How to View Instagram Analytics: Complete Step-by-Step Guide
Why you need to view Instagram Analytics (seriously)
If you’re posting on Instagram without checking your analytics, you’re flying blind.
The creators and brands who grow consistently aren’t just lucky. They’re data-driven. They know when their audience is online, which content formats perform best, and what drives engagement and conversions.
Learning how to view Instagram analytics is the difference between:
- Posting randomly and hoping for the best
- Making strategic decisions based on actual performance data
This guide covers everything: accessing Instagram Insights, understanding each metric, and using third-party tools like ContHunt for competitive intelligence.
Quick overview: How to access Instagram Analytics
Before diving into the details, here’s the fastest path to your analytics:
- Switch to an Instagram Business or Creator Account (free)
- Go to your profile
- Tap the three-line menu (top right)
- Select Insights
That’s it. But knowing how to view Instagram analytics is only half the battle. Understanding what those numbers mean is where growth happens.
Step 1: Switch to a Business or Creator Account
Instagram’s native analytics (called Insights) are only available to Business and Creator accounts. The good news? It’s completely free and takes about 30 seconds.
How to switch your account type:
- Open Instagram and go to your profile
- Tap the three-line menu in the top-right corner
- Go to Settings and privacy
- Select Account type and tools
- Tap Switch to professional account and follow the prompts
Which should you choose?
| Account Type | Best For | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Creator Account | Individual creators, influencers | Full analytics, creator-specific insights, growth tools |
| Business Account | Brands, companies, e-commerce | Analytics + business tools like ads manager and contact buttons |
Both give you access to Insights. Choose based on whether you’re building a personal brand or representing a business.
Pro tip: You can switch between Creator and Business accounts anytime, and both offer full analytics access.
Step 2: Navigate to Instagram Insights
Once you’ve upgraded your account, accessing your analytics is straightforward:
- Go to your profile page
- Tap the three horizontal lines (hamburger menu) in the top-right
- Select Insights from the menu
This opens your Instagram analytics dashboard, which is divided into three main sections:
- Overview (last 7, 14, or 30 days)
- Content (individual post and story performance)
- Audience (follower demographics and behavior)
Step 3: Understanding your Overview metrics
The Overview tab gives you a snapshot of your account performance. Here’s what each metric means and why it matters:
Accounts Reached
The total number of unique accounts that saw your content. This is your basic reach metric.
What to watch for:
- Sudden spikes indicate content that broke through to new audiences
- Compare reached vs. followers to see if you’re growing beyond your existing audience
- Look for patterns in what content generates wider reach
Content Interactions
Total actions taken on your content (likes, comments, saves, shares).
Why it matters: High reach + low engagement = your content isn’t resonating. Low reach + high engagement = your content works but needs wider distribution.
Followers Gained or Lost
Net new followers in the selected time period.
Growth insight: Identify which posts triggered follower spikes by cross-referencing with your Content tab.
Step 4: Deep dive into Content analytics
The Content tab is where you learn which posts actually work. This is the gold mine for content strategy.
How to view individual post analytics:
- Tap Content at the top of your Insights dashboard
- Select Posts, Stories, or Reels
- Tap on any individual piece of content to see detailed metrics
Key Post Metrics Explained
| Metric | What It Measures | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Likes | Primary engagement signal | Basic approval indicator |
| Comments | Conversation depth | Community building strength |
| Shares | Distribution amplifier | Viral potential indicator |
| Saves | Value perception | Content worth revisiting |
| Reach | Unique accounts reached | Discovery effectiveness |
| Impressions | Total views | Repeat viewing indicator |
| Profile Visits | Traffic to your profile | Conversion interest signal |
| Follows | Conversions from this post | Direct growth driver |
The metrics that actually matter
Forget vanity metrics. Focus on these three:
1. Saves Saves are the strongest signal that your content provides genuine value. Instagram’s algorithm heavily weights saved content because it indicates people want to return to it. If a post gets high saves, create more content in that format.
2. Shares Shares put your content in front of new audiences through DMs and Stories. This is how you grow beyond your existing followers. If a post gets high shares, analyze what made it shareable.
3. Profile Visits High profile visits + low follower growth = your profile needs work (bio, highlights, feed aesthetic). Low visits + high engagement = your content is good but your call-to-action is weak.
Step 5: Understanding Story and Reels analytics
Stories and Reels have their own analytics sections because they function differently from feed posts.
Story Metrics
When you tap on Stories in Insights, you’ll see:
- Exits — When someone swiped away (lower is better)
- Replies — Direct engagement with your Story
- Navigation — Forward taps (boring) vs. backward taps (rewatching)
- Sticker Taps — Engagement with polls, questions, quizzes
Pro strategy: Use navigation data to identify the exact moment people lose interest. If you see a spike in exits after a specific frame, that’s where to improve next time.
Reels Metrics
Reels analytics show:
- Plays — Total views (including re-watches)
- Likes, Comments, Shares — Standard engagement
- Saves — Particularly important for Reels
- Watch time — Total time spent watching
Reels insight: Unlike feed posts, Reels can go viral to people who don’t follow you. Pay attention to which Reels generate the most non-follower reach—that’s your viral content formula.
Step 6: Mastering Audience analytics
The Audience tab reveals who your followers actually are. This data shapes your content strategy, posting schedule, and collaboration decisions.
Top Locations
See which cities and countries your followers are in. This matters for:
- Timing: Post when your top locations are awake and active
- Language: Consider if content should be localized
- Culture: Reference trends and topics relevant to these regions
- Events: Time product launches or campaigns around local holidays
Age Range and Gender
Instagram provides demographic breakdowns for business accounts.
