If you use Instagram for your business or want to gain a deeper understanding of how your content is performing, you will definitely want to know what impressions are on Instagram. This key metric has a major impact on your social media strategy.
Most Instagram users don’t know what Impressions are, and often confuse them with Reach, which is why we will go over both of these key metrics in this article.
What Are Impressions on Instagram?
So, what exactly is an impression on Instagram and why is it important?
Each view of a piece of content on Instagram counts as an impression.
Every single time a post comes across the screen of another account is considered to be an impression. This also includes whenever content shows up in:
- Your Profile
- Search Results
- A Follower’s Feed
Note: Impressions are not considered to be unique views. A single person can view a post several times, with each time counting as an impression.
How to View Impressions on Instagram
In order to view the impressions of your posted content, you will need to set up a Business or Creator account first. Regular profiles do not have access to analytics.
Follow these steps to view the impressions, as well as other helpful metrics, of your content:
- Open the Instagram app
- Tap on your profile picture icon in the bottom-right of the screen
- Tap on the hamburger menu (three horizontal lines) in the top-right of the screen
- Scroll down to the For professionals section and tap on Account type and tools
- Tap on Switch to professional account and then confirm by tapping on the Continue button
- Answer the questions asked and then tap on Done
- Go to your profile page and tap on Professional dashboard or tap on a specific post, after which tap on View Insights
- View either your overall metrics via the Professional dashboard or the analytics for individual posts via the View Insights page
- Head down to the Impressions section to see the amount of times your post has been viewed by others
Instagram Impressions FAQs
Now that you know what Impressions are and how to view them, you may have some questions about what you’re seeing. Here are some frequently asked questions regarding Instagram Impressions:
How can the impression rate be determined?
If you want to know the Impression Rate, simply divide how many likes and comments a post has by the number of followers you have, and then multiply by 100. This will give you the Impression Rate as a percentage.
How are impressions counted?
As soon as an Instagram user views your content, it is considered to have received an impression. Even if they do not go to the post and are just scrolling through their feed, an impression is counted. Additionally, the same person could view a post numerous times and each view will be counted as an impression.
How can you view impression stats?
All analytics for your posted content can be viewed via the Professional dashboard and the View Insights page under each post.
Instagram Impressions vs Reach
While it may be slightly confusing, besides impressions there is also a metric called Reach.
Unlike impressions, Reach only includes the number of accounts that viewed your content. This means that one user may view your post many times but will only be counted once.
This means you will always have more Impressions than your Reach count. The reason impressions are very helpful in understanding how well your content is performing is that you get to see how often people return to it. If it’s a very liked piece of content, it is likely that it will have significantly more impressions than reach.
If you are using Instagram as a way to increase your brand awareness, understanding what impressions are and how to view them is essential.
Note: Reach can never be higher than Impressions. Theoretically, Impressions can be equal to Reach but Reach will never be greater than Impressions.
Use both impressions and reach to determine how well your content is performing. With reach, you are able to evaluate your content’s quality while impressions indicate the response to your posts. If you want to grow your Instagram engagement, you should understand and review both of these metrics.
Types of Impressions
There are a few different types of Instagram impressions you should know about.
Profile Impressions
When you view Profile Impressions, you can see the overall total for the impressions your account has received. This includes impressions for:
- Posts
- Stories
- Videos
Additionally, you can view metrics for actions other people have done, such as viewing your profile and clicking on various elements on your profile.
Audience Impressions
To see data related to your audience, you should take a look at Audience Impressions. These metrics provide you with details on your audience’s location, gender, and other helpful details.
You should keep in mind when your audience is the most active when looking at your impressions. This could provide key insights into the best times to post your content to maximize engagement.
Content Impressions
Viewing Content Impressions helps you decipher how well your content is performing. Instagram splits up these metrics between Posts and Stories. In this area, you can see how many impressions your content received for each content type, as well as how many accounts the content reached.
Story Impressions
You can also see details about how much engagement your Stories receive, which includes impressions. While only being visible for 24 hours, Story Impressions will help you understand how engaging your ephemeral content is.
Conclusion
So, what are impressions on Instagram? They are whenever someone views your content, with each view being counted as one impression. This helpful metric helps you see whether your content is being viewed multiple times or if people are just viewing it once and moving on. Understanding how many impressions your content is getting can help you make sure you keep improving and refining it to make it as engaging as possible.
