Glossary
Social Media Glossary
From reach to Reels, hashtags to MCP: the most used social media terms, explained simply and kept up to date.
152 terms · Updated: October 12, 2026
A
- Strategy & managementA/B testingTesting two versions of content to see which performs better.
- Accounts & toolsAccess permission (OAuth)A way to give an app limited access to your account without sharing your password.
- Algorithm & discoveryAccessibilityMaking your content understandable for everyone, including people with disabilities.
- MetricsAccounts engagedThe number of unique accounts that interacted with your content at least once.
- AdvertisingAd budgetThe money you set aside for ads, daily or in total.
- AdvertisingAd creativeEverything people see in an ad: image, video, text and headline.
- AdvertisingAd LibraryMeta's public archive where you can see ads currently running.
- AdvertisingAd setThe layer of a campaign where audience, budget, schedule and placements are set.
- AdvertisingAds ManagerMeta's main tool for setting up and managing Facebook and Instagram ads.
- Strategy & managementAI-generated contentCreating captions, ideas, images or video with AI tools.
- Algorithm & discoveryAlgorithmThe system a platform uses to decide what to show to whom, and in what order.
- Algorithm & discoveryAlt textA description of what an image shows, read aloud by screen readers.
- Accounts & toolsAPIAn interface that lets software exchange data with other software.
- Strategy & managementApproval workflowThe process where a client or manager approves posts before they go live.
B
- MetricsBenchmarkComparing your results with your own history, competitors or industry averages.
- Strategy & managementBest time to postThe time window when your audience is most active and your posts get the most engagement.
- Content formatsBioThe short intro text at the top of your profile.
- AdvertisingBoostTurning an existing post into an ad with one tap.
- Strategy & managementBrand ambassadorSomeone who represents and promotes a brand over the long term.
- MetricsBrand awarenessHow well your target audience knows and remembers your brand.
- Strategy & managementBrand guidelinesA document that turns a brand's look and voice into written rules.
- Strategy & managementBrand voiceThe consistent tone and personality a brand uses when writing and speaking.
- Strategy & managementBriefA short document describing a job's goal, audience, message and deliverables.
- Content formatsBroadcast channelA one-way Instagram channel for messaging many followers at once.
C
- AdvertisingCampaign objectiveWhat you want from an ad: awareness, traffic, engagement, leads or sales.
- Content formatsCaptionThe text that goes with a post.
- Content formatsCarouselA single post with several images or videos people swipe through.
- Strategy & managementChatbotSoftware that replies to messages automatically using AI or rules.
- MetricsClick-through rate (CTR)The share of people who saw a post or ad and clicked its link.
- Content formatsClose FriendsAn Instagram feature for sharing stories only with a list you choose.
- Content formatsCollab postA post shared by two accounts together that appears on both profiles.
- Strategy & managementCommunityA group of active people connected to each other and to your brand.
- Strategy & managementCommunity managementBuilding relationships with followers by replying to comments, messages and mentions.
- MetricsCompletion rateThe share of viewers who watched your video to the end.
- Strategy & managementContent calendarA plan of which content goes out on which day, time and platform.
- Strategy & managementContent creatorSomeone who regularly makes original content for social media.
- Strategy & managementContent marketingEarning trust and interest with useful content before selling.
- Strategy & managementContent pillarsThe 3–5 main themes your account posts about regularly.
- Strategy & managementContent repurposingReusing one piece of content by adapting it to other formats and platforms.
- MetricsConversionWhen a user completes the action you want: a purchase, sign-up, form or call.
- MetricsConversion rateThe share of visitors or clickers who completed your goal action.
- Content formatsCover imageThe thumbnail a video or Reel shows in your profile grid and feeds.
- AdvertisingCPA (cost per acquisition)The average cost of getting one conversion: a sale, sign-up or lead.
- AdvertisingCPC (cost per click)The average cost of each click on an ad.
- AdvertisingCPM (cost per mille)The cost of showing an ad a thousand times.
