Instagram impressions are a way for you to measure success on content you post.

Impressions refer to how many times your content appears on another user’s screen, so anytime someone sees your post, story, or ad on their feed, that’s an impression.

It’s a metric that will help you understand the exposure your Instagram content is getting, but you need to ensure you have a business Instagram account for assessing the detailed analytics.

Impressions are different to reach, which tracks unique viewers.

If someone sees your content more than once, that still counts as a separate impression and tracking these impressions will help you understand the overall visibility of your content.

By analyzing these impressions, it will help you gain insight into what content you're posting performs best.

There are third-party tools you can use to analyze your data, but it can also be done simply through Instagram Insights.

What are impressions on Instagram?

As mentioned, impressions count the number of times your Instagram posts are viewed on a user's feed, whether that be a Story, Reel or regular post.

The important thing to understand is that it is different from reach. Reach counts unique users who have seen an Instagram post.

In simple terms, if someone sees your content three times, that is three impressions. However, it would only count once towards reach.

How impressions work on Instagram

Instagram tracks impressions so that you have a better understanding of your content and how it performs.

As soon as you post something, that goes out to your followers on their feed and can potentially go to the Instagram explore page based on other users’ interests, helping you reach your target audience. There’s also the use of hashtags which can expose content to new audiences.

A user doesn’t have to engage with your post for it to count as an impression, they simply have to see it on their feed.

You can access Instagram Insights in your profile by heading to your profile and tapping the menu icon and selecting ‘Insights’. You do need to have your profile set to a ‘Business account’ to do this though.

Why impressions on Instagram are important for your social media strategy

When it comes to measuring the success of your Instagram content, impressions play a key role in determining your reach and impact. After all, they show how often content is in front of an audience. If you don't know this, how can you start to build a strategy angled towards Instagram success?

Here's why impressions really matter.

They help you track brand visibility

Impressions are one of the core range of Instagram metrics that give you an idea of how visible you are to other users. When you create posts, you want them to make an impression. This visibility is crucial when it comes to analyzing your results and making future content decisions.

By analyzing impressions data you can understand which of your posts are most effective for achieving brand visibility. The higher the number of impressions, the more it suggests that your content is being seen more frequently.

They help you understand audience behavior

Impressions data also gives you an insight into how your audience behaves and what they like to see.

You may need to replicate popular posts to keep engagement rates high and boost follower growth. By understanding impressions, you can align your content and connect far more organically with your audience.

They help you optimize content for higher impressions

Of course, part of understanding audience behavior is to align and then optimize your content strategy.

Put a focus on creating engaging Instagram posts and video content that’s more likely to be seen by a higher number of users. The more impressions you get, the more likely you are to land on the Instagram explore page.

Instagram impressions vs. reach: What's the difference?

Impressions and reach are two of the important metrics that you need to keep an eye on when assessing your Instagram analytics. While this guide is primarily about impressions, it's important to distinguish how this relates to reach.

Tracking your Instagram performance by analyzing both gives you valuable insights into your content's visibility and engagement, helping you analyze the content effectiveness and your overall Instagram strategy.

Understanding the difference

The key difference with reach is that it tells you how many unique users see your Instagram posts but only counts them once, even if they see it multiple times.

Impressions, however, count the total number of views your posts get, which includes multiple views by the same person.

So, if you post a photo that is seen by 100 people once, the reach is 100 and so are your impressions. But the impressions will increase if some of those users see it more than once, whilst the reach would stay the same.

Tracking both Instagram metrics will give you a fuller picture of the visibility of your content and how people engage with you.

When to prioritize impressions over reach

Impressions should be prioritized over reach in some cases, for example when you are running a paid ad and need maximum exposure. It's not great to pay Instagram $1000 for a paid ad that is seen by 10,000 people once. It might be better if 1,000 people see the same message 10 times. When you want your ad to be seen as much as possible, impressions tell you how successful that is.

A higher number of impressions can lead to better Instagram engagement, because the more users see your content, the more likely they are to engage.

The one thing to consider, is that a high impression count and low reach could mean that your audience isn’t expanding enough. You have to be confident that your existing audience demographics will like what they see multiple times.

How both metrics impact engagement

Instagram impressions and reach work hand in hand in driving your engagement.

The higher your reach, the more Instagram users are seeing your content, while impressions deepen your existing relationship with followers.

Your engagement rate tells you how often users are interacting with your content compared to those that see it. Just divide your total engagements by your reach and multiply by 100.

A good balance of reach and engagement leads to more likes, an increase in followers, and a better performance in the Instagram algorithm.

How to view your Instagram impressions

Let's get into the practicalities of working with Instagram impressions. There's no point learning about them if you can't find them, so here's a deep dive into the process.

Accessing Instagram Insights

The first step is to ensure that your Instagram profile is set to a Business Account so you can access Instagram Insights and see how many users are engaging with your content. Click the ‘Professional Dashboard’ button below your bio and that will then take you to your account’s analytics dashboard.

You’ll be able to see:

  • Accounts reached
  • Accounts engaged
  • Total followers
  • Content you shared

There are also insights available for individual posts which you can find on the post itself by tapping ‘View Insights’ under the post.

If you want a better view of your impressions on Instagram then a tool like Brandwatch, which pulls millions of data points from across social media into one place, is a useful option.

Tips to increase your Instagram impressions

Boosting impressions on Instagram helps you reach a wider audience as we’ve already explored. So let’s look further into this and some effective strategies that can get your Instagram posts seen by more users.

Research the current hashtags that are in-trend on Instagram. This can put your posts in front of more users.

