Social Media Analytics Report: What to Include + Template

A monthly social media analytics report fits on one page: one headline number per goal compared with last month, the posts that mattered, traffic and conversions from your site, and a short list of what you will change next month. Everything else belongs in an appendix or nowhere.

The template below is a table you can paste into a spreadsheet or a document. The sections after it show where each number comes from and how to write the part people actually read.

What goes in a social media analytics report

A useful report answers three questions: did we reach the goal, why, and what do we do next. Include only the numbers that bear on those questions.

1. The goal for the period. One line, so the reader knows what "good" means.
2. Headline numbers against last month. One or two metrics per goal, not every metric the platform offers. Pick them from the metrics that match each goal.
3. Best and worst posts. Three of each, with the format and the reach.
4. Traffic and conversions. Sessions and conversions from social, from your web analytics.
5. Takeaways and next month's changes. Where the report earns its keep.

Leave out follower counts with no change attached, a table for every platform, and anything nobody acted on last month.

Social media analytics report template

Copy this table and fill one row per goal. Add a column per account if you manage several. Keep the metric definitions fixed from month to month so the change column means something. For the engagement rate row, the engagement rate calculator does the arithmetic.

Goal	Metric	Last month	This month	Change	Source
Awareness	Reach (people who saw your content)				Platform insights
Awareness	Net new followers				Platform insights
Engagement	Engagement rate (interactions ÷ reach)				Platform insights
Traffic	Link clicks and sessions from social				Platform and web analytics
Conversions	Leads or sales from social				Web analytics or CRM
Customer care	Median first response time				Inbox timestamps

Then a second table for the posts that moved the numbers:

Post	Format	Reach	Interactions	Why it did better or worse
Best 1
Best 2
Best 3
Weakest 1
Weakest 2

Finish with three short blocks: What changed (one sentence per headline number), Why (one piece of evidence each), and Next month (no more than three actions, each with an owner).

How to pull each number

Pull everything on the same day each month, and record it before the platform's window closes. Each platform keeps its data for a different length of time.

Source	How to get the numbers	Limit to know
Instagram	Insights on your profile, then set the timeframe; View insights under each post	Account insights go back 90 days at most, per Instagram Help
Facebook	Insights in your Professional dashboard, under Performance	Shows the last 7, 14 or 28 days, per Meta Business Help
LinkedIn Page	Page admin view, Analytics, pick a tab, Export, choose a timeframe	Export downloads an XLS file for the Content, Visitors, Followers and Competitors tabs, per LinkedIn Help
YouTube	Studio, Content, pick a video, Analytics	Retention data takes 1 to 2 days to process, per YouTube Help
TikTok	TikTok Studio on the web: Upload, then Analytics	Some metrics need analytics turned on first, per TikTok Support
Google Analytics 4	Reports, Acquisition, Traffic acquisition, per Google Analytics Help	Export to CSV, PDF or Google Sheets from Share this report, up to 100,000 rows, per Google Analytics Help

For sessions from social posts to show up by post, tag every link before you publish. The UTM builder guide shows a naming pattern that survives a year of reports. On Instagram, how to see Instagram insights walks through the steps.

Facebook's longest window in that view is 28 days, which is not a calendar month. Record the 28-day figure on the same day each month and label it as 28 days.

How to write the takeaways

Write each takeaway as three parts: what moved, the most likely reason, and the action. A number with no reason and no action is a status update, not an insight.

The pattern, with placeholders:

• What moved: [Metric] went from [last month] to [this month].
• Most likely reason: [The posts or format that changed], which [evidence: reach, saves, clicks].
• Action: [Specific change], checked by [date].

Two rules keep the section honest. First, when a number moved and you cannot point to a cause, say so and say what you will test, rather than inventing a story. Second, limit actions to three, because a list of ten gets none of them done. Last month's actions go at the top of this month's report with a one-word result: done, partly, or dropped.

Social media analytics dashboard vs report

A dashboard is a live view of numbers; a report is a dated document that explains them. You glance at a dashboard, and you read a report.

A dashboard shows key numbers in one place, which is useful for spotting trouble early. It does not say why a number moved or what to do about it, and that is the part the report has to supply.

If you build a dashboard, keep the same headline metrics as the report template, so the monthly report is a snapshot plus commentary rather than a separate exercise.

Common problems with social media analytics reports

Most report problems are inconsistent definitions, not bad math. Three to check before sending a report:

• Metrics renamed. Meta relabeled video Plays as Views starting October 2024, so exports from before then use different words for the count, per Meta Business Help. Note the date of any definition change in the report.
• Platform clicks versus sessions. The platform counts a tap; your analytics counts a page that loaded. A gap is expected. Report both and do not subtract one from the other.
• Comparing different windows. A 28-day figure against a 30-day figure invites a false change. Use the same window every month.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long should a social media report be?

One page for the people who decide, plus an appendix for anyone who wants detail. The one page is the goal line, the headline table, the best and weakest posts, and the takeaways. If a reader needs more than five minutes to find the point, cut metrics until they do not.

How often should you send a social media report?

Monthly suits most teams, because a month holds enough posts for a pattern to show. Send a short weekly note only during a launch or a paid push, when decisions are made in days. A quarterly summary works for executives, built from the three monthly reports rather than a new pull.

Should a social media report include competitor data?

Include it only if someone will act on it. LinkedIn Page analytics has a Competitors tab that compares your Page's followership and content engagement with other Pages, per LinkedIn Help. One line on follower growth against two or three named competitors is usually enough.

What is the difference between a social media report and an audit?

A report measures performance over a period and repeats on a schedule. An audit checks the setup, such as profile details, link tagging, posting frequency and goals, and happens once or twice a year. Use the audit to decide what to measure, and the report to track it.

Can a social media analytics report be automated?

Partly. Google Analytics 4 lets you export a report to Google Sheets, and connector tools can pull platform numbers into a template. The commentary cannot be automated, and it is the part readers value. Automate the table, write the takeaways yourself.

Sources

1. Instagram Help Center, About Instagram insights
2. Meta Business Help Center, Insights on your Facebook Page
3. LinkedIn Help, Export your LinkedIn Page analytics report
4. LinkedIn Help, LinkedIn Page analytics
5. YouTube Help, Measure key moments for audience retention
6. TikTok Support, Creator tools and TikTok Studio
7. Google Analytics Help, Share and export reports
8. Google Analytics Help, Traffic acquisition report