- Strategy & managementCrisis managementCommunicating fast and well on social media when something hurts your brand.
- Strategy & managementCross-postingSharing the same content on several platforms.
- Strategy & managementCTA (call to action)A prompt that tells people what to do next: save, comment, tap the link.
- AdvertisingCustom audienceAn ad audience built from your customer list, site visitors or people who engaged with you.
D
- Strategy & managementDark socialContent shared in private channels like DMs, messaging apps and email that are hard to measure.
- Strategy & managementDM automationSetups that reply automatically by DM to certain keywords or comments.
- Content formatsDuet & StitchOn TikTok, making a video side by side with another (Duet) or starting with a clip of it (Stitch).
E
- Strategy & managementEmployee advocacyEmployees sharing company content from their own accounts.
- MetricsEngagementEvery action people take on your content: likes, comments, saves, shares and clicks.
- Strategy & managementEngagement baitContent that asks for likes, comments or shares without offering any value.
- MetricsEngagement rateTotal engagement divided by followers or reach, as a percentage.
- Strategy & managementEvergreen contentContent that doesn't go out of date and stays useful for months.
- Algorithm & discoveryExploreThe Instagram tab that recommends content from accounts you don't follow.
F
- Content formatsFeed postA photo, video or carousel post that stays on your profile.
- MetricsFollower growth rateNet followers gained in a period divided by followers at the start of it.
- Algorithm & discoveryFor You pageTikTok's main feed of videos recommended for each person.
- AdvertisingFrequencyHow many times on average the same person saw your ad.
G
H
I
K
L
- Strategy & managementLanding pageA single-goal page people land on from a social or ad link.
- MetricsLeadSomeone who showed interest in your product or service and left contact details.
- Strategy & managementLead magnetFree, valuable content offered in exchange for contact details.
- Strategy & managementLink in bioA page or practice that routes your profile link to several destinations.
- Accounts & toolsLinkedIn company pageA company's official page for posting on LinkedIn.
- Content formatsLinkedIn document postA LinkedIn post made by uploading a PDF that people swipe through page by page.
- Content formatsLive streamReal-time video broadcast with your followers.
- Strategy & managementLocal business marketingA social media approach focused on reaching customers in a specific area.
- Algorithm & discoveryLocation tagAdding your business or shooting location to a post.
- AdvertisingLookalike audienceAn ad audience of new people who resemble your existing customers.
M
- Strategy & managementMCP (Model Context Protocol)An open standard that lets AI apps connect securely to other software.
- Content formatsMemeA funny, shareable piece of content built on a familiar image or format.
- Algorithm & discoveryMentionWhen your handle is used with @ in a post.
- Accounts & toolsMeta business portfolioWhere a business manages its Meta pages, ad accounts and team permissions (formerly Business Manager).
- Accounts & toolsMeta Business SuiteMeta's free tool for managing a Facebook Page and Instagram account together.
- AdvertisingMeta PixelA tracking code that connects visits and sales on your website to Meta ads.
- Strategy & managementMicro-influencerA creator with roughly 10,000 to 100,000 followers interested in a specific topic.
- Strategy & managementMoodboardA board of example images that shows the visual direction of a job.
N
O
P
- AdvertisingPartnership adsA brand ad that runs through a creator's account.
- Strategy & managementPersonaA fictional customer profile, with a name and story, that represents your audience.
- Accounts & toolsPersonal accountAn account type for individuals, without insights or business tools.
- Content formatsPinAn image or video post on Pinterest that can carry a link.
- Content formatsPinned postA post fixed to the top of your profile.
- Content formatsPollAn interactive element that asks followers to vote between options.
- Strategy & managementPost schedulingPreparing a post in advance and setting it to publish automatically at a set time.
- Strategy & managementPosting frequencyHow often you post in a given period.
- Accounts & toolsProfessional accountAn Instagram business or creator account that unlocks analytics, contact buttons and ad tools.
- Content formatsProfile gridThe view of your posts as thumbnails on your profile.
