Choose a primary outcome before launch, define each metric and record the reporting window. Use platform evidence for content performance and campaign links or codes for attributable actions. Neither attribution nor engagement alone proves incremental sales.
Match the metric to the question
Awareness campaigns ask whether relevant people saw the content. Consider reach, views and audience geography where available. Education campaigns may benefit from watch time, saves and useful questions. Conversion campaigns need a defined action on your site, such as a qualified lead or purchase.
Keep the definitions alongside the numbers. Views can include repeat plays; reach generally describes accounts reached under the platform’s definition. Metrics and availability differ between platforms and formats. Do not sum them into a single “people reached” figure without accounting for overlap.
State the denominator in engagement rate
“Engagement rate” is incomplete without a definition. An illustrative follower-based rate is interactions divided by followers, multiplied by 100. A view-based rate divides the same chosen interactions by views. These answer different questions and should not be compared as though they were the same.
For example, 600 likes, comments, saves and shares against 20,000 views gives a 3% view-based interaction rate. Against 30,000 followers, the same interactions give a 2% follower-based rate. These are arithmetic examples, not industry benchmarks or a universal definition of engagement.
- List the interactions included in the numerator.
- Use one consistent time window and comparable content formats.
- Treat a zero or missing denominator as unavailable, not a zero performance score.
- Review meaningful comments and content context alongside the percentage.
Give every creator a consistent campaign link
Use campaign parameters to distinguish source, medium, campaign and creative. Google Analytics supports manual campaign tagging through UTM parameters. Keep naming consistent so reports do not split one campaign across spelling variants.
An illustrative link might use utm_source=instagram, utm_medium=creator, utm_campaign=autumn_launch and utm_content=creator_a. Use a campaign identifier rather than personal contact information. Check that the destination works on mobile and that your analytics and consent configuration support the measurement you intend.
Build a small, auditable results table
Capture a publication link, publication date, reporting date and the source of each metric. Keep creator-supplied screenshots or exports associated with the correct post and period. Agree reporting dates before launch so every creator knows what evidence is needed.
| Evidence | What it helps answer |
|---|---|
| Published content URL | Was the agreed content delivered? |
| Platform insights and reporting date | How did that content perform within the window? |
| Tagged visits and on-site events | What actions were attributed to the campaign link? |
| Discount code usage | What purchases used the assigned code? |
| Spend and agreed scope | What did the observed results cost? |
Distinguish attributed results from additional results
A tracked purchase may have happened without the campaign; an untracked purchase may have been influenced by it. Cross-device behaviour, shared codes, consent choices and other marketing all affect the picture. Report these limits instead of labelling every tracked action as caused by the creator.
Marke8 lets campaigns collect published-content links and follow progress. Live social analytics are a later capability; do not expect automatic real-time platform metrics today. A useful first report can still combine delivery evidence with consistently recorded results.
Sources & further reading
External guidance checked on 18 September 2026. Check the current guidance before launching your campaign.