You view Instagram analytics with a professional account: a creator account or business account. Open your profile and look for analytics or Insights. There you can view figures about your account and individual posts. Start with reach, views and interactions. They tell you how many accounts you reach, how often your photo or video is viewed and what actions people take on it.
Below, you will learn where to find the figures and how to use them for your next photo, Reel or Story.
Where can you find Instagram analytics?
On your profile, look for analytics, Insights or a professional dashboard. The name and location may differ by app version. Therefore, follow this route, but do not expect every menu to have exactly the same name.
- Open your own profile. Find the entry point to your analytics.
- First, view your account overview. Check which period you are viewing and note it with the figures.
- Then open an individual photo, Reel or Story. Look there for the analytics for that post.
- Write down the figures you need. For example, did you want to ask a question? Then look at the comments.
Do you not see any analytics? Check whether you have a personal or professional account. With a personal account, you can look in the account settings for the option to switch. Do not expect to receive all your old data afterwards.
Do you have a professional account but are missing a figure in the overview? Also check the individual post. A missing figure is not the same as zero. Write “not available” if you do not see a value.
What do reach, views and interactions mean on Instagram?
Reach concerns different accounts, views concern how often something was viewed and interactions concern actions. You therefore need these figures for different questions.
| Analytics | What does it mean? | What are you looking at? |
|---|---|---|
| Reach | The number of unique accounts that saw your post. Each account is counted once. | How many different accounts you reach. |
| Views | How often your post was displayed or played. The count depends on the type of post. | How often your photo or video appears on screen. Repeated viewing may count. |
| Interactions | Actions on your post, such as liking, commenting, saving and sharing. | What people do with your post. |
| Profile visits | The number of visits to your profile. | Whether people look beyond your post. |
Fictional example: your photo reaches 200 accounts and has 310 views. That does not mean 310 different people saw the photo. Also, 200 accounts are not always 200 people. Someone may have multiple accounts.
Which figures matter more than likes? Consider what you wanted your post to do. Are you sharing an explanation that people may need later? Then it is useful to see how often it was saved. Are you asking a question? Then look at comments. Do you want people to view your profile? Use profile visits if that figure is available.
Also read what people write. Ten comments containing only an emoji tell you something different from ten questions about your explanation.
How do you calculate your Instagram engagement rate?
You can divide the number of actions by your reach and multiply the result by 100. This gives you an engagement rate: the number of actions per 100 accounts reached. You may also see the English name engagement rate for this.
There are also calculations where you divide by your number of followers. They produce a different result. Therefore, always note which number you divide by and which actions you count.
Fictional calculation example for one post:
- Reach: 500 unique accounts.
- Likes: 40.
- Comments: 8.
- Saved: 12 times.
- Shared: 10 times.
First, add up the actions: 40 + 8 + 12 + 10 = 70 actions.
Then divide by the reach and multiply by 100: 70 ÷ 500 × 100 = 14%.
These are 14 actions per 100 accounts reached. It does not mean that 14% of people responded. One account can perform multiple actions, such as giving a like and saving your post.
You can also use the tool to calculate Instagram engagement use. When comparing, always check which actions count and which number you divide by.
Want to know whether your percentage is good? First compare your own posts of the same type. The Instagram comparison figures from Socialinsider come from the company’s own research. They provide context, but are not a percentage your account must reach.
Which Reels analytics are useful?
For a Reel, look at more than views. Reach tells you how many different accounts saw your video. The number of times your Reel was shared and the comments show what viewers do with it.
Is watch time available? Then you can see how much time people spend watching. Average watch time indicates how long people watch on average, according to Instagram’s count. For this comparison, focus especially on videos that are approximately the same length.
Fictional example: you make two Reels about repotting a houseplant. The first begins with gathering all the supplies. The second immediately shows the plant in its new pot. Compare the available viewing figures and how often the videos were saved. Give both videos the same amount of time before recording the figures.
