Instagram Reach vs. Impressions
Reach counts unique accounts that saw your post; impressions count every time it was seen, including repeats.
What it means
Reach is the number of unique accounts that saw a post at least once. Impressions counts total views, including the same account seeing it more than once — so impressions is always equal to or higher than reach.
Why it matters
A big gap between impressions and reach means the same people are seeing your content repeatedly rather than it spreading to new accounts — useful to know if your goal is growth versus reinforcing an existing audience.
ask datanephew
Is my content reaching new people or just the same followers again and again?
Ask datanephew to compare reach and impressions for your recent posts — a small gap between the two suggests most views are from new accounts, while a large gap suggests repeat viewing.
Which of my posts reached the most new accounts?
Ask "which posts had the highest reach this month?" and datanephew will pull that from your Instagram data.