- MetricsProfile visitsHow many times people opened your profile, from a post or a search.
R
- MetricsReachThe number of unique accounts that saw your content at least once.
- Strategy & managementReal-time marketingJoining a current event or trend quickly with content from your brand.
- Algorithm & discoveryRecommendation eligibilityWhether your content can be shown to non-followers in Explore and recommendation feeds.
- Content formatsReelsThe short vertical video format on Instagram and Facebook.
- Content formatsRemixMaking new content by combining someone else's Reel with your own video.
- MetricsReplaysHow many times the same people played a video again.
- AdvertisingRetargetingShowing ads again to people who visited your site or engaged with your content.
- AdvertisingROAS (return on ad spend)How much revenue each unit of ad spend brings back.
- MetricsROI (return on investment)How much the time and money you put into social media returns to you.
S
- Strategy & managementSafe zoneThe middle area of a vertical video that app buttons and captions don't cover.
- MetricsSavesWhen someone bookmarks your post to come back to it later.
- MetricsSentiment analysisWorking out whether comments and mentions are positive, negative or neutral.
- Algorithm & discoveryShadowbanThe popular name for content quietly not being shown to non-followers.
- MetricsShare of voiceHow much of the conversation in your industry is about your brand.
- MetricsSharesWhen someone forwards your content by DM, in their story or to another app.
- Strategy & managementSocial commerceSelling products directly inside social media apps.
- Strategy & managementSocial listeningTracking what people say about your brand, competitors and industry on social media.
- AdvertisingSocial media adsPaid content shown to an audience you choose, in exchange for a budget.
- Strategy & managementSocial media agencyA company that manages social media for several brands as a service.
- Strategy & managementSocial media auditReviewing your accounts' current state, performance and consistency.
- Accounts & toolsSocial media management toolSoftware to plan, publish and measure several social accounts from one panel.
- Strategy & managementSocial media managerThe person who runs a brand's social media strategy, content and community.
- MetricsSocial media reportA document summarizing social media results for a period.
- Strategy & managementSocial media strategyA plan for what you post, for whom, where and why.
- Strategy & managementSocial proofBuilding trust by showing others use and like your product.
- Algorithm & discoverySocial SEOPreparing content so it can be found in social platforms' search results.
- Content formatsStickersInteractive elements added to stories: polls, questions, links, countdowns.
- Content formatsStoriesVertical photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours.
- Strategy & managementStorytellingTelling your message as a story with a beginning, middle and end.
- Content formatsSubtitlesSpoken words shown as text on screen in a video.
T
- Algorithm & discoveryTaggingMarking an account, product or location in a post.
- Strategy & managementTarget audienceThe specific group of people you want to reach with your content.
- AdvertisingTargetingChoosing who sees your ad by location, age, interests and behavior.
- Content formatsThreadsMeta's text-first social network that works with your Instagram account.
- Content formatsTikTok photo modeTikTok posts shared as a swipeable series of photos.
- Algorithm & discoveryTrendA topic, format or sound lots of people talk about or recreate in a short time.
- Content formatsTrending audioA song or sound widely used in short videos right now.
- Content formatsTrial ReelsAn Instagram feature that shows a Reel to non-followers first so you can test it.
- Accounts & toolsTwo-factor authenticationA security step that asks for a second code on top of your password.
U
- Content formatsUGC (user-generated content)Content your customers or followers create about your brand.
- MetricsUnfollowsThe number of people who stopped following you in a period.
- Accounts & toolsUnified inboxA feature that brings comments and messages from different platforms into one screen.
- Strategy & managementUTM parametersTags added to a link that show in analytics where the traffic came from.
V
- Accounts & toolsVerified account (blue check)A badge showing an account really belongs to that person or brand.
- MetricsViewsThe total number of times your content was shown or played, repeats included.
- Algorithm & discoveryViralWhen content spreads to far more people than usual in a short time, through shares.
- Strategy & managementVisual identityA brand's consistent look: colors, fonts, logo and visual style.
W
Y
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