Then try one adjustment. For example, start your next video immediately with the result. Do not change the opening, length and subject at the same time. It will be harder to see what made the difference.
Want to test the posting time? Read more about the best time to post Reels . Keep the subject and length as similar as possible during that test.
How do you read Story analytics, and what is unavailable in Europe?
For a series of Stories, view the reach of each part. Also look at which actions you can see, such as replies or link taps. Not every overview contains the same figures.
Fictional example: the first Story reaches 120 accounts and the last reaches 84. The difference is 120 − 84 = 36 accounts . That is 36 ÷ 120 × 100 = 30% less reach for the last Story.
This does not prove that exactly 36 people stopped watching. The viewers of the first and last Story do not have to be the same accounts. However, consider whether you want to organize the series differently. For example, is the most important explanation only at the very end?
According to the Metricool explanation of Instagram analytics some replies to Stories are unavailable in Europe because of privacy rules. Metricool also describes the move from impressions to views.
A blank field in a connected tool therefore does not mean that nobody replied for your account in the Netherlands or Belgium. Where possible, also check Instagram itself. This limitation does not automatically apply to all figures in the app.
Are you comparing old and new overviews? Pay attention to both the name and the meaning of each figure. If a figure has a different name, the counting method may also have changed.
What do Instagram analytics tell you about your followers?
Your total number of followers does not show how many changed in between. Therefore, check how many followers joined and how many left, if those figures are available.
Fictional example: this week, 25 followers join and 18 leave. The difference is 25 − 18 = 7 followers added . If you look only at those 7, you miss how many people joined and left.
A decline does not immediately tell you why people leave. Read more about possible causes in why you are losing Instagram followers.
Do you see the countries, ages or times when your followers are active? Use that data to get a general picture of your audience. They do not show how one person behaves. If they are missing, you can still compare your own posts.
It also matters how you get your followers. Are you considering buying Instagram followers? Keep purchased numbers separate when assessing your results. More followers do not prove genuine attention, customers or growth without paid assistance. Your engagement rate also changes if you divide by your number of followers. To compare quantities and prices, explore our Instagram services, including packages for views and followers.
How do you compare Instagram analytics over four weeks?
Start with one question, such as “Which photos do people save more often?” or “Which Reels lead to more profile visits?” Choose the figures that fit that question. Then run a small test for four weeks.
| Week | What do you do? | What do you record? |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Review a few recent posts of the same type. | The subject, posting date, reach and actions that fit your question. |
| 2 | Change one thing, such as the opening sentence. | What you changed and what you kept the same. |
| 3 | Repeat the test with a comparable post. | Whether you see approximately the same difference again. |
| 4 | Compare the results side by side. | What you want to try again and what you do not yet know. |
For regular posts, for example, record the figures consistently seven days after posting. This is an agreement with yourself, not a limit on how long Instagram stores data. For Stories, choose a separate, fixed measurement time when the data is available.
A note or simple table is enough. Indicate whether you paid to show a post more often. Otherwise, you may compare an ordinary photo with a post that received paid distribution.
With few posts, you cannot yet draw a firm conclusion. It is better to write “try this opening again” than “this opening always works”.
Which mistakes can you avoid with Instagram analytics?
- Comparing posts from unequal points in time. Yesterday’s photo has had less time than last month’s photo.
- Counting only likes. Also look at an action that fits your question, such as saving or visiting your profile.
- Counting actions as people. One account can like, comment and share.
- Writing down a missing figure as zero. Write “not available” if you do not see a value.
- Comparing different percentages. A calculation based on reach is not the same as a calculation based on your number of followers.
- Drawing too much from one striking result. Repeat your test before changing your entire approach.
Want to read more about this year’s figures? Read the explanation of Instagram analytics in 2026.
To begin, take two comparable posts. Record their reach and one action that matters to you. Based on that, choose one thing you want to try in your next post.
