Let’s be honest. Nobody enjoys creating social media reports. You spend hours pulling numbers, copying graphs, and compiling a document that ends up in a folder on the shared drive, never to be opened again.
The problem? Most reports are just a collection of vanity metrics—numbers that look impressive but don’t actually mean anything to the people who need to see them. Your report is boring because it doesn’t provide a clear, actionable plan.
A great social media report isn’t just a dump of data; it tells a story. It translates your hard work into insights that everyone—from your team to your client—can understand and act on.
This guide is your blueprint for creating a social media report that delivers real value. We’ll break down the 7 essential sections you need to include to create a report that people will actually read and use.
1. Overview of KPIs & Monthly Targets
Before you even think about pulling numbers, you need to know what you’re measuring. A report without a clear goal is just a pile of data. It’s like getting in a car and driving without a destination—you’re moving, but you’re not going anywhere meaningful.
Your Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are the metrics that matter most to your business. They should be directly tied to the big picture. For example, if your business’s goal is to grow brand awareness, your main KPI might be Reach. If your goal is to generate leads, your main KPI might be Website Clicks or Lead Form Submissions.
Once you have your KPIs, you need to set a clear monthly target for each. This is your north star. It gives your data context and helps you measure your success. This section is the foundation of your entire report. By starting here, you’re not just showing what happened; you’re showing if you’re on track to hit your goals.
2. Analytics from Each Channel
This is the section where you get to dive into the numbers. But don’t just dump all your data in here. The goal is to highlight the most important metrics from each platform and show a direct comparison to your monthly targets.
Here are the key data points you’ll want to pull for each social media channel:
- Reach & Impressions: These metrics show how many people saw your content. Reach is the number of unique viewers, while impressions are the total number of times your content was shown.
- Engagement Rate: This is a crucial metric that shows how much your audience is connecting with your content. It’s usually a combination of likes, comments, shares, and saves.
- Follower Growth: The net change in your follower count.
- Website Clicks/Traffic: This is a vital metric that shows how many people are leaving the social platform and visiting your website.
Break down your analytics by channel so you can see where you’re winning and where you’re struggling. This provides the context you need to tell your report’s story.
3. Audience Insights
The numbers are great, but who are the people behind them? This section is where you play detective and report on the audience you’re actually reaching. This is a critical step because it helps you ensure you’re talking to the right people and that your content is resonating with them.
Start with the basics. Who are your followers? Report on their age, gender, and location. This is where you can see if you’re reaching your target demographic or if your content is attracting a completely different audience.
Go beyond the basics and report on your audience’s behavior. What time are they online? What kind of content do they interact with most? What hashtags do they follow? By including this section, you’re not just reporting on what happened; you’re gaining the insights you need to improve your content strategy moving forward.
4. Content Performance
The numbers tell a story, but this is the section where you start to read it. Content Performance is all about identifying which of your posts are working and, more importantly, why they’re working.
Instead of just listing every post you created, create a highlight reel of your top-performing posts. This is where you go from a data reporter to a content strategist. By analyzing these posts, you can find a formula that you can replicate in the future.
Look for patterns in your top-performing content:
- The Topic: What was the topic of the post?
- The Format: Was it a Reel, a carousel, or a single image?
- The CTA: What did you ask your audience to do?
- The Time of Day: Was there a specific time that it performed best?
This section is a powerful tool for learning. It gives you a clear understanding of what your audience wants and what you should be creating more of.
5. Campaign Highlights
This is the section where you get to show off your biggest wins. Campaign Highlights are where you go from reporting on day-to-day metrics to showcasing the success of a specific, targeted effort.
Think of this as a mini case study. Don’t just list the numbers. Tell the story. What was the goal of the campaign? What did you do to achieve it? And what were the final results?
Include the following in each campaign highlight:
- The Campaign Goal: What were you trying to achieve?
- The Execution: What content did you create and on which platforms did you post it?
- The Results: Show the key metrics and compare them to your initial goal.
This section is crucial for showing the value of your social media efforts. It proves that you’re not just posting; you’re creating a strategy that drives real results.
6. Recommendations for Future
This is arguably the most important section of your report. The other sections show what happened, but this section shows what you’re going to do about it. This is where you turn all that data into a clear, actionable roadmap for the next month.
Based on your analytics, content performance, and audience insights, what should you do next? This is where you get to show off your strategic mind and propose a clear plan for growth.
Consider using a “Stop, Start, Continue” framework:
- Stop: What content isn’t performing? Stop creating it.
- Start: What new content ideas or strategies should you test?
- Continue: What is working that you should keep doing?
By providing a clear plan, you’re not just delivering a report; you’re delivering value. This is how you prove your expertise and make your report a tool for real growth.
7. Summary and Key Takeaways
This is the final word on your report. The Summary and Key Takeaways section is where you bring it all together and distill your entire report into a single, compelling slide or paragraph.
Think of it as the executive summary or an elevator pitch of your entire report. This is the one section that everyone, from the CEO to the marketing intern, will read.
Here’s what you should include:
- Progress Towards Goals: Did you hit your monthly targets? Start with the good news.
- Biggest Wins: Highlight your top-performing content and campaigns.
- Key Learnings: Summarize the key insights you gained about your audience and content.
- Next Steps: Briefly mention the most important recommendations for the future.
By including this section, you’re making your report easy to understand and act on. It proves that you’re not just creating a report; you’re providing value.
Conclusion: The Report That Actually Matters
You’ve made it to the end. The days of creating boring, useless reports are officially over. You now have the complete blueprint for a report that tells a story and provides actionable insights.
You now know to start with KPIs and targets to set the stage, then dive into channel analytics and audience insights. You’ll analyze your content performance and highlight your campaign wins before getting to the most important part: your future recommendations. Finally, you’ll summarize it all in the key takeaways.
The truth is, a report isn’t just about showing what happened. It’s about showing what you’re going to do next. You have the knowledge. Now, it’s time to take action. Go out there and create a report that people will actually read and use.