Monthly social media report: one page your boss will read

Who the report is for

The report is for the person who gave you the accounts, and that person is busy. They want to know three things: is anyone seeing this, is it bringing customers, and is it under control. They do not want every chart a platform can produce.

The report is also for you. It is the record that the work is being done, and the natural place to ask for what you need.

Four numbers, the same ones every month

Pick a small set and never change it without saying so. A workable set for a small or local business is below. Show each figure beside last month's. A number on its own says little, and a direction held over three months says more than any single month.

• Profile views. How often someone opened the business's profile to take a look.
• Link clicks. How many went on to the website, menu or booking page.
• Total interactions. Likes, comments, shares and saves added together.
• Engagement rate. Interactions relative to the audience, which keeps months comparable as the account grows.

The words around the numbers

Numbers need three sentences of plain interpretation. First, what worked: name the post and say what people did. Second, what did not, without excuses. Third, what you will do differently next month as a result.

Then add what the platforms cannot count. How many DMs turned into bookings? Did a customer mention a post at the counter? Ask your colleagues. To an owner, one real example is worth a column of percentages.

What to leave out

A short report gets read. These four things make it longer without making it more useful.

• Follower counts as the headline. They move slowly and say little about customers.
• Every platform's full statistics. Keep to the view that matches your four numbers.
• Comparisons with businesses whose circumstances you do not know.
• Promises about next month's results.

End with one request

Close with a single clear ask. 'Can we agree that I post the weekly special without sign-off?' 'Can someone send me photos from the Saturday event by Monday?' An owner who finds a clear request at the end each month learns that the report is worth opening. Keep every report, so that at review time you can show a year of steady work.

Link AI and the owner report

Link AI by Linkme is our recommendation for the reporting side of the role. The four numbers above are the four its Analytics lists. Reports then writes the owner report and sends it on to the owner. You can also ask it in plain words which recent posts drove engagement and sales, which gives you the 'what worked' sentence.

This reference does not state how often the report goes out or whether you can add your own notes before it is sent. See Link AI on your own accounts in a demo, and ask to read a sample report while you are there.

Connected entries

Questions & answers