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Instagram Analytics: Reels vs. Posts Performance Over Time

Reading Time: 2 minutes

I’ll admit it. I was late to the Instagram party. I didn’t even start my @MarketingWithDave account until March 2025. Since then, I’ve posted every Tuesday and Thursday, sticking to a consistent rhythm. I focused only on regular posts until the end of May, when my wife (a legit micro-influencer who actually knows what she’s doing) said, “You need to be doing Reels.”

She was right.

Even with just a sliver of data, it’s clear: Reels are outperforming regular posts, and quickly.

In March and April, I didn’t post a single Reel. But in May, after switching gears, my Reels engagement rate increased by over 1700%.

I manually tracked engagement metrics across starting in March. Yes, manually, because Instagram doesn’t make this easy. From what I can tell, very few people are reporting on Instagram analytics like this, because there’s no clean dashboard unless you’re exporting data via Meta’s API.

Here’s what I found:

Post engagement peaked in April, then dropped off hard in May.
Reels engagement shot up once I started posting them, despite only having a few Reel interactions to measure.

Reels + Stories = More Momentum

Starting at the end of May, every time I posted a Reel, I followed it up with an Instagram Story. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but looking back, this combo amplified results. Stories help remind followers your content exists and give Instagram another signal that you’re active and worth showing. It’s hard to separate their individual impact, but together, Reels and Stories feel like a smart move worth continuing.

A Few Takeaways

Reels clearly outshine Posts. Even just dipping my toe in brought more reach and interaction. The Instagram algorithm clearly favors them.
Manual tracking is a pain. Instagram’s insights are fragmented and there’s no easy export option. Unless you’re a spreadsheet nerd (guilty), most people won’t do this. But it’s worth doing if you’re trying to measure what’s actually working.
Post engagement isn’t dead, but it needs support. My posts still brought in likes and comments, but not at the same scale or consistency as Reels.

What’s Next?

I’m going to keep the Tuesday and Thursday cadence but mix in more Reels. I’ll keep tracking manually for now and continue updating these charts each month as better trending data becomes available.

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linkedin your social selling index ssi 1

What’s Your LinkedIn Social Selling Index (SSI)

LinkedIn, Social

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Did you know LinkedIn provides a free Social Selling Index (SSI) to help you measure your effectiveness on the platform? Updated daily, your SSI score evaluates how well you’re leveraging LinkedIn across four key areas:

Establishing your professional brand – Are you optimizing your profile and sharing valuable content?
Finding the right people – Are you strategically connecting with relevant professionals?
Engaging with insights – Are you interacting with content in meaningful ways?
Building relationships – Are you nurturing connections and growing your network?

Your SSI score ranges from 0 to 100, and a score of 70 or higher is considered strong. In fact, LinkedIn reports that top social sellers tend to score above 75, significantly outperforming those with lower scores in terms of sales success and engagement.

Additionally, your SSI dashboard allows you to compare your score to others in your industry and network, providing useful benchmarks. Here’s a look at my own SSI score:

To check your own SSI, visit: LinkedIn SSI Dashboard

How to Improve Your LinkedIn SSI Score

If your score isn’t where you’d like it to be, here are some actionable ways to boost it:

Optimize Your Profile – Ensure your headline, summary, and experience sections highlight your expertise. Use a professional photo and a compelling background banner.
Share Valuable Content – Post industry insights, personal takeaways, and helpful resources regularly.
Engage with Others’ Content – Comment thoughtfully, react, and share posts to stay active in discussions.
Connect Strategically – Send personalized connection requests and build a meaningful network rather than just growing numbers.
Use LinkedIn’s Search Tools – Leverage advanced search to find and connect with the right professionals.

A strong SSI isn’t just about a number—it’s a reflection of how well you use LinkedIn to build authority, engage meaningfully, and strengthen professional relationships.

What’s your current SSI score? Share your insights in the comments!

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What I Learned Posting on LinkedIn Every Day for a Month

Analytics, LinkedIn, Social

Reading Time: 3 minutes

I set a simple goal to post on LinkedIn every business day in January—no expectations, just trying to share valuable digital marketing insights with every post. Now that January’s wrapped up, here’s how it went:

Key Metrics:

4,716 impressions
121 average impressions per post
85 new followers
73 reactions
25 comments
14 reposts
Reach per post ranged from 52 to 409

Insight #1: Topics and Hashtags Matter Most

While I didn’t expect hockey stick growth for any metric, I did expect impressions to gradually increase over time, but the data told a different story. Impressions fluctuated based on the popularity of individual posts rather than building momentum. The hashtags used and post relevance seemed to be the real game-changers.

Insight #2: Don’t Forget the Weekends

I expected low weekend traffic since I only posted Monday through Friday, but impressions remained consistent and even beating out some of my weaker posts. This shows LinkedIn content has a longer shelf life, and many professionals are active even on weekends, catching up or browsing casually. Posting on the weekend may be a worthwhile future test.

Insight #3: The Most Relevant Content Wins

LinkedIn is a website for professionals so it’s not a stretch to think content focused on professional growth, networking, and the job search process would perform best. My posts discussing if job applications should receive email responses and if phone calls should be required at certain interview stages significantly outperformed all others, proving that topics directly tied to career experiences resonate most with the audience.

Insight #4: Follower Growth Matches Impression Trend

Follower gains fluctuated daily, with noticeable spikes aligning with highly engaging content. The largest surge occurred on the 15th, suggesting that standout posts can significantly boost growth. Maintaining a regular posting schedule would likely help sustain a steady follower increases over time.

Insight #5: Engaging Content Expands Reach

Reach showed similar fluctuations to follower growth, with peaks corresponding to days when content resonated strongly with the audience. This pattern highlights that while consistency is key, creating posts that spark interest and interaction can significantly amplify visibility beyond your immediate network.