Social media platforms and analytics tools give you lots of metrics to track. But how do you know which ones are right for you — and how to make them work for your social media strategy?
More doesn’t necessarily mean better. Think emails in your inbox, glitter on a Mother’s Day card, hot sauce… That applies to social media metrics, too.
You might be surprised to hear it.
The more information you have, the better you can tailor your social media strategy, right? Well, not exactly. Not all social media metrics are created equal, and which ones to focus on comes down to your specific social media goals.
You might be testing a new format, tracking audience growth, or trying to understand how people interact with your posts. And while it’s tempting to track everything, more data doesn’t always mean more clarity.
Metrics are most helpful when they guide your next move — whether that’s adjusting your content, switching up your posting schedule, or even thinking up new products.
In this guide, I’ll walk you through 12 social media metrics that are especially worth a look at in 2025, when they’re most helpful, and how you can use what you learn to support your social media marketing goals.
What are social media metrics?
Social media metrics are the numbers you look at to see how your content is performing against your social media goals.
Any time you check how many people liked a post, clicked a link, or followed your account, you’re working with social media metrics. Each one tells its own story about your content’s reach and impact.
You may hear people refer to them as “social media KPIs” or key performance indicators. They sound similar, but they aren’t exactly the same.
Metrics include every single thing you can measure on your social media channels.
KPIs are the specific metrics you’ve chosen to track towards your goals.
Let’s look at the key metrics that deserve your attention.
Social media metrics that show what’s landing
Some metrics help you get a better sense of how people are responding to your content. When you track these specific signals, you start to see clear patterns in what your audience enjoys and comes back for.
1. Engagement rate
Engagement rate tells you how much your audience is interacting with your content — not just seeing it, but actively responding to it.
Things like likes, comments, shares, or saves all count towards engagement rate. It’s a quick way to understand whether your content is catching people’s attention and prompting them to respond.
Engagement rate is expressed as a percentage you can calculate with this formula:
Freelance social media marketer Rebecca Broad uses this metric as a gut check while creating content. “Keeping engagement rate in mind means I constantly assess visuals and copy and ask ‘why would anyone care?’” says Rebecca.
“Why would someone who sees this post stop scrolling, and spend precious time and energy engaging with it?” It’s a perspective that can help you keep your audience at the center of every creative decision.
Leave a Reply