Social media report template: what to include
Most social reports are a screenshot of a dashboard with a follower count at the top. Here is a structure that answers the questions a client is actually paying you to answer.
What goes in the monthly report?
A useful monthly report has six parts: what changed and why, performance against a stated denominator, what worked and the pattern behind it, what did not, audience movement, and what happens next. Follower count belongs near the bottom. Every figure needs its denominator stated, gaps shown as gaps rather than estimates, and comparison against the same account last period rather than an unnamed industry average.
A social media report is a monthly account of what a set of posts earned, written for someone who did not run them: what changed, performance against a stated denominator, what worked, what did not, audience movement and next month’s commitments. Every rate in it names what it was divided by.
A client is not paying for a dashboard. They are paying to know whether the money worked, and what to do next month. Most reports answer neither, because they lead with the numbers that are easiest to export rather than the ones that decide anything.
This is a social media report template that holds up when someone asks the only difficult question: is that good, and how do you know?
The template
Six headed sections, in this order. Copy it as it stands and fill each one in; the rest of this page says what goes in each.
1. What changed, in three sentences. What you did differently this month, what happened, and what you are doing about it.
2. Performance, with the denominator stated. Median engagement rate, reach per post, saves per post, posts published. Each rate labelled with what it was measured against, each compared with the same account last period.
3. What worked, and the pattern behind it. Three or four posts, with the reason they did well.
4. What did not work. What did not land, and what you concluded from it.
5. Audience movement. Follower change, read against reach per post. Audience quality if you have it.
6. Next month. Two or three specific commitments, each with a measurable outcome.
1. What changed, in three sentences
Before any number. What you did differently this month, what happened, and what you are doing about it.
We shifted from single images to carousels for educational posts. Median engagement per post rose from 3.1% to 4.4% against reach, while posting volume stayed flat. We are moving the remaining explainer content to carousels in September.
An example, with example figures.
If the report is skimmed, this is the part that gets read. Write it last, when you know what it says.
2. Performance, with the denominator stated
The headline numbers, each labelled with what it was measured against.
| Metric | This month | Last month | Measured against |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median engagement rate | 4.4% | 3.1% | Reach |
| Reach per post | 12,400 | 11,900 | Unique accounts |
| Saves per post | 84 | 41 | - |
| Posts published | 12 | 12 | - |
Example figures, for the shape of the table; they are not a benchmark.
Two rules make this survive scrutiny. State the denominator on every rate, so nobody has to guess whether 4.4% is against reach or followers. And compare against the same account last period, not against an industry average whose sample and method you cannot inspect - see why published benchmarks disagree.
Use the median, not the mean. One viral post makes an average meaningless for months and hides whether the ordinary posts are improving.
3. What worked, and the pattern behind it
Three or four posts, with the reason they did well. Not a leaderboard - a leaderboard tells a client which post won, not what to commission next.
The three highest-saving posts were all step-by-step explainers with the outcome stated in the first line. Saves, not likes, is where the difference shows: these earned 3x the account median while their like counts were ordinary.
An example, with example figures.
Saves and shares deserve prominence here. They are signals Instagram has said it weighs in ranking, and they only exist for accounts you manage - which means a report containing them is one a competitor’s tool could not produce.
4. What did not work
The section that builds trust, and the one most agencies omit.
A report with no failures reads as marketing rather than measurement, and the client already knows some things did not land. Saying so first, with what you concluded, is what makes the rest of the report believable.
5. Audience movement
Follower count belongs here, near the bottom, in context.
Growth without engagement growth is not progress. If followers rose 8% and reach per post stayed flat, the new followers are not seeing anything, and that is the finding rather than a footnote. Include audience quality if you have it - what actually signals an inauthentic audience.
6. Next month
Two or three specific commitments with a measurable outcome. Not “increase engagement” - that is not a plan, it is a wish.
Move all explainer content to carousels. Test 9am against 6pm publishing for three weeks. Target: median engagement above 4% against reach.
An example, with example figures.
Where reports lose credibility
A number with no denominator. The first question a sceptical client asks is what it was divided by. Not having an answer costs more than a bad month would.
An estimate presented as a measurement. If a metric is not available for an account, show the gap and say why. Substituting a plausible figure works right up until someone checks.
Comparing incomparable rates. Your reach-denominated 6.4% beside a competitor’s follower-denominated 2.1% appears to show you winning threefold. It shows nothing of the kind, and it is the error most likely to be caught.
Vanity metrics at the top. Leading with follower count signals that you had nothing better to lead with.
Every month looking identical. If the structure never changes and the commentary never changes, it stops being read. The three-sentence summary is what keeps it alive.
Cadence
Monthly suits most retainers. Weekly is usually noise - social metrics vary enough week to week that you will spend the report explaining variance rather than progress. Quarterly is where strategy belongs: format mix, audience composition, what to stop doing.
Northfact produces client-ready reports in which every figure states its source and what it was measured against. Free during beta.
Also asked
What metrics should a monthly social media report include?
Median engagement rate with its denominator stated, reach per post, saves per post and posts published, each compared with the same account last period. Then three or four posts that worked and the pattern behind them, what did not work, follower change read against reach per post, and two or three measurable commitments for next month.
How often should I send a social media report to a client?
Monthly suits most retainers. Weekly is usually noise, because social metrics vary enough week to week that the report ends up explaining variance rather than progress. Quarterly is where strategy belongs: format mix, audience composition and what to stop doing. Whatever the cadence, the three-sentence summary at the top is what keeps it read.
Should a social media report say where each number came from?
Yes. State the denominator on every rate, so nobody has to guess whether a figure is against reach or followers; the performance table carries a Measured against column for it. A number with no denominator is where reports lose credibility first, because it is the first question a sceptical client asks. Say what it was divided by.