How to Create a Social Media Report (Free Report Template!)

Introduction

Ah, the dreaded monthly social media report. Sure, it's integral for monitoring your brand's growth and informing your content strategy, but it can also be a little bit confusing. 

So if you've ever wondered what metrics I should be tracking, or how should I present data in a way that's less of a snore, then you're in the right place. Hi, I'm Joey from Later, and today, I'm going to be showing you how to deliver a high-level social media report that breaks down what worked, what didn't, and how to keep it all super engaging. 

Consider this the end of ugly spreadsheets and let's dive right into the data.

What to Include in a Social Media Report

So first things first. What exactly should you include in a social media report? Well, it all depends on what your goals and channels you're managing.

But generally, most social media reports will have the following metrics: 

• Follower growth;

• The number of posts published;

• Reach;

• Engagement;

• Link clicks;

• Video views;

• Sessions;

• Ad spend; and

• The month-over-month percentage increase or decrease.

We also recommend highlighting the best-performing posts of the month, as well as any key learnings like wins, challenges, and opportunities. For example, a win might be having a particular video go viral, or a challenge might be that you've noticed a certain type of post that used to perform well isn't having the same effect anymore. 

Now, that might seem like a lot to cover, but trust us, the key to a successful social media strategy is all in understanding your metrics and how your content performs. Now, let's get into how exactly you'll be pulling all of this data to create your report.

How to Access Analytics to Create a Social Media Report

Most social media platforms have built-in analytics that you can use to discover your weekly, monthly, and year-over-year numbers. 

But with a third-party tool like Later, you'll have more of a streamlined way to monitor your performance across all major platforms, including Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and Pinterest. 

Later's dashboard is really easy to interpret and lets you jump between different tabs like Post Performance, Audience Insights, and so much more. Plus, you can export all your analytics directly to your desktop in a CSV file, making it easier than ever to keep track of all your data so that you can transfer it to your shiny monthly report.

How to Create a Monthly Social Media Report

Now, here's where things get fun. You're clear on your goals and you've got your data in tow. So, time to create your social media report. 

To help woo your clients or boss, we created a totally free Social Media Report Template that's actually nice to look at. It's an editable Google Slides template, similar to PowerPoint so that you can duplicate or remove slides, change the background colours, use our PNG stickers and easily add your own insights.

My favourite thing: it also acts like a step-to-step guide, taking you through the trenches of month-over-month percentages and data points. All you have to do is copy and paste your data, and once you're done, delete the example report slide, and voila! You're ready to present a gorgeous social media report. Or if you prefer, you can also save it as a PDF too. This free template is linked in the description below, so go ahead and download it and have some fun making it your own.

All right, that's it for today, but we'll link a few additional blogs on metrics worth tracking and industry benchmarks so that you can see how your work is stacking up against your own competition. 

Catch us back here next week as we cover more social media trends, tips, and strategies. In the meantime, leave us a comment and let us know what you'd like us to cover next. And as always, we'll see you later.