KPIs that actually matter

Native analytics tabs are full of numbers. Most are decorative. A small set of ratios and rates carries most of the signal about what to do next.

Save rate and share rate over likes

A like is cheap. A save or a share means the content had lasting or referable value. Saves and shares are also the strongest recommendation signals across Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

Completion rate on video

Watch time is directional; completion rate is diagnostic. A video with high completion at low length can be extended; a video with low completion at long length needs to be cut.

Follows-per-view, not just follower count

The number of new follows per 1,000 views reveals whether the profile is doing its job. If reach is up but follows-per-view is flat, the problem is on the profile page, not in the content.

Reply rate on comments

Reply rate — comments per view — is a proxy for how emotionally engaging the content is. Rising reply rate almost always precedes rising reach, especially on Instagram and TikTok.

What to ignore

Impressions without context, follower-count vanity spikes after a viral post, and vanity growth-rate percentages on tiny bases. None of these predict what to make next.

See building a consistent brand voice for the qualitative side of the same review.