# Data Overview Instagram Insights data is organized by report type, each with its own set of metrics and dimensions. Understanding what each report contains helps you choose the right one for your analysis. ## Report types and use cases Each report type exports different data based on what you're analyzing. Some reports focus on account-level metrics, others on individual posts or stories. The report type you choose determines which columns appear in your export. | Report Type | What it measures | Typical columns | | ---------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | Post: performance totals | Engagement on individual posts | Post ID, caption, publish date, impressions, reaches, likes, comments, shares, saves | | Profile: account overview | Current account status snapshot | Followers, following, biography, reach, impressions, profile visits | | Profile: performance insights | Account metrics over time | Date, impressions, reach, profile visits, follower growth | | Profile: followers daily breakdown | New followers per day (30 days) | Date, new followers, new follower growth percentage | | Profile: followers demography | Audience breakdown by location/age/gender | Age group, gender, city, country, audience count | | Post: comment details review | Individual comments and metadata | Post ID, comment ID, comment text, commenter, date, sentiment (if available) | | Story: performance totals | Story engagement (last 24 hours) | Story ID, publish date, impressions, reaches, replies, link taps, profile visits | | Story: navigation by action type | How viewers interact with story links | Action type (link tap, profile visit, etc.), count | | Profile: daily reach | Reach trends over time | Date, reach, reach by followers, reach by non-followers | ## Common metrics explained #### Account metrics * **Impressions** — Total number of times any of your content was on screen (counted once per session). * **Reach** — Total number of unique accounts that saw your content. * **Profile visits** — Number of times someone viewed your profile. * **Followers** — Total count of followers at the time of report. * **Follower growth** — Net change in followers over a period. #### Post and story engagement * **Likes** — Total likes on a post or story. * **Comments** — Total comments on a post. * **Shares** — Number of times a post was shared (reposted). * **Saves** — Number of times a post was saved. * **Link taps** — Clicks on links in stories or bio. * **Replies** — Direct replies to stories. #### Demographic metrics * **Age group** — Follower age bracket (e.g., 18–24, 25–34). * **Gender** — Follower gender distribution. * **City/Country** — Top geographic locations of your audience. * **Engaged audience demographics** — Breakdown of people who interacted with your content. * **Reached audience demographics** — Breakdown of all people who saw your content. ## Use cases by role {% tabs %} {% tab title="Social Media Managers" %} Track post and story performance daily to understand what content resonates with your audience. Use "Post: performance totals" to identify top-performing posts, then compare metrics across different content types (reels vs. static posts) with "Profile: performance by media type." Monitor follower growth trends using "Profile: followers daily breakdown" and understand your audience composition with "Profile: followers demography insights" to refine your content strategy. Use Append to combine post performance data from multiple accounts into a single sheet for centralized reporting. {% endtab %} {% tab title="Content Creators" %} Focus on post and story engagement to understand what drives audience interaction. Run "Post: performance totals" weekly to see which posts got the most engagement, then drill into comments with "Post: comment details review" to understand audience sentiment. Track story performance in real-time with "Story: performance totals (last 24 hours)" to see if current content is working and adjust strategy immediately. Monitor your follower demographics to better tailor content to your core audience. {% endtab %} {% tab title="Brand Marketers" %} Use "Profile: account overview" for monthly brand health snapshots and "Profile: performance insights" to track campaign impact over specific date ranges. Compare performance across different content types ("Profile: performance by media type") and audience segments ("Profile: performance by follow type") to optimize ad spend and organic strategy. Join Instagram Insights with Facebook Ads data (if you're running ads) to correlate paid campaigns with organic performance. {% endtab %} {% tab title="E-commerce Owners" %} Track profile visits ("Profile: account overview") as a proxy for traffic potential, and monitor "Profile: links taps by contact button type" to see how many people are clicking to shop, call, or message you. Analyze post performance to identify which products or collections generate the most engagement, then prioritize similar content. Use "Profile: followers demography insights" to understand your customer base and refine your product strategy. {% endtab %} {% endtabs %} ## Platform-specific notes * **Impressions on reels:** Instagram's API does not support impressions data for reels in some report types. If a column shows empty values for reel posts, this is a known limitation. * **Historical data:** Stories only include data from the last 24 hours. Older story data is not available. * **Follower demographics:** "Profile: followers demography insights" only shows aggregate percentages, not individual follower breakdowns. * **Promoted posts:** If you're running ads on your posts, use the "Show promoted posts ad ids in separate rows" option to split organic and paid performance into separate rows. * **Monthly splits:** When splitting data by month in "Profile: performance insights," the 31st day is excluded (only months with 30 or fewer days are split). * **Data freshness:** Most Instagram Insights data updates within 24–48 hours of activity.