Performance overview

The Overview tab within Buffer's analytics dashboard provides insight into your overall engagement levels, including a full metrics breakdown chart, allowing you to view your performance and followers over time. 

In this article:

1. Finding your report
2. Diving into your report
3. Adding tables and charts to a custom report
4. Facebook metrics
5. Instagram metrics
6. X/Twitter metrics
7. LinkedIn metrics

Finding your report

1. Start by clicking Analyze at the top of your Buffer dashboard (not available on mobile).
2. Select the channel you'd like to analyze on the left-hand side of your dashboard.
3. Choose a profile or Page from the drop-down.
4. You should now be on the Overview tab.
5. Choose the date range you'd like to view.

Diving into your report

Performance table

This table shows key performance metrics for each social channel. When you select a date range in this table, you’ll see aggregate metrics attained. You will also see engagements for posts that were published before the date range if they continue to perform within the dates you’ve selected. This is different than the Posts tab, which only shows engagements on posts that were published during the chosen date range. Learn more in the article: Why are my stats different between the Posts tab and the Overview tab?

Buffer's analytics tools also include insights for boosted Facebook posts or promoted Instagram posts. Organic posts and boosted posts are represented by blue and green respectively in the bar chart.

To see an exact breakdown between organic and paid, hover over the respective bar charts.

The percentages indicate any change in metrics compared to the previous period. So, for example, if you have the last 7 days set as your date range, the percentage change will be a comparison to the previous 7-day period before that.

Average performance chart

This chart shows you the average performance per post. This includes posts that may have been sent outside of the date range, if they continue to receive engagements within your chosen date range.

This chart will help you identify, set and measure performance goals. You’ll see your organic posts and boosted posts represented by blue and green in the bar charts. This is a good table to review regularly to help build up a strong intuition on performance over a long period of time.

Metrics Insights chart

This chart allows you to gain insight into the general engagement of your posts, your overall number of followers and to compare performance over periods of time.

You can choose to view the performance for the previous period as well, which will allow you to compare metrics for the same amount of time immediately proceeding the selected date range. When you hover over a specific date, you’ll see a breakdown of organic and paid data. In an ideal world, previous period totals would always be lower than the current period.

Adding tables and charts to a custom report

Finally, you can add any of the tables and charts from this area to custom report. Simply click the plus button at the top right of any chart you'd like to include. Learn more about creating custom analytics reports here.

You can also export all data as both CSV and image files using the Export as... button.

Facebook metrics

The table below provides an overview of which metrics are available in each table and chart. Find Facebook metrics descriptions here. All metrics are pulled from Facebook's Graph API.

Instagram metrics

The table below provides an overview of which metrics are available in each table and chart. Find Instagram metrics descriptions here. All metrics are pulled from Instagram's Graph API.

X/Twitter metrics

The table below provides an overview of which metrics are available in each table and chart. Find X/Twitter metric descriptions here. All metrics are pulled from Gnip, which is X/Twitter’s enterprise data service.

LinkedIn metrics

The table below provides an overview of which metrics are available in each table and chart. You can find a detailed description of each metric here. All metrics are pulled from LinkedIn's Marketing Analytics APIs.