Doing it by hand
This works on any Airtable plan and costs nothing, as long as you have the time to keep it up.
- Add number fields to your content table: Likes, Comments, Reposts, Saves, Reach and Views, plus a URL field for the link to the post.
- Copy the numbers in from each post’s View insights on Instagram. Do it at the same point every time, such as seven days after posting, so your posts are compared fairly.
- Add an engagement formula, like the one in the questions below, so you can sort by what actually worked.
The catch is that it depends on you remembering, every post, every week, and the numbers are only useful if they are all there.
Having it done for you
Ninecast runs inside your base as an extension, and we set it up with you. Once it is posting for you, this part takes one press.
- In the Ninecast extension, make sure you have pressed Connect Airtable. That is what lets the numbers arrive while nobody has the base open.
- Press Add analytics fields. Ninecast creates Published link, Likes, Comments, Reposts, Saves, Reach and Views in your table and matches them up. If you already have fields with those names, it uses yours.
- Connect your Instagram and let Ninecast post for you. Each post’s numbers then appear in its own record and keep updating for two weeks.
When the numbers land in the record that planned the post, you can see what worked without leaving Airtable, and plan next month around it.
What to do with the numbers
Because the results sit next to the date, format and caption, Airtable can answer the questions you actually have. Sort by saves to find what people want to keep, group by post type to see whether Reels or carousels are doing better for you, and filter to last month when it is time to write a client report.
Running accounts for other people? See how to manage social media clients in Airtable. Planning in Notion instead? The same thing is covered in tracking Instagram analytics in Notion, and getting posts out in the first place is in scheduling Instagram posts from Airtable.
Questions that follow
How do I track Instagram analytics in Airtable?
Add number fields for likes, comments, reposts, saves, reach and views to the table where you plan your posts. You can copy the numbers in by hand from Instagram Insights, or let Ninecast fill them in. It posts the record to Instagram, then writes that post's numbers back into the same record automatically for two weeks.
Can Airtable pull Instagram analytics automatically?
Not by itself. Airtable has no built-in way to read how your Instagram posts did. Ninecast reads the numbers from Instagram for the posts it published and writes them into your base, so you do not need to build a Zapier or Make automation.
Do I need Zapier to get Instagram numbers into Airtable?
No. With Ninecast there is no zap or scenario to build or keep running. Press Add analytics fields once in the Ninecast extension and the fields are created and matched up for you.
Which Instagram numbers can go into Airtable?
Likes, comments, reposts, saves, reach and views for each post, along with a link to the live post. They keep updating for the 14 days after a post goes out, which is when most of its numbers arrive.
What is a good engagement rate formula in Airtable?
Add up the interactions and divide by reach. In an Airtable formula field: IF({Reach} > 0, ROUND(({Likes} + {Comments} + {Reposts} + {Saves}) / {Reach} * 100, 2), 0). Format it as a number and you can sort your best posts to the top.
Does it track posts I published myself on Instagram?
No. Ninecast brings back numbers for the posts it published for you. Anything you posted straight from the Instagram app is not matched to a record, so you would add those numbers by hand.
Does it work for my other platforms?
Every post Ninecast publishes gets its link written back into the record, whichever platform it went to. The engagement numbers are Instagram only for now.
Do I need a paid Airtable plan?
No. Ninecast works on Airtable’s Free plan. Open your planner link, sign in with Airtable and choose the base and table your posts are in; Ninecast reads the records and posts them on their dates. On Free, Airtable allows 1,000 API calls a month per workspace, so Ninecast checks a free base less often to stay inside it.
How much does it cost?
The grid preview is free, forever. Publishing is on Creator, $15 a month or $12 a month billed yearly, for 3 planners — and the free plan includes 2 posts so you can see it work first.
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