How to Track the Performance of Instagram Content

Published on 09.08.2026 by Chizoba T

Instagram is, without doubt, one of the best platforms for businesses to connect with their target audience, increase awareness, and engage with their target audience. However, with the many Instagram features available on the platform, creators need to understand the metrics that really matter on the platform.

By tracking your Instagram analytics, you can understand which kind of content resonates with your target audience. In this article, we guide you on the right Instagram metrics to track for the best results. This is key when you want to leverage social media analytics to take your account to the next level.

What are Instagram Analytics and Why Do They Matter?

Instagram Analytics refers to the data and metrics obtained from Instagram or third-party tools showing the performance of your account. This data is used by brands, creators, and social media managers to evaluate the performance of their social media accounts and track the level of success.

By paying attention to who your target audience is, when they are mostly active, and the kind of content they are engaging with, you can be better positioned to create social media content that will drive your business goals. Otherwise, without this data, you will remain in the dark.

However, when you understand the right Instagram metrics you need to track and how to get these insights, it can be challenging. With different brands having different goals, from increasing sales to growing their following, this means the key metric can change depending on the business goals.

Key Instagram Metrics to Track in 2026

Nowadays, there are different kinds of content on Instagram, which means the analytics you will find depend on the section of the app you want to view. This can include the metrics for posts, reels, stories, and live videos. To see the key metrics, you need to be using an Instagram business account. After that, you can focus on tracking these key metrics:

Engagement Rate

This is a good metric to show how your audience is interacting with your post, story, and reel through likes, shares, comments, and saves. This is a great metric because it reflects whether your content resonates with people. If your engagement rate is high, it shows your content is working with your target audience. A good formula for measuring engagement is to track total engagement per follower and multiply that by 100. 

Follower Growth Rate

This can be a good metric to show the speed at which your followers are growing. This metric is important in showing the popularity of posts and determining if your content strategy is working or not. You can calculate the follower growth rate by dividing the new followers by the total followers and multiplying the result by 100. However, you can see this data directly on Instagram Analytics, indicating the percentage by which your follower count is growing.

Reach and Impression

Reach is an important metric that will reflect the unique accounts the Instagram users see in Instagram stories, reels, and posts. This is an important metric to show how wide your Instagram content is getting. If your content is reaching more people, your chances of gaining new followers increase.

Impressions show the number of times someone interacts with the content. For instance, if one person sees the same post three times, that will be counted as three impressions by Instagram. However, the reach will only count each user once, making it a more effective metric for tracking the number of people who see your Instagram content.

Mentions

Another important metric is the number of mentions, as these track the number of times your brand gets mentioned on Instagram. This is a good metric as it reflects the popularity and visibility of your brand. The more mentions you get, the better it will be for you. With proper management, more Instagram mentions can result in a higher number of customers, followers, and a greater presence on social media. Mentions that use the @ sign will appear in your notification bar.

How to Use Instagram Metrics to Grow Your Account

Now that we have seen some of the important Instagram metrics to track, let us look at how you can use these and other metrics to grow your account.

Understand the Best-Performing Content

There are different content formats on Instagram, such as single images, posts, stories, reels, and carousels. These different content formats are a good choice for helping your audience engage differently. Some are a good choice for driving shares and comments, while others can increase the reach of your posts. When you understand the best-performing content format, you can use it to focus your energy where it really matters.

To find out your best-performing content format, you should look into the engagement metrics such as likes, shares, comments, and saves. You should track how each content format works. 

For instance:

  • Stories. How are your followers interacting with the polls or answering questions?
  • Reels. How effective are the views in reaching more people?
  • Carousels. Are your social media users sharing or saving multiple images rather than single-image posts?

If you would like to share more details in a way that doesn't overwhelm your audience, carousel posts are the right format to do so. You can use a combination of videos and images to highlight important tips, share stories, or share the step-by-step process. 

Carousels can be an important format for showcasing different content formats, such as:

  • Behind-the-scenes content.
  • Campaign or event highlights.
  • Quick tips or tutorials.

To drive engagement and repeat visits, you can combine videos with image content. This can be key to building a steady income on Instagram.

Grow Your Reach with Hashtags

Adding hashtags to your content can increase its discoverability among the Instagram audience. For the best results, you need a mix of broad and niche hashtags. 

Some of the best ways of using hashtags are by:

  • Mixing things up. Combine broad, popular hashtags with niche ones.
  • Remaining relevant. Ensure that your hashtags are a good match for the content you are sharing.
  • Keep testing. You can use different combinations to determine the one driving the highest engagement.

When you track the hashtag bringing the highest engagement and traffic, you can improve your Instagram strategy.

Grow Your Reach with Reels

Reels are heavily promoted on Instagram, making them a good choice for expanding your reach. Additionally, these short videos are fun and engaging and expand your reach. 

Here are some of the metrics to track for Reels:

  • Plays and replays. Pay attention to the number of people who watch the reel.
  • Engagement. Consider whether people like, comment, or share the reels.
  • Watch time. Consider the percentage of the reel that the viewers watched and whether they finished it.

If you notice that your reels are not performing well in the above engagement and other metrics, you can use several tips to improve them. These are:

  • Start strong. Use the first few seconds to hook the viewer with compelling captions and visuals.
  • Follow the trend. You should use popular hashtags, sounds, and videos to stay up to date with the latest trends.
  • Keep testing and optimizing. You should experiment with different content styles, topics, and lengths to see which types of content drive the highest engagement.

Some of the best-performing content formats often share common themes, such as inspiration, tips, or fun. You can use the insight to create content that resonates with the target audience.

Use Instagram Stories

If you want to connect with your audience better and drive engagement, stories are the perfect choice to do so. Make them short, easily digestible, and personal, usually more than reels and posts. When you track the number of people interacting with the stories, you can determine what your audience likes more and create stories that drive more engagement.

To make the most out of stories:

  • Share interactive content. This can include content formats such as questions, polls, and quizzes that require your audience’s participation.
  • Make it fun. Add text overlay, GIFs, and music to stories to make them stand out.

Determine the Best Posting Time

Your posting time can make a bigger difference in the performance of your content. When you post during times when your audience is mostly active, you can increase your content's visibility. Therefore, you need to pay attention to when your audience is most active so you can create content when they are. 

To determine when your followers are most active, check:

  • What time of day? Are they more active in the morning, in the afternoon, or in the evening?
  • Day of the week. Consider whether weekdays or weekends?

After you understand the best posting time, you can schedule your posts to go live when your audience is most likely to see them. You can experiment with different posting times to see which works best.

In Conclusion

Tracking the performance of your Instagram posts can provide important insights into the kinds of posts that resonate with your target audience. You can then use the data to improve your future Instagram content. Therefore, use our guide to track what works and measure adjustments based on data.