Getting started with Buffer's analytics features

Once you've published your posts from Buffer, you'll want to measure their performance and see what's resonating with your followers. Buffer's analytics features make it easy to measure metrics such as engagement, reach, clicks, post shares or saves, retweets, and impressions on your posts.

With analytics, you can also gain insight about your audience by tracking your follower growth, learn more about the best times to post, and what types of content is performing best with your audience.

This guide includes:

1. Overview of analytics
2. Creating and exporting custom reports
3. Video overview

Overview of analytics

With Buffer analytics, you have the option to view your posts performance across all of your social channels in one glance, or focus in on a specific social channel.

Overview of all social channels

Our "Home" page will consolidate all of your channels into one screen so you can get a high level overview of how your posts are performing. The "Home" page is visible as soon as you log into Buffer and click the "Analytics" tab.

Individual channel metrics

To view the metrics for a specific social channel:

1. Select a social network on the left side of Buffer

2. Then, select a social channel from the dropdown at the top of the screen. If you only have one channel for any of your social networks, it will automatically be selected. However, if you have multiple channels (e.g. multiple Facebook pages), you'll see them all listed within the dropdown and you can select one to view its analytics.

   

   
   

Creating and exporting custom reports

Once you've browsed the analytics, you can pick and choose which charts and tables to add to a custom report. To add a chart or table to a report, click the plus (+) button above the report. 

Once you've clicked the plus sign, enter the name you’d like to use for your new report and then click Create Report. Alternatively, add the table or chart to an existing report by clicking on the report name.

Video overview

Here's a quick overview of some of the analytics available, how to navigate between the overall analytics and analytics for individual social channels, and how to create and export a custom report.