Instagram Live has been a hot trend on social media over the last year. You may be thinking if having Instagram Live analytics would really help the business understand and level up your videos.
You’re in luck. Until recently, none of the Instagram analytics tools out there measured Instagram Live analytics. However, in May 2021, Instagram updated its analytics features and improved its capabilities. The update added the long-awaited Instagram Live analytics and analytics for Instagram Reels.
This post will explain:
- What Instagram Live analytics are
- How to view Instagram Live metrics
- The new Instagram Live metrics
- Top 5 tricks for integrating these numbers into your live video strategy
Let’s start!
What is Instagram Live analytics?
Instagram Live analytics is the process of tracking, collecting, and analyzing the performance of Instagram Livestreams.
Live workshops, discussion panels, and Q&A sessions are great types of Instagram Live. But to know if such streams help your social media strategy move forward, you need to understand their performance.
In May 2021, Instagram wrote on their blog: “We have been inspired by the ways our community has embraced these content formats [Instagram Live and Reels] and want to ensure that creators and businesses can understand the performance of their content.”
And that’s why Instagram updated Instagram Insights, the app’s built-in analytics tool, to add Live analytics.
Knowing this data is important because:
- Analyzing data allow creators to better understand the performance of their videos, and what their audiences like, dislike, and find most engaging.
- Measuring Instagram metrics can help social media professionals improve and better target their social strategy.
- Performance data allows marketers to understand the success of new creative content strategies.
- Data-driven decisions can fuel growth and improve brand awareness.
How to view Instagram Live analytics
Recently, Instagram Insights is only available for professional Instagram accounts — Creator and Business accounts. Personal profiles can not access on Instagram Insights.
(If you are not sure about the differences between a Creator and a Business account, this complete guide is for you)
But it’s easy to make that switch. From your Instagram profile, go to your Settings by tapping on the hamburger icon in the top right corner:
When in Settings, tap Account:
Then, tap Switch to Professional Account:
Next, go to Insights to view metrics on your Instagram Live videos.
Instagram’s recent analytics update adds more detailed information about reach on the platform. Now, when you choose Accounts Reached in the Overview section, Live analytics are included as part of this breakdown:
Source: Instagram
According to Instagram, this is to “provide transparency into the types of accounts you’re reaching and content formats drive the most Reach.”
Here is another way to view all the analytics:
- Begin your Instagram Live stream.
- When you finish the video, tap View Insights.
- This will bring up all the Instagram Live analytics for your video. Note that it might take a while for the metrics to load.
Source: Instagram
Instagram Live data is now available for all live streams recorded on or after May 24, 2021. And more changes are coming soon.
Preset time frame options will be available in Insights, as will the option to view Insights from your desktop.