Don’t go overboard with them though, three to five relevant hashtags should be enough as a rule of thumb.

Look to create lists of go-to hashtags that are fitting to your brand and update it accordingly.

You can also create your own branded hashtag to build a community around your brand.

Post consistently at optimal times

There are key times in the day that you should post Instagram content, and this is all around your audience behavior.

You can use external analytical tools to understand this but it’s good to work it out yourself as well.

Try posts in the mornings, afternoons, and evenings and on different days of the week to help you understand when your audience is active.

Instagram Insights will also help with this, as will Brandwatch. Once this is established, consider a content calendar to plan posts in advance and stay one step ahead.

Create Instagram content that is shareable and engaging

High-quality imagery and visuals are crucial to success on a posts’ performance on Instagram.

You need to use photos and videos that will stop users in their tracks and engage with it.

Experiment with different formats. Instagram carousel posts are great for higher engagement as well as Reels and Stories.

Remember, the more engagement, the more likely Instagram will show your content to new users.

Behind the scenes style content can be a great way to build authenticity because people love seeing the human side of you/ your brand.

Collaborate with influencers and brands

Collaborating with relevant influencers on Instagram that have a strong following themselves is a great way to reach new audiences.

Try and look for influencers or brands that have a similar following to you because it needs to benefit both parties.

Cross-promotion can really boost your impressions and, if you do it right, your reputation too. Try hosting a joint Instagram Live or post content that is collaborated with both accounts to see what works. Calculate how many impressions you got from the venture and compare it to what you'd likely have earned if you hadn't collaborated.

Remember to consider micro-influencers too, as they can often have a niche audience that are highly engaged and are more receptive to a fresh Instagram campaign.

Utilize Instagram Stories and Reels

Instagram Stories and Reels play a key role in increasing impressions.

This is because Instagram Stories are always there at the top of anyone’s feed and similarly with Reels, they go to the top of feeds also.

There are some engaging Stories features like polls, quizzes, and questions that encourage interactivity.

Reels are a great way to entertain and educate audiences, making use of trending audio and effects, in much the same way that TikTok uses to sparks engagement.

Keep on top of Instagram's algorithm changes

As with a lot of social media platforms, the Instagram algorithm changes all the time.

It is important to stay on top of this to ensure your impression rate doesn’t drop. Individual users who are thriving on the platform can suddenly be shut out because the algorithm moved.

The algorithm favors content that gets quick engagement, since this keeps people on Instagram. So, look to post when followers are most active. Another way to improve your engagement rate is replying to comments, because this encourages future interaction. It's the sort of thing small brands do when they're starting out and trying to make an impression.

Instagram also likes it when you make use of its newest features, so keep an eye out for whatever the next thing is and create content that suits it.

How to measure the success of Instagram impressions

As we've explained above, impressions on Instagram need to be tracked regularly if you're going to successfully gauge your content’s reach and impact. Let’s now take a look at how this can be done effectively to measure success.

Tracking impressions over time

You can look at how your content performs by checking your impressions regularly. Do this within the Instagram app by heading to your profile, going to settings, and selecting ‘Insights’.

Scroll down and you'll find the relevant impressions data, where you can see the daily, weekly, and monthly trends.

You can also use a tool like Brandwatch to track Instagram impressions over time too.

No matter what you use, be sure to analyze where the spikes in engagement are and where you’re getting the most views to help understand what is and isn’t working.

Use this data to improve success on future content.

Setting realistic goals for Instagram impressions

It is important to be realistic, so look at your current impression numbers and set targets that push growth but are still attainable.

A good start is to aim for a 5% growth rate each month and then steadily increasing it from there.

This can then be broken down into smaller targets. For instance, if you’re looking to grow to 1,000 Instagram impressions per month, that’s 33 a day, which makes it feel more attainable.

Tools to help track Instagram impressions

We mentioned Brandwatch and Instagram Insights earlier in this guide, and both are a great place to start.

Instagram Insights show you basic impression data for free, while Brandwatch gives you more detailed analysis. It's one of the best Instagram analytics tools because it's able to collect insights from other social media platforms and provide a holistic approach to your overall Instagram marketing strategy.

There are other popular solutions out there too, including: Hootsuite, Sprout Social, and Later. Try out a few to see which suit your needs. They will also provide insight into follower demographics.

Frequently asked questions

Total impressions on Instagram are really important for gauging the success of a campaign. We understand that not everyone gets the nuances of this metric or how to exploit the data.

Let's clear up some common questions about impressions, so you can better achieve social media success.

How can you see your Instagram impressions?

You can view your impressions in the Instagram Insights section of your profile. Either click on the Professional Dashboard below your link in bio, or tap the menu icon and select 'Insights'. You'll get an immediate overview of your Instagram impression data for:

  • Posts
  • Stories
  • Reels
  • Accounts reached

What's the difference between reach and impressions on Instagram?

Reach is the number of unique Instagram accounts that see your content. Impressions tally total views, even if one person sees it multiple times. Therefore reach shows audience size but impressions, perhaps more importantly, indicate content visibility.

What strategies can help increase Instagram impressions?

The best strategy is to post when your followers are most active. If they're not online to see your content then how will they ever see it? Use relevant hashtags to expand your reach and interact with other Instagram accounts through comments and likes. It's all about being seen and being active. Run targeted ads to boost visibility to new audiences if you feel you need a boost.

What's considered a good number of impressions on Instagram?

A good impression count depends on your follower size and goals but for most accounts, aim for impressions two-to-three times your follower count per Instagram post. Track your average and try to improve over time.