Viewers and Accounts engaged metrics estimated and in development Source [1].

How a LinkedIn Page defines its metrics

LinkedIn's Page analytics lists its own set Source [2].

• Impressions: the number of times your post was shown on LinkedIn, an estimate that may not be precise Source [2].
• Members reached: the number of distinct members and Pages that saw your post, an estimate that does not include repeat displays Source [2].
• Clicks: clicks on your content, company name or logo by a signed-in member. It does not include reposts, reactions or comments, and several clicks by one member on a document count as one Source [2].
• Reactions, comments and reposts: counted separately Source [2].
• Engagement rate: the ratio of interactions per impression, where interactions include clicks, reactions, comments and shares Source [2].
• Video views: the number of times a video was watched for more than 2 seconds, including sponsored and organic views Source [2].

The page adds that metrics can take 48 hours to appear, except reactions and comments, which show in real time Source [2].

Side by side

Two consequences follow. A figure with the same name is not the same figure: LinkedIn's interactions include clicks, and Instagram's list does not Source [1]Source [2]. And a total taken across networks adds numbers with different definitions, so compare each network with its own past.

Picking a KPI

This section is our advice, and neither network prescribes it.

Start with the goal. Autonomah's site defines an objective as what a brand's communication has to achieve: more people knowing it, visiting its site or getting in touch Source [3]. Each of the three suggests a different kind of number.

• To be known by more people, read the unique-people metric of each network: Viewers on Instagram, Members reached on LinkedIn Source [1]Source [2].
• To bring visits, read clicks where the network reports them, and confirm the visits in your own site analytics Source [2].
• To get people in touch, count the messages, calls or forms you receive in your own tools. The network's dashboard does not hold that number.

A routine for reporting

These steps are ours.

1. Write the goal in one line before you pick a metric.
2. Choose one KPI per goal, and write down which network's definition you are using.
3. Fix the timeframe, and remember that Instagram's insights timeframes sit within the past 90 days Source [1].
4. Treat estimates as estimates: LinkedIn and Instagram both label some of their numbers that way Source [1]Source [2].
5. Compare each network with its own previous period, not with another network.

Each active objective gets its own KPI. The plans carry one, two or three active objectives, from Starter to Pro Source [3].

How Autonomah does it

Autonomah is an artificial creative and advertising brain that thinks, creates and publishes each brand's advertising Source [3]. For brands with several campaigns, countries or teams, the Enterprise plan offers all networks, the full cadence and a person on the Autonomah team who works with the brand, quoted per account Source [3]. Starter, Growth and Pro publish the pieces for you, and with Semana you download each piece and publish it yourself Source [3]. Choosing the number that counts as success for each campaign stays with the brand.

Frequently asked questions

What are the key performance indicators for social media marketing?

They depend on the goal. For being known, the networks report unique people reached; for visits, clicks; for contact, your own inbox or forms. Each network defines its metrics in its own help pages, and the definitions differ Source [1]Source [2].

What are the key social media metrics?

On Instagram, the overview shows Views, Interactions, New followers and Content you shared Source [1]. On a LinkedIn Page, the analytics list impressions, members reached, clicks, reactions, comments, reposts and engagement rate, among other metrics Source [2].

Is a view the same as reach?

Not on Instagram. The help page says Viewers, the number of unique accounts, is different from Views, which may include multiple views by the same accounts Source [1].