You’ve looked at your Instagram post insights. You’ve noted down your follower insight for Instagram. You’ve pored over your Instagram audience insights day after day. But what happens next?
If you’re not quite sure what to do with your Instagram Insights, you aren’t alone. This is a common issue: You know your Insights and analytics are important, but you’re not 100% clear on why.
Today, we’re going to share a list of Instagram tips that will help you push past this problem and learn how to take your account to the top. We’ll walk you through several common Insights and outline the steps you can take to help each number improve. And if you aren’t sure how to see Instagram Insights, don’t worry! We’re going to cover that, too. Here’s everything you need to know about Instagram post insights and how to use Instagram tools to grow your account by leaps and bounds.
What Are Instagram Insights?
If you’re a business on Instagram, Instagram post insights should be your best friend. Insights is Instagram’s built-in reporting tool — designed to help you track the performance of your account. This native analytics tool was created for businesses on Instagram and can help you track data from your Stories, posts, followers, and your overall account.
Perhaps surprisingly, Instagram Insights are actually fairly comprehensive. And all of the analytics Insights offers are important. By building off these foundational numbers, you’ll be able to learn what you need to know about your IG account and make marketing decisions that will set you up for success.
How To See Instagram Insights
In order to access Instagram post insights, you’ll need to have a business Instagram account (not a personal account). Switching your default personal account to a business account carries a lot of benefits. You gain access to a range of helpful features that will allow you to easily market yourself on Instagram. Your profile will look more official, lending you some credibility as people decide whether or not to follow you. And of course, it’s a lot easier to track your progress with the help of Instagram Insights.
Change your profile to a business account by tapping the three lines in the upper right-hand corner of your profile; tapping “Settings;” and tapping “Account.”
Scroll down to the bottom of the next screen and choose “Switch Account Type.” If you currently have a personal account, you’ll see the option to switch to a business account or to a creator account. A creator account is a good fit for influencers — public figures who have their own personal brands. A business account is the best choice for companies on Instagram.
After you choose your desired account type, you’ll be prompted to select a category that best explains what you do.
Next, follow the prompts to connect your Instagram account with your Facebook page. (Before you try to switch over your IG account, you’ll need to make sure the Facebook page that’s associated with your business is ready to go.)
At the end of the process, you can add details such as your contact information. Then your IG business profile will be ready to go.
Once your business account is set up, you’re ready to access Instagram post insights from your account. Here’s how to see Instagram Insights (it’s simple!): Just navigate to your profile and then tap the “Insights” button right under your bio. You’ll be able to view your Insights from there.
7 Actionable Tips Based On Data From Instagram Insights
You’ve successfully switched to a business Instagram account and found your Instagram Insights. What next? Use these tips to act on data from your Instagram post insights and continue to grow your account.
1. Use A Link-in-Bio Tool
Want to get a good number of website taps? Use a link-in-bio tool to up your website traffic from Instagram. You can use your Insights to find data on your website taps — just open Instagram post insights, tap “Accounts Reached” under the Overview section, and scroll down to view your “Account Activity.” (You’ll also be able to see email button taps and call button taps.)
If your number of website taps isn’t where you’d like it to be, make an effort to point people toward that link in your bio. Use a link-in-bio tool to add multiple links in your Instagram bio — your website, your other social media platforms, or whatever else you have to promote. Then include language in your captions and Stories directing people to that link.
2. Consistently Post Engaging Content
If your number of profile visits is declining, you need to do two things: Post consistently, and make sure you’re posting engaging content.
Access your number of profile visits by navigating to Instagram post insights; “Accounts Reached;” and scrolling down to see Account Activity. There, you can see how the number of profile visits you’ve received compares over time.
Of course, you want to get as many profile visits as possible, and regularly sharing new content is the best way to do it. Posting consistently is essential if you want to stay top of mind so people continue following your account. This will also help your content show up in the algorithm. One study showed that most brands post on Instagram an average of 1.5 times per day. Try posting once a day to start with and you can adjust from there based on how many profile visits you’re getting.
But you don’t want to post just anything on Instagram. The content you share needs to be carefully planned and curated, designed to appeal to your target audience as much as possible. For example, Paintbox Nails consistently shares content that its audience is interested in seeing — namely, tutorials and close-ups of amazing nails. Keep a close eye on your follower insight for Instagram to figure out what your target audience wants to see.
3. Stay Away From Shady Follower Growth Practices
If you have a high number of unfollows, you might be tempted to take immediate action to reverse the trend. But don’t fall prey to shady follower growth practices like buying ghost followers. Instead, work on growing your account organically, gaining more real followers over time.
Instagram audience insights make it easy to find growth data (information on follows and unfollows). Tap on Insights and then “Total Followers.” From there, you’ll be able to see a breakdown of how many followers you have gained and lost in a certain time period.
