Analytics Metrics Explained
Comprehensive guide to understanding every metric tracked by bluekona.ai across all social media platforms.
bluekona.ai tracks dozens of metrics across different social media platforms. This guide explains what each metric means, why it matters, and how to interpret it for your strategy.
Universal Metrics (All Platforms)
These metrics appear across all platforms bluekona.ai analyzes:
Engagement Rate
Definition: (Total Engagements ÷ Total Reach) × 100
What it measures: The percentage of people who interacted with your content after seeing it.
Why it matters:
- Shows how compelling your content is
- Indicates audience interest and relevance
- Affects algorithmic distribution
- More important than absolute numbers
Good benchmarks:
- Instagram: 1-5% (higher for smaller accounts)
- Facebook: 0.5-1%
- TikTok: 5-9%
- YouTube: 2-3%
- LinkedIn: 2-5%
- X (Twitter): 0.5-1%
How to improve:
- Create more relevant, valuable content
- Post when audience is most active
- Use compelling visuals and hooks
- Encourage interaction with CTAs
Total Engagements
Definition: Sum of all interactions (likes, comments, shares, saves, etc.)
What it measures: Raw interaction volume across all your content.
Why it matters:
- Shows overall content resonance
- Indicates community activity level
- Helps track growth in absolute terms
Platform-specific engagements:
- Facebook: Reactions, comments, shares, link clicks
- Instagram: Likes, comments, saves, shares, profile visits
- YouTube: Likes, comments, shares, subscribers from video
- X: Likes, retweets, replies, bookmarks, link clicks
- TikTok: Likes, comments, shares, saves
- LinkedIn: Reactions, comments, shares, clicks
- Threads: Likes, replies, reposts, quotes
Reach
Definition: Number of unique users who saw your content
What it measures: How many individual people were exposed to your posts.
Why it matters:
- Indicates content distribution success
- Shows audience growth potential
- Helps evaluate algorithm performance
- Key for awareness goals
Types of reach:
- Organic reach: Natural distribution to followers
- Viral reach: Distribution beyond followers
- Algorithmic reach: Platform recommendations (FYP, Explore, etc.)
How to improve:
- Post consistently
- Optimize for platform algorithms
- Create shareable content
- Use relevant hashtags/keywords
- Post during active hours
Impressions
Definition: Total number of times your content was displayed
What it measures: How often your content appeared on screens.
Why it matters:
- Shows content visibility
- One person can have multiple impressions
- Helps calculate engagement and reach rates
Relationship: Impressions ≥ Reach (always)
Impressions / Reach ratio insights:
- 1-2x: Content seen once, low replay/revisit
- 2-5x: Good distribution, some repeat views
- 5+x: Content with high replay value or algorithm favor
Follower/Subscriber Growth
Definition: Net change in followers/subscribers during audit period
What it measures: How your audience is growing or shrinking.
Why it matters:
- Indicates long-term account health
- Shows content's ability to attract new audiences
- Reflects brand appeal
Growth rate calculation: (New Followers ÷ Total Followers) × 100
Healthy growth rates (monthly):
- Small accounts (<10K): 5-15%
- Medium accounts (10K-100K): 2-8%
- Large accounts (100K+): 1-5%
Facebook-Specific Metrics
Page Views
Definition: Number of times your Facebook Page was visited
What it measures: Interest in your brand beyond individual posts.
Why it matters: Shows brand discovery and research behavior.
Page Actions
Definition: Actions taken on your Page (website clicks, "Get Directions", contact info)
What it measures: Conversion-oriented behaviors.
Why it matters: Indicates commercial intent and business value.
Reactions
Definition: Specific reaction types (Like, Love, Haha, Wow, Sad, Angry)
What it measures: Emotional response to content.
Why it matters:
- More valuable than generic "likes"
- Shows content emotion resonance
- Love > Like for algorithm favor
Post Reach
Definition: Unique people who saw the post
Types:
- Organic: Followers and their friends (shares)
- Paid: From advertisements
- Viral: Shares beyond direct network
Link Clicks
Definition: Clicks on links in your posts
What it measures: Traffic driven to external content.
Why it matters: Shows ability to drive desired actions.
Instagram-Specific Metrics
Saves
Definition: Number of times users saved your post
What it measures: High-value engagement indicating reference-worthy content.