How to use this:
- Tailor content tone and references to your dominant age group
- Notice if certain content resonates with specific demographics
- Use this data for brand partnerships and sponsored content
Followers’ Most Active Times
This graph shows when your followers are most active on Instagram.
Pro strategy: Schedule your posts for 1-2 hours before peak activity. This gives the algorithm time to test your post before your audience is most active, maximizing initial engagement.
Step 7: How to view analytics for specific content types
Instagram offers different analytics views for different content formats.
Feed Posts
Navigate to Content > Posts > tap individual post. Best for understanding evergreen content performance over time.
Stories
Navigate to Content > Stories. Stories expire after 24 hours, so check analytics daily or weekly while data is fresh.
Reels
Navigate to Content > Reels. Reels have longer shelf life than Stories and different viral mechanics than feed posts.
Live Videos
Navigate to Content > Live. Shows viewer count, peak concurrent viewers, and comments during your broadcast.
Guide Analytics
If you have a Creator account with Guides, you can see how many people viewed and saved your Guides.
Step 8: Third-party tools for deeper Instagram analytics
Native Instagram Insights are powerful, but they have limits. You can only see your own data, not what’s working across the platform or what competitors are doing.
When native analytics aren’t enough
Instagram’s built-in dashboard can’t tell you:
- What your competitors are doing that works
- Which trends are emerging in your niche
- Why specific Reels went viral (beyond basic metrics)
- Cross-platform content patterns
- Historical data beyond 30 days
Top third-party analytics options
For competitive intelligence:
- Conthunt - Multi-platform content analysis with viral prediction
- Social Blade - Follower growth tracking
- Phlanx - Influencer analytics and campaign tracking
For deeper creator analytics:
- Iconosquare - Advanced Instagram and Facebook analytics
- Sprout Social - Enterprise-grade social analytics
- Hootsuite Analytics - Multi-platform reporting
Why Conthunt is different
Most analytics tools show you charts. Conthunt shows you patterns.
With Conthunt, you can:
- Analyze viral content across Instagram Reels, TikTok, and Shorts in one place
- See competitor performance without following them
- Identify trending formats before they saturate with Velocity Metrics
- Deep-dive individual Reels to extract winning mechanics (hooks, pacing, structure)
Instead of just knowing your numbers, you understand why content works.
Common Instagram analytics questions answered
Why are my Instagram Insights not updating?
Instagram Insights typically update every 24-48 hours. If you’re seeing delays:
- Check you’re on a Business or Creator account
- Ensure you have at least one post or Story
- Wait 48 hours after switching account types for full data
- Update your Instagram app to the latest version
- Check your internet connection
What is a “good” engagement rate on Instagram?
There’s no universal benchmark because it depends on:
- Follower count: Micro-accounts (<10K) typically have higher rates than large accounts
- Niche: Some categories (like food and travel) get more engagement than others
- Content type: Reels often get more reach, feed posts get more engagement
General benchmarks:
- Less than 1%: Below average, needs improvement
- 1-3%: Average performance
- 3-6%: Above average, solid performance
- 6%+: Excellent, especially for larger accounts
A better question: “Is this post performing better than my average?” That’s the real growth signal.
How often should I check my analytics?
Daily: Quick scan of recent post performance and Story views Weekly: Deep dive into trends and patterns Monthly: Strategic review and content planning
Don’t obsess over real-time numbers. Analytics inform decisions, but they don’t create content.
Can I see who viewed my Instagram profile?
No. Instagram doesn’t show who viewed your profile. You can only see aggregate data about profile visits in your post analytics.
Why did my reach suddenly drop?
Common causes:
- Algorithm changes: Instagram regularly updates what content it prioritizes
- Content saturation: Posting too much similar content
- Seasonal factors: Different engagement patterns at different times of year
- Shadowban: Rare, but can happen if you violate community guidelines
First step: Check if your engagement rate stayed the same while reach dropped. If yes, it’s likely an algorithm or seasonal factor. If both dropped, review your content quality and community guidelines compliance.
How to turn analytics into action
Data without action is just entertainment. Here’s a simple framework to use your Instagram analytics:
Weekly Analytics Review (15 minutes)
- Identify your top 3 performing posts from the past week
- Note the common elements: Topic, format, posting time, caption style, visual style
- Check your worst performing post: What was different?
- Plan next week’s content: Double down on what worked, iterate on what didn’t
Monthly Strategy Session (30 minutes)
- Review follower growth: When did it spike? What content caused it?
- Analyze audience demographics: Should you adjust content tone or references?
- Check reach vs. engagement ratio: Are you reaching new audiences or just existing followers?
- Set specific goals: “Increase average saves to 5% of reach” vs “go viral”
The ContHunt workflow for analytics-driven growth
For creators and brands serious about data-backed content strategy:
- Use native Instagram Insights to understand your baseline
- Use Conthunt to research viral patterns in your niche
- Deep-dive winning Reels to extract repeatable structures
- Create variations based on proven formats
- Track performance and iterate
This is how you go from guessing to engineering.
Key takeaways
Learning how to view Instagram analytics is step one. Using that data to make better content is step two.
Remember:
- Switch to a Business/Creator account to access Insights (it’s free)
- Focus on saves, shares, and profile visits—not just likes
- Check analytics weekly, not obsessively
- Use third-party tools like Conthunt for competitive intelligence
- Data informs decisions, but creativity wins audiences
The most successful creators and brands treat analytics as a compass, not a map. They know where they’re going, but they adjust their route based on what the data tells them.
Start analyzing smarter
Ready to move beyond basic Instagram Insights and see what’s actually working across Instagram and other platforms?
View Demo to see how ConHunt turns raw data into actionable content intelligence.