6 Instagram Metrics You Need to Watch in 2025: Are You Tracking the Right Data?

Do you check your Instagram insights 10 times a day, or are you normal? Well, in any case, both might be disastrous if performed with old-school strategies. A majority of social media marketers and brands focus upon the widely available metrics instead of going into its niche details.

Many researches reveal that focusing upon optimal Instagram metrics can alone boost your revenue by over 200%. It is indeed an efficient way to leverage your engagement and key insights into a revenue generation model.

Let’s dive into the Instagram numbers that actually matter in 2025. It’s finally the time for you to step up your social media strategy by the end of this blog.

1. Engagements by Follower: Prioritising Quality Over Quantity

Imagine that you have 1 million followers on Instagram by 2025. New year resolution sorted. Massive followers list. Something that you can flex upon, right?

But here’s a catch- Not all things are so simple in life. Having great numbers on your followers list doesn’t necessarily equate to them converting to an engaging audience and eventually a paying customer. That’s one limitation of social media.

In this case, having 10k followers who are also your potential customers, is better than having 1 million followers with random people. This is why it becomes increasingly crucial for brands to track their engagements by follower ratio, especially at the time when Instagram is at the point of saturation.

Engagement is the sum of all the points of interaction between your page and your followers- likes, comments, shares and reposts. A higher engagement rate indicates the resonance of your content with your audience, leading to more meaningful outcomes.

Here’s how you can calculate it:Take the total number of engagements (likes, comments, etc.) and divide it by your total followers. And then, multiply the number by 100 to get the percentage.

Let’s take an example:Suppose you have 5,000 followers and 1,000 engagements, your engagement rate is 20%—which is pretty solid for any brand. Anything above 6-7% is a great target.

Why does it matter in a longer run:

Engagement is the secret sauce behind your actual instagram growth, which also signals an instagram algorithm to surface your content. If your posts are attracting above average engagement rates, they are more likely to end up on the Explore Page. Isn’t that a super simple growth hack?

Subtle tip: Every time you plan out your social media calendar, focus upon posts that create a value for the users to participate. What do they gain out of it? Why would they share it with anyone on the internet? Answer these questions before you put anything out there on Instagram.

2. Engagement by Reach: Focusing on The Power of Exposure

Moving beyond your actual followers count, it is also essential to know how non-followers interact with you. This is what truly gives a real picture about your page’s engagement rate. Getting a high engagement rate among your non-followers naturally leads to them converting into a loyal follower base, and eventually into a paying consumer.

Let’s Understand this Better with an Example:If your ad reached 400 people (this includes both followers and non-followers) and got 50 likes, your engagement rate by reach is 12.5%. You can replace likes with comments, shares or reposts, or even calculate their sum for a more holistic understanding.

Why does it matter in a longer run:

As pointed out, higher engagement by reach means you are tapping into a broader audience segment and keeping them hooked. This is a solid indicator of your content quality. Therefore, it is safe to aim for a rate above 5% for optimal Instagram performance.

Pro tip: Maintaining a higher engagement rate among your non-followers can be more challenging as compared to your followers. Therefore, it is recommended to focus upon community building practices with your instagram marketing. It can be facilitated through active and robust DM automation and comment based engagement through Deepsolv. Here, you don’t just save time, but also build higher engagement when compared to manual human agency.

3. Website Traffic: Converting Views Into Actions

Is your Instagram feed just aesthetic, or is it actually driving some real traffic to your loading page/website? It is increasingly crucial for brands to track their website traffic from Instagram. Remember how we keep mentioning the word ‘loyal followers’. Well, this is the point where you can actually evaluate whether you have just followers or ‘loyal followers’.

While social media marketing is a great awareness building channel, driving organic conversion is an ideal outcome for any brand. Therefore, you must use Google Analytics or Actual Shopify/Commerce data to track how many people are clicking on your website links. This eventually tracks your ROI in a sustainable manner.

Why does it matter in a longer run:

Tracking link clicks and conversion rate can help you to understand the actual effectiveness of your content. If the proportion is considerably low, it is time for you to create highly converting posts instead of random generic content. In 2025, numbers speak louder than following 100 trends on Instagram and seeing no real conversions. Always focus on the outcome rather than staying fixated on only the input.

4. Link Clicks in Stories: Utilising The Call-to-Action Metric

Now this is a more nuanced yet important metric under the website traffic, called Link clicks in Instagram Stories. Undoubtedly, Instagram stories are an excellent way to engage your followers in real-time. But are they really clicking through your links? Are CTAs actually working for them? There’s only one way to find out. Test its effectiveness through link click metric, shifting the focus from views to driving action.

Let’s take an example:

Suppose that you post a story with a link to a new product page. If 300 people out of 3000 unique story views tap your link, that’s a clear sign your content is getting the right kind of attention.

Why does it matter in a longer run: Link clicks act as the bridge between engagement and conversion. 

5. Instagram Reel Shares: Is Your Content Going Viral?

Reels have become one of the most dynamic content types on Instagram. It can act as a unique tool for you to reach users far beyond your existing followers base. Since Instagram algorithm values engagement, reel shares indicate how viral your content is. If people share your reels, it means they find unique value in it- be it entertainment, information or simply because they can relate to it.

Subtle Tip: Brands should therefore focus upon making the content ‘shareable’ before anything else.

6. Saves: Is Your Content Valuable Enough to Return To?

Along with shares, saves are also a true indicator that your followers find value in your content. When a user saves a post, it means they plan to check it later- be it for inspiration, information or simply for a different vibe.

Having a high shares and saves count automatically puts your content in the top-performing list as per Instagram algorithm. Therefore, it makes more sense to focus on these metrics instead of chasing random masses of metrics.

Why It Matters:Saves are one of the best indicators of content that resonates. The more saves you get, the more likely it is that Instagram’s algorithm will promote your post to a wider audience that will also be interested in that content. Therefore, it creates a snowball effect for your content to spread and get viral in limited time. 

How to Track Instagram Insights Like a Pro

You are now familiar with every important indicator to measure and grow your instagram account. But, how do you actually track it? The answer is quite simple- Instagram offers a robust native analytics tool, Instagram insights, It lets you track engagement, reach, impressions, and more. However, you need to look beyond the basics.