Every creator has a source of valuable information right at their fingertips: the statistics of their own account. Many creators hardly look at them. That's a missed opportunity, because your audience data helps you make better content and get selected for the right campaigns.
What is audience data?
Audience data is information about your followers and how they respond to your content. The most important types are:
- Demographics. The age, gender, location and language of your followers.
- Activity. The days and times your followers are most active.
- Engagement. How many people like, comment on, share and save your content.
- Watch time and retention. How long people watch your videos, and where they drop out.
- Growth. How your number of followers develops over time.
Where can you find your data?
On Instagram and TikTok, you can find your statistics in the app, under your account's insights or analytics. For full access to your statistics, you usually need a business or creator account. Switching is free and only takes a few minutes.
How to use your data
- Make more of what works. Look at which posts get the most engagement and watch time. What do they have in common? The topic, the format, the hook or the length? Use these insights for your next videos.
- Post at the right time. Check when your followers are online, and post just before or during those moments.
- Choose campaigns that suit your audience. Do your followers mainly live in the Netherlands? Are they mostly young parents, students or sports fans? Choose campaigns from brands that target that group. That way you're more likely to be selected, and your content will perform better.
- Improve your retention. Look at where viewers drop out of your videos. Do many people stop after a few seconds? Then work on your hook. Do they drop out halfway through? Then the middle may be too slow.
- Show brands your value. Brands look at your audience when they choose creators. On Influentials, they can see your statistics through your connected socials. A good match between your audience and their target group makes you more attractive.
Engagement matters more than followers
A large number of followers looks impressive, but brands increasingly look at engagement and audience match. An account with 5,000 engaged followers who all love running can be more valuable to a sports brand than an account with 50,000 passive followers.
Never buy followers or engagement
Bought followers, likes or comments distort your statistics and lower your engagement. Brands and platforms recognize this quickly, and it can seriously damage your credibility.
Tips
- Look at trends, not single posts. One post that performs badly doesn't say much. Look at patterns over several weeks.
- Check your statistics regularly. For example, take a moment each month to see what has worked and what hasn't.
- Keep a simple overview. Note your follower count, average engagement and best-performing posts each month. That way you can see your growth.
Common mistakes
Watch out for only looking at your number of followers, drawing conclusions from a single post, never checking your statistics, choosing campaigns that don't suit your audience, and using a personal account that doesn't give you access to your statistics.
Ready to start? Sign up as a creator and get matched with brands looking for content like yours.