Social Media Metrics That Matter for Press Releases
Social media is no longer just an afterthought in public relations. It is a primary distribution channel, often the first touchpoint for audiences encountering a press release. Whether through a brand's own account or through amplification by media, influencers, or employees, social platforms shape perception, expand reach, and drive engagement. But success is not measured simply by views or likes. The metrics that matter are nuanced, tied to platform-specific behaviors, and should inform how press releases are packaged and promoted.
Here is a closer look at the social media platforms that dominate today (LinkedIn, X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube) and the performance signals PR professionals should track when sharing press release content.
LinkedIn: B2B Impact and Thought Leadership
LinkedIn is the leading platform for B2B communications, investor relations updates, and executive positioning. Press releases on funding, partnerships, executive hires, or product launches are especially well-suited for LinkedIn’s professional audience.
Key Metrics:
- Impressions and Reach indicate how many people viewed the post.
- Engagement Rate is calculated based on reactions, comments, shares, and link clicks; on LinkedIn, a rate above 2% is considered strong.
- Shares and Reshares reflect how relevant or valuable your content is within professional networks.
- Click-Through Rate (CTR) shows whether your call to action is successfully prompting clicks.
- Follower Growth (Post Campaign) helps measure whether your press release attracted new interest in your company.
PR Strategy Tip: When sharing your press release on LinkedIn, include short, stat-rich captions or executive quotes and upload a relevant image or video snippet. Use 3 to 5 hashtags and tag key stakeholders or partners.
X: Real-Time Relevance and Media Visibility
Journalists and media outlets use X to track breaking news, trending discussions, and public sentiment. It is a useful platform for real-time press release amplification, especially around events or launches.
Key Metrics:
- Engagement Rate includes likes, replies, shares, and link clicks; even a 1% engagement on X is considered strong.
- Mentions track how often your brand or campaign is referenced by users, including journalists and influencers.
- Shares indicate how widely your press release was distributed across the platform.
- Hashtag Performance measures the visibility and interaction of your campaign-specific or branded hashtags.
- Top Post Performance helps you understand which types of content resonate most with your audience, offering insight into what drives engagement and interest.
PR Strategy Tip: Keep posts on X concise. Include a compelling stat or quote from the press release. Threads, or a series of connected X posts, can help tell a story and are now favored by X’s algorithm. Make use of Twitter Cards for richer previews and tracking links (called UTM links) to see exactly where your clicks are coming from.
Instagram: Visual Reinforcement and Brand Affinity
Instagram is not always a primary PR channel for traditional press releases, but it excels at reinforcing announcements visually. New product drops, executive features, ESG milestones, and company culture wins perform well here.
Key Metrics:
- Saves and Shares are more valuable than likes. They show your content was considered important enough to keep or share with others.
- Story Taps and Completion Rates are metrics for Instagram Stories. Story taps record how viewers interact, such as tapping forward, going back, skipping, or exiting, while completion rates indicate the percentage of viewers who watch the entire Story, helping you understand your content’s level of engagement.
- Engagement per Follower offers a clearer view of how active and invested your current audience is, beyond total likes.
- Link Clicks (via Bio or Stories) indicate how well your content drives traffic to the full press release, especially time-sensitive or visual announcements.
- Follower Sentiment (via Comments and DMs) is a qualitative measure that helps gauge public response and perception of your news.
PR Strategy Tip: Use carousel posts or video to turn your press release into a narrative, telling a richer story within a single Instagram post. By using multiple images or moving visuals, you can break down your press release into engaging, easy-to-digest segments that capture attention and encourage viewers to spend more time with your content. This approach helps bring your news to life and connect more effectively with your audience.
A note on Instagram and links: Adding links to Instagram Stories or your bio lets you direct followers to external websites, driving traffic to your full press release, product pages, or other content. This provides a clear, clickable path for users to learn more or take action. However, links in Stories are only available to accounts that meet certain criteria (like follower count or verification), and links in captions aren’t clickable. Tools like Linktree allow you to share multiple links through a single bio URL on Instagram, making it easy to direct your audience to different pages, such as press releases, websites, and social media profiles—all from one convenient spot.
Facebook: Community Reach and Paid Amplification
Despite changes in algorithm and declining organic reach, Facebook still holds value, particularly for consumer-facing press releases, CSR updates, or community initiatives. It also integrates well with paid promotion, which helps boost limited organic visibility.
Key Metrics:
- Post Reach is the total number of unique users who saw your post.
- Boosted Post Performance is tracked separately from organic posts to help assess the return on investment (ROI) of paid amplification.
- Reactions and Comments provide detailed insights; reactions such as “Love,” “Angry,” or “Wow” can indicate audience sentiment more clearly than on other platforms.
- Link Clicks are especially useful for measuring traffic to press releases hosted on your website or on BusinessWire.com.
- Video Retention Rate shows how long viewers watch press release summaries in video format, helping you understand audience engagement.
PR Strategy Tip: For local press or human-interest content, Facebook can outperform other platforms. Add budget to boost posts in specific markets or demographic groups, especially if your press release is tied to a geographic region.
TikTok: Culture, Trends, and Reach Beyond Your Audience
TikTok’s algorithm surfaces content to users based on interests, not who they follow. That offers massive organic reach potential. While not traditionally a PR vehicle, brands are increasingly translating press releases into short, engaging video formats.
Key Metrics:
- Views and Watch Time are critical metrics for understanding both the reach of your video and the quality of audience engagement.
- Shares serve as a strong indicator that your message is resonating beyond your immediate follower base.
- Sounds and Duets are key growth drivers when using a branded sound or encouraging audience reactions.
- Engagement Rate (calculated by adding likes, comments, and shares, then dividing by views) helps gauge how compelling your video content is.
- Traffic from TikTok to Site is difficult to track directly unless you use link-in-bio tools (similar to Instagram) with tracking parameters.
PR Strategy Tip: Use short, high-impact visuals or behind-the-scenes angles to bring your press release to life. Speak the platform’s language with fast pacing, trending audio, and casual voiceover to bridge your formal announcement tone with TikTok’s audience.
YouTube: Longevity and Executive Voice
YouTube is ideal for long-form content such as press release companion videos, product walkthroughs, and executive interviews. The platform makes it easy for people to find your content through search and helps spread your news through shares and website embeds.
Key Metrics:
- Watch Time per Video is one of the most important performance signals in YouTube’s algorithm.
- Average View Duration is a strong indicator of content quality and viewer engagement.
- CTR on Thumbnails shows you how effective your visual and headline combinations are at attracting viewers.
- Subscriber Growth becomes especially valuable when tied to specific announcements or video campaigns.
- Traffic Sources help you understand whether viewers discovered your video through search, social, or embedded links.
PR Strategy Tip: Use clear, searchable titles and descriptions when posting your video, and include a link to your full press release. You can also share short preview clips on other platforms with a link back to your YouTube video to boost views and consolidate watch time.
Measuring What Matters Across Platforms
While each social media platform has unique engagement metrics, some principles hold true across the board:
- Prioritize meaningful engagement. Comments, shares, and saves carry more weight than likes when it comes to measuring true impact.
- Track performance across platforms to understand what works and where. Use tracking links and tools like Bitly, Google Analytics, or social dashboards to monitor the effectiveness of your messaging.
- Tailor your content format to each platform while keeping your message consistent. Avoid copy-pasting press release text. Instead, adapt your press release visually, emotionally, and in a way that feels native to each platform.
Press releases are no longer just for journalists. When shared intentionally across the right social channels, your news can become multimedia narratives that travel faster, stick longer, and reach broader audiences.