Why it matters:
- Highly valued by Instagram's algorithm
- Shows content utility and value
- Indicates users want to revisit
- Often correlates with educational content
Profile Visits from Post
Definition: Users who clicked your profile after seeing a post
What it measures: Content's ability to drive brand discovery.
Why it matters: Shows potential for follower growth.
Accounts Reached
Definition: Unique accounts that saw your content
Different from impressions: One account = one reach, regardless of how many times they saw it.
Reel Plays
Definition: Number of times your Reel started playing
What it measures: Initial content consumption.
Why it matters: Shows distribution effectiveness.
Reel Completion Rate
Definition: Percentage of Reel viewers who watched to the end
What it measures: Content quality and retention.
Why it matters:
- Critical for Reels algorithm
- Shows content engagement quality
- Indicates hook and pacing effectiveness
Good benchmarks:
- 50%+: Excellent
- 30-50%: Good
- <30%: Needs improvement
Story Views
Definition: Number of times your Story was viewed
What it measures: Story consumption and interest.
Why it matters: Shows engaged follower percentage.
Story Exits
Definition: Times users swiped away from your Story
What it measures: Story engagement quality.
Why it matters: High exits indicate content not compelling.
YouTube-Specific Metrics
Watch Time
Definition: Total minutes spent watching your content
What it measures: Aggregate content consumption.
Why it matters:
- #1 most important YouTube metric
- Directly affects algorithm recommendations
- Shows content value and quality
Average View Duration
Definition: Average time viewers spent watching your video
What it measures: Individual video retention.
Why it matters:
- Indicates content engagement
- Affects search and recommendation rankings
- Shows if content matches expectations
Target: 50%+ of total video length is excellent
Click-Through Rate (CTR)
Definition: (Clicks ÷ Impressions) × 100
What it measures: Thumbnail and title effectiveness.
Why it matters:
- Critical for video discovery
- Shows appeal before viewing
- Affects recommendation algorithm
Good benchmarks:
- 2-5%: Average
- 5-10%: Good
- 10%+: Excellent
Audience Retention
Definition: Graph showing viewership dropoff throughout video
What it measures: Where viewers lose interest and leave.
Why it matters:
- Identifies weak points in content
- Shows hook effectiveness
- Helps optimize video structure
Key points to analyze:
- First 30 seconds (hook)
- Major drop-off points
- Sections with rewatches (peaks)
- End screen effectiveness
Traffic Sources
Where viewers come from:
- Browse features: Homepage, subscriptions feed
- YouTube search: SEO effectiveness
- Suggested videos: Algorithm recommendations
- External: Social media, websites, embeds
- Direct: URL shares, saved links
Why it matters: Shows discovery and distribution methods.
Subscriber Conversions
Definition: Subscribers gained from a specific video
What it measures: Content's ability to attract subscribers.
Why it matters: Shows channel-building effectiveness.
X (Twitter) Specific Metrics
Impressions
Definition: Times your tweet was shown
What it measures: Tweet distribution and visibility.
Why it matters: Foundation metric for reach.
Engagements
Includes:
- Likes
- Retweets
- Replies
- Link clicks
- Profile clicks
- Hashtag clicks
- Detail expands (clicking to see full tweet)
Detail Expands
Definition: Users clicking to see full tweet
What it measures: Interest beyond initial view.
Why it matters: Shows compelling opening hook.
Profile Clicks from Tweet
Definition: Users viewing your profile from a tweet
What it measures: Tweet's ability to drive profile discovery.
Why it matters: Potential for follower growth.
URL Clicks
Definition: Clicks on links in tweets
What it measures: Success at driving external traffic.
Why it matters: Key for content promotion and lead generation.
Media Views
Definition: Views of images or videos in tweets
What it measures: Media consumption rate.
Why it matters: Shows visual content effectiveness.
TikTok-Specific Metrics
Video Views
Definition: Number of times your video was viewed
What it measures: Initial content consumption.
Why it matters: Primary reach metric.
Completion Rate
Definition: Percentage who watched entire video
What it measures: Content retention quality.
Why it matters:
- Most important TikTok metric
- Directly affects FYP distribution
- Shows content quality
Target: 60%+ is excellent
Average Watch Time
Definition: Average duration viewers watched
What it measures: Engagement before dropping off.
Why it matters: Affects algorithm recommendations.
Traffic Source Territory
Where views came from:
- For You Page (FYP): Algorithm recommendations (most valuable)
- Following: Follower feeds
- Profile: From your profile page
- Search: TikTok search results
- Hashtag: Hashtag pages
Why it matters: FYP views indicate viral potential.
Shares
Definition: Times users shared your video
What it measures: Content shareability.
Why it matters:
- High-value engagement
- Extends reach beyond platform
- Shows content resonance
Total Time Watched
Definition: Cumulative watch time across all views
What it measures: Overall content consumption.
Why it matters: Shows content value and algorithm favor.
LinkedIn-Specific Metrics
Social Actions
Definition: All professional interactions combined
What it measures: Overall engagement in professional context.
Includes:
- Reactions (Like, Celebrate, Love, Insightful, Curious)
- Comments
- Shares
- Clicks
Click-Through Rate (CTR)
Definition: Percentage of viewers who clicked on your content
What it measures: Content's ability to drive action.
Why it matters: Key for lead generation and traffic.
Follower Demographics
Insights provided:
- Job functions (Marketing, Sales, Engineering, etc.)
- Seniority levels (Entry, Manager, Director, VP, C-Level)
- Industries
- Company sizes
- Geographic locations
Why it matters: Helps target professional audiences.
Unique Visitors
Definition: Individual professionals who viewed your Page
What it measures: Page-level visibility.
Why it matters: Shows brand awareness among professionals.
Threads-Specific Metrics
Replies
Definition: Comments on your thread posts
What it measures: Conversation depth and engagement.
Why it matters: Threads emphasizes conversation quality.
Reposts
Definition: Users sharing your thread (like retweets)
What it measures: Content shareability.
Why it matters: Extends reach and shows value.
Quotes
Definition: Reposts with added commentary
What it measures: Content inspiring additional thoughts.
Why it matters:
- Higher value than simple reposts
- Shows thought-provoking content
- Drives deeper engagement
Views
Definition: Times your thread was viewed
What it measures: Distribution and reach.
Why it matters: Foundation for all other engagement.
Understanding Metric Relationships
Engagement Funnel
- Impressions (widest) → Content displayed
- Reach → Unique viewers
- Engagements → Interactions
- Actions (narrowest) → Desired outcomes (follows, clicks, conversions)
Optimize each stage:
- Impressions: Posting consistency, timing
- Reach: Algorithm-favored content, hashtags
- Engagements: Compelling content, CTAs
- Actions: Clear value propositions
Quality vs. Quantity
Quantity metrics:
- Followers, likes, views
- Easy to track
- Can be misleading
Quality metrics:
- Engagement rate
- Saves, shares
- Comment depth
- Conversion actions
Focus on quality: 1,000 engaged followers > 10,000 passive followers
Interpreting Metrics Together
Don't Look at Metrics in Isolation
Example 1: High Views, Low Engagement
- Content reaching people but not resonating
- Possible mismatch between title/thumbnail and content
- Weak hooks or content quality issues
Example 2: Low Reach, High Engagement
- Content resonates with current audience
- Distribution/algorithm issue
- Opportunity to amplify successful content
Example 3: High Engagement, No Growth
- Existing audience loves content
- Not reaching new people
- Need discovery/awareness strategies
Setting Realistic Benchmarks
Don't Compare to Everyone
- Compare to YOUR previous performance
- Consider account size (larger = lower engagement % typically)
- Factor in industry (B2B vs. B2C very different)
- Consider content type (educational vs. entertaining)
Track Your Baselines
First audit = your baseline. Track improvement from there:
- Week over week
- Month over month
- Quarter over quarter
Celebrate Improvements
A 10% improvement in engagement rate is significant, even if you're "only" at 2%.
Next Steps
Now that you understand the metrics:
- Run an audit to see your metrics
- Learn about AI analysis of these metrics
- Understand your results in context
- Manage your connections
Remember: Metrics tell you WHAT happened. bluekona.ai's AI tells you WHY and WHAT TO DO NEXT.
Need help understanding your specific metrics? Contact support or visit our troubleshooting guide.