Post Shares

Post Shares is a useful metric for gauging content interest. The ability to share a post with others is available on each of the major social platforms. On Twitter, content is shared as a Retweet and on Pinterest content is shared through Repinning. On LinkedIn, content sharing is simply called a Share.

Post Shares are a part of a group of metrics that are referred to as active engagement or actionable metrics; in other words, the action of sharing a post takes more effort than a passive engagement metric, such as simply liking a post. It can indicate greater value to the user, as they are sharing this content with their connections on the social site. As a reference, other active engagement or actionable metrics include comments, whereas passive engagement would include a post like or post favorite.

Post shares are seen as more valuable in terms of a social platform’s algorithm, meaning that content that is shared by others is seen as more valuable than content that simply has a large number of likes or impressions. The more content that has active engagement, the more authority and visibility will be given to it on social platforms, thus increasing visibility organically.

This metric is useful in measuring the success of a campaign or content strategy and aligns with measuring KPIs. If the goal for the content is increased reach and brand visibility, measuring post shares can be useful in conjunction with other metrics, such as impressions and reach.