Social media glossary

Reach and impressions

Reach is the number of unique accounts that saw a post. Impressions counts every time it was displayed, including repeats. A rising impression count with flat reach just means the same people are seeing it more.

Engagement rate

Engagements divided by reach. Measuring against reach tells you how compelling the post was; measuring against followers tells you how well it travelled. Use reach-based numbers for content decisions.

Queue

The list of approved posts waiting for their scheduled time. A healthy queue means posting no longer depends on doing something today.

Evergreen content

Content that stays true and useful over time: explanations, frameworks, how-tos. Evergreen posts can be rescheduled and recycled, unlike timely commentary.

Repurposing

Extracting the individual units of value from one piece: headings, numbers, examples, and giving each its own format and channel. Distinct from cross-posting, which is the same post sent to more places.

ALT text

A written description of an image for people who cannot see it. Expected on Bluesky and Mastodon in particular, and it adds searchable context everywhere.