Glossary
The words, without the jargon.
Each of these gets used as though you already know it. Here is what each means, what it does not tell you, and what people get wrong.
- 25
- terms
- 4
- groups
The numbers
What does this mean?
Reach
Reach is the number of separate accounts that saw a post at least once.
ImpressionsHookContent pillar
Every term
Find the word you keep seeing.
The numbers
- ReachReach is the number of separate accounts that saw a post at least once.
- ImpressionsImpressions are the total number of times a post was displayed, counting repeat views by the same person.
- Engagement rateEngagement rate is the share of people who interacted with a post, written as a percentage of either your followers or the accounts the post reached.
- SavesA save is someone bookmarking your post to come back to it later.
- SharesA share is someone sending your post to another person or reposting it to their story.
- Reach rateReach rate is the share of your followers a post reached, written as a percentage.
- Median, and your own baselineYour median is the middle value of your own posts, and it is the only fair thing to judge a new post against.
- OutlierAn outlier is one of your posts that performed far above or far below your own normal range.
- Follower growthFollower growth is the change in your follower count over a period, and it is a net figure that hides the losses inside it.
Posts and formats
- HookThe hook is the opening of a post, the first line of a caption or the first seconds of a reel, whose only job is to stop someone scrolling.
- Content pillarA content pillar is one of the few recurring subjects an account posts about.
- CarouselA carousel is a single Instagram post containing up to twenty images or videos that people swipe through.
- ReelA reel is a short vertical video, the format Instagram distributes most widely to people who do not follow you.
- StoryA story is a post that disappears after twenty four hours and is shown mainly to people who already follow you.
- Call to actionA call to action is the line that tells someone what to do next, such as save the post, comment a word or open the link.
- Alt textAlt text is a written description of an image, read aloud by screen readers for people who cannot see it.
- First commentThe first comment is a comment posted by the account itself immediately after publishing, often used to hold hashtags or a link.
- Link in bioLink in bio refers to the single clickable link Instagram allows on a profile, and the tools people use to turn it into several.
- Collab postA collab post is a single Instagram post published to two accounts at once, appearing in both feeds with both names on it.
Timing and reach
Working with brands
- Media kitA media kit is the short document a creator sends a brand, showing audience size, typical performance and past work.
- Rate cardA rate card is a creator's list of prices for each kind of paid post.
- UGCUGC means user generated content, and in a paid context it means content a creator makes for a brand to use on the brand's own channels.
- WhitelistingWhitelisting is when a creator gives a brand permission to run ads from the creator's own handle.
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