Title: Social media metrics
Author: bethurban
Published: July 21, 2022
Last modified: September 24, 2025

---

 1. [User handbook](https://docs.parse.ly/user-handbook/)
 2. [Measuring and reporting performance](https://docs.parse.ly/user-handbook/measuring-reporting-performance/)
 3. [Understanding Parse.ly calculations](https://docs.parse.ly/user-handbook/measuring-reporting-performance/calculations/)
 4. Social media metrics

#  Social media metrics

One of the most popular [Parse.ly Dashboard](https://docs.parse.ly/dashboard/) uses
is analyzing social data from networks like Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. These
social networks tend to result in new [visitors](https://docs.parse.ly/measuring-reporting-performance/calculations/visitors/),
with a “viral coefficient” that allows content to spread outside of its typical 
sphere of influence. Read more about social data and [real-time content analysis](https://blog.parse.ly/real-time-content-analysis/).

Throughout the Dashboard and in reports, you can sort by various social media metrics—
and the [Referrers tab](https://docs.parse.ly/dashboard/referrers-tab/) allows a
deep dive into site-wide trends and content that’s resonating with audiences.

![The Parse.ly Dashboard can be sorted by a variety of social media metrics.](https://
docs.parse.ly/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/06/Social-media-metrics.png)

The Parse.ly Dashboard can be sorted by a variety of social media metrics.

## Social referrals

Social referrals (also noted as “social refs” in some places around the Dashboard)
show how much traffic, measured in [page views](https://docs.parse.ly/measuring-reporting-performance/calculations/page-views/),
came to your site from social media platforms. Parse.ly maintains and periodically
updates a [list of social referrers](https://docs.parse.ly/dashboard/referrers-tab/#h-1-social).
If at least part of your social media goals is to direct people back to your site
and content, get acquainted with this metric. You can also look at referrals from
specific social media platforms — for example, you can view which individual threads
drove clicks from Facebook.

![The Sections tab sorted by social referrals.](https://docs.parse.ly/wp-content/
uploads/sites/5/2025/07/Sort-by-social-referrals.png)

The Sections tab sorted by social referrals.

## Social interactions

The social interactions metric captures all off-site engagement for a select group
of social networks that Parse.ly officially supports through API integrations. These
include Facebook and Pinterest.

Facebook interactions include shares, comments, and likes. Pinterest interactions
include saves (pins) and comments. Parse.ly totals this data to provide the social
interactions values seen in the Dashboard. More specific information (user accounts,
etc.) is kept secret in the data sent to Parse.ly.

Social interactions are a powerful signal of organic off-site content sharing. Monitor
posts (or sections or tags) for their interactions throughout the day. Even if those
interactions are not driving much traffic yet, they will be a strong signal that
your content resonated with a socially active audience.

![The Authors tab sorted by Facebook interactions.](https://docs.parse.ly/wp-content/
uploads/sites/5/2025/07/Sort-by-FB-interactions.png)

The Authors tab sorted by Facebook interactions.

## Refs/interaction

Refs/interaction is a ratio metric that contextualizes how these two metrics (social
referrals and social interactions) relate to one another.

In the image below, the [Posts tab](https://docs.parse.ly/dashboard/posts-tab/) 
has been sorted by Facebook interactions. The top post listed had 71 Facebook interactions(
shares, comments, or likes), which then drove 89 Facebook referrals (or page views)
back to the site. That gives this post a 1.3 refs/interaction ratio.

![Social interactions and social referrals are used to calculate refs/interactions.](
https://docs.parse.ly/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2025/06/Refsinteractions.png)

Social interactions and social referrals are used to calculate the refs/interaction
ratio.

The higher a refs/interaction ratio is, the more optimized a post is to grow site
traffic through social media.

This information can help in choosing which content to promote in limited Facebook
page posting slots, or whether to cross-promote a post to other platforms that behave
similarly to Facebook (e.g., Twitter or Reddit).

Last updated: September 24, 2025