To start growing your account, you first need to figure out why people are unfollowing you. There could be a few reasons why you’re losing followers. Your content might not appeal to your followers. Your posts might be too inconsistent to hold their attention. Or your follower count could include fake followers that are being deleted by Instagram.
That’s why focusing on organic growth and improving the quality of your content could reverse this, helping you gain followers instead. When you work on organically growing your account, you’ll be earning followers who are truly interested in what you have to post. And when your content is high-quality and tailored to them, they’ll be motivated to stick around and engage with your content. We love this adorable post from Petco that’s perfect for an audience of pet owners.
4. Develop A Formula
Have you noticed that a certain number of your Instagram posts are performing remarkably well? Dig a little deeper to understand why these types of content are working. Then develop a formula to use for future content.
You can find data on content reach (Top Post, Top Stories, and Top IGTV Videos) by visiting your Insights and scrolling down to select your content type of choice (post, IGTV video, or Story). Tap “Reach” at the top. Then you’ll be able to see your posts categorized according to which ones have had the largest reach.
Once you have a visual for which posts have gone the furthest, look for any trends or similarities among those posts. Are they all colorful graphics? Do they all include a photo of a person’s face? Were they all posted at the same time of day? This will help you develop a formula for what kind of content you’re going to post — and that will help you save time with your content planning and strategy.
For instance, you might notice that Starbucks regularly posts images of a drink held up against a matching background. While simple, these posts are visually attractive and perform well — so Starbucks has continued with the trend. Once you’ve found something that works, it’s easy to rinse and repeat so you can keep getting the max amount of engagement possible.
5. Post Engaging Content With CTA’s
If you aren’t getting very many shares or likes, try to make your content more engaging and add CTA’s (calls to action). You can view your number of shares and likes under Content Interactions. Navigate to Insights and find the Interactions tab under the “Overview” section. Here, you can view:
- Post Interactions
- Story Interactions
- IGTV Video Interactions
- Top Stories based on interactions
- Top Posts based on interactions
- Top IGTV videos based on interactions
One of the best ways to boost your interactions is by adding a CTA. You can incorporate this call to action in your caption or even into the image you’re posting. Your CTA doesn’t have to be complicated. Simply add “Link in bio” to the end of your caption, or engage your users by asking a question for them to answer in the comments. Here, Amazon Home includes the following CTA: “Tap the link in our bio to shop wfh essentials.”
6. Create More Videos
Are you getting a high number of video views? Create more videos! This tactic works because video content is hot on Instagram. Many accounts see more engagement with Reels, IGTV, and in-feed videos than they do with traditional posts.
Track the performance of your IG videos by tapping into your Content Interactions to view your top posts and IGTV videos. Or select an individual video and tap “View Insights” to see the interactions taken from that post.
This delicious video from Nature’s Bakery shows viewers how to create a fun springtime recipe with their kids. The video is about 20 seconds long and demonstrates how to use Nature’s Bakery bars to design a “carrot garden.” Peppy music plays in the background and the company made sure to include plenty of hashtags and engage with any comments left on the video.
7. Change Your Content Strategy
Finally, if your follower demographics don’t match up with your target audience, it may be time to change your entire content strategy. Check your Audience Data by tapping “See All” in the “Your Audience” section. Then scroll down to view details. Instagram audience insights will show you the top locations of your audience; their age range; their gender; and their most active times.
You might be surprised by the demographics of your audience. If you aren’t attracting the right kind of audience, there could be a few different reasons. Maybe you’re not posting the kind of content they want to see. Maybe you’re not cross-promoting your Instagram account to take advantage of the followers you already have. Or maybe you’re not working smarter, utilizing tactics such as influencer marketing. If your audience isn’t made up of the people you want, it’s time to take a different approach.
One of the best things you can do is tailor your content to your target audience. Think long and hard about your target audience’s demographics and pain points. Then start creating content that answers the questions they have. If you need some tips, take a look at what your competition is doing to gain inspiration. Over time as your audience begins to engage with your content, you’ll be able to get a better idea of what they want to see.
For example, Pura Vida Bracelets has a target audience made up of people who probably care about the environment and enjoy going on outdoor adventures. Pura Vida caters to its audience by consistently posting colorful images and fun captions, such as this user-generated content photo asking followers about their summer travel plans. Accessing your follower insight for Instagram makes it easy to find the information you need and plan posts accordingly.
Use Instagram Post Insights To Succeed
Now that you know how to see Instagram Insights — and, more importantly, what to do with the data you find — you’re ready to take your Instagram marketing to the next level. Look at your Instagram post insights and Instagram audience insights on a regular basis so you always have an idea of where things are. Then take that follower insight for Instagram and work it into your IG marketing strategy. By intentionally using your Instagram Insights, you can take your account and your brand to the top.
