TLDR: Raw numbers from different platforms don't compare. Pick one metric per goal, measure each platform against its own median, and show the result in one table with three columns: this period, your median, and the gap. That gives you an honest answer to "where should the next hour of effort go?"
Teams often stick every platform in one chart and declare a winner. The chart looks clean, but it's misleading.
A like on one platform isn't a like on another. Audiences differ, feeds differ, and each platform counts reach in its own way. Comparing raw numbers rewards the platform that counts generously, not the one that works for you.
Know what "normal" looks like on each platform
Start by learning the typical range on each platform. In Mydrop's data, the median engagement rate per post was 3.1% on Instagram, 3.0% on TikTok and 1.1% on Facebook. The middle half of Instagram posts ran between 1.1% and 6.7%.
So a 2% post on Instagram is normal, while a 2% post on Facebook is a strong one. You'll find the full tables in the Mydrop social media benchmarks.
The same lesson applies to your own account. Your own median over the last 90 days is the fairest yardstick, because it already reflects your audience, your format and your niche.
Choose one metric per goal
"ROI" is too broad to measure on a single post. Break it into goals and give each goal one metric.
| Goal | Metric to compare | Where it lives |
|---|---|---|
| Reach new people | Saves or shares per post | Platform insights |
| Send traffic | Link clicks | Tracked link |
| Get leads | Replies, DMs, form fills | Inