You must have noticed that some accounts on Instagram get millions of likes and comments on their content. However, when you post similar content, yours gets only a few likes and no comments. Surprisingly, similar posts on this platform can receive different results for different profiles. Instagram Insights helps you understand such disparity in engagement levels that will change your social media marketing game.
You can quickly discover your top-performing content on Instagram. You need to open the professional dashboard on your account and tap to view all the content you have published till date. The Instagram Insights dashboard helps sort your content by different metrics. These insights can also boost your social media marketing efforts. However, you must have a basic understanding of Instagram Insights.
What Are Instagram Post Insights?
Instagram Insights is a valuable feature on the Instagram app that offers a detailed overview of your Instagram content. However, you must have a business account on Instagram to access these insights. If you want, you can get your account verified as well. This feature helps you understand how each post on your Instagram profile performs.
As of April 2024, Instagram has about two billion monthly active users worldwide. Instagram analytics lets you monitor your followers and the users who usually consume your content. With access to such data, you can make more informed decisions about creating posts for your Instagram audience.
How to Access Instagram Insights?
The Instagram Insights feature is exclusive to the Instagram mobile app. You cannot access the insights if you use the desktop version to manage your Instagram account. So, you must have the Instagram app installed on a smartphone and follow the steps mentioned below:
Navigate to Profile Settings
First, you need to go to your profile section. Then, tap on the menu (three horizontal lines) icon. You can find it at the top right corner of the app.
Create a Professional Account
Select the “Account type and tools” option under the “For professionals” section to change your account into a business account. There is an option called “Switch to professional account.” Tap on it, and you are ready to go.
Select a Category
Choosing a business category on Instagram allows your brand to demonstrate the purpose of your business clearly above your profile description. Selecting a category that best describes your business (or professional) profile would be best for your growth.
Access Insights
Once your professional account is set up, you can seamlessly access Instagram Insights from the same Menu option on your profile. The “Insights” option is under the “For professionals” segment. However, if you recently switched to a professional account, you must wait a few days to gather enough historical data for the Insights tool.
Understanding the Meaning of Instagram Post Insights
Instagram post insights are different from Instagram audit. While exploring the Instagram Insights feature, you will come across the following metrics.
Date Range
It is the period for which you want to check the insights of your posts. You can choose the last week, month, or quarter. You also get the option to check week-by-week insights or month-by-month insights to measure growth.
Accounts Reached
This insight tells you about the number of accounts that have seen your content in the selected period. The further details of this insight include the following information:
- Reached Audience: It gives you more details about your audience who have seen your post, such as where they are from, age ranges, and genders. It also gives you details about what percentage of people follow you or not.
- Content Reach: This insight offers details about which types of content are getting the most reach – your posts, reels, or Instagram stories.
- Impressions: This data highlights the total number of times users have viewed your content.
- Profile Activity: This information shows how often users have taken action on your profile. These actions may include clicking a call-to-action button, visiting the profile, checking the bio, etc. Having a visually appealing Instagram Feed can help you get more followers.
Accounts Engaged
This data gives you the number of accounts interacting with your content for a selected period. Here are the details you can get from this data.
- Engaged Audience: This data offers details about the accounts that have engaged with your content. The details include their locations, ages, and genders.
- Content Interactions: You will receive detailed descriptions of the total number of interactions made on your content during the selected period. You will also learn about individual interaction types: comments, likes, saves, and shares.
Total Followers
This data highlights the growth in your follower counts in the selected period. This information helps you confirm that you are targeting the right followers and the follower demographics match your business’s target audience.
- Growth: This insight provides updates about your follower growth. You should work towards ensuring your account witnesses an increase in followers each month or quarter.
- Top Locations: Get a clear idea of which cities and countries your followers are from. This information is helpful for local businesses, ensuring they are targeting their potential customers.
- Age Range: You also get the age range of all your followers. This again helps you confirm that you are targeting the right audience.
- Gender: This information helps you understand which gender is following your posts. It can be pretty helpful if your business sells gender-specific products or services.
- Most Active Times: This data tells you the time and day when your followers are most active on Instagram. It helps you identify the best time to share your content.
Content You Shared
This section offers a detailed overview of the performance of your individual posts, reels, stories, and more. Each type of content has different insights that you can monitor.
- For an Instagram Story: You can view the number of call button taps, back taps, email button taps, exited stories, follows, next story swipes, business address taps, link clicks, impressions, profile visits, forward taps, replies, shares, reach, website taps, text button taps, and story interactions.
- For Reels: You can view the number of likes, comments, saves, reach, shares, plays, and reel interactions.
- For a Video Post: You can view the number of website taps, average percentage of users watched, comments, call button taps, email button taps, follows, likes, impressions, business address taps, profile visits, shares, saves, reach, text button taps, video views, and video interactions.
- For Live Videos: You can learn about the number of shares, reach, comments, peak concurrent viewers, and live video interactions from this data.
Strategies to Improve Your Instagram Content with the Help of Instagram Insights
You can analyze how your content is performing with the help of Instagram Insights. It also helps you find out how you can improve your future content for better results.
Content Analysis
When you go through the insights of your recently published content, you get access to metrics like comments, likes, saves, and reach. You need to compare these data across different pieces of content to see which type of content your audience engages with most. Usually, higher engagement indicates better resonance with the audience. Identify the high-performing posts and find their common elements. Finally, replicate those elements for future posts, stories, reels, and more.
Find Patterns and Trends
Start reviewing your Instagram Insights regularly. It lets you evaluate the performance of different types of content. This will help you identify which types of content are working and which are not. As you find patterns and trends in your successful content, you can create more such content to drive more engagement. However, it is also important to try new content formats or themes. This practice helps you see if the newer formats and themes resonate better with the audience.
Use Audience Feedback
Apart from the Instagram Insights features, you should also focus on comments and direct messages from the audience. They often provide qualitative insights into what most of the target audience thinks. You can analyze such feedback and modify your Instagram marketing strategy accordingly.
Plan Your Content Based on Insights
You should create your Instagram content based on the analysis of Instagram Insights. At the same time, you also need to ensure that your posting schedule aligns with the time when your target audience is most active on the platform.
Refine Hashtag Strategy
Instagram Insights helps you identify which hashtags lead to better engagement and reach. Based on the insights, you can rotate and refine your hashtags. Just remember that using too many hashtags can do more harm than good. So, you must find a balance when using hashtags in your content based on engagement data.
Wrapping Up
Instagram Insights can be a massive game changer in your social media marketing if you can use it to your advantage. With the right strategy, insights can drive success for your brand on Instagram. It can help you develop a better understanding of your audience. It also allows you to level up your content strategy. Just remember to review the insights periodically. This practice will ensure that you never miss a major change in your Instagram performance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Instagram Insights Free?
Yes. If you have a business account on Instagram, you can access the Instagram Insights feature for your account at no additional cost. However, you must know how to interpret the insights to improve your Instagram content strategy and your social media marketing game.
Is It Possible to Download Instagram Insights?
It is currently impossible to download or export your Instagram post insights. The Instagram mobile app does not have a download feature. You will have to copy the data yourself and paste it into spreadsheets.
How Can Businesses and Professionals Benefit from Instagram Insights?
Instagram Insights provides you with a complete overview of your Instagram target audience. You can learn about their demographics and behavioral patterns. Businesses and professionals can use this data to create a personalized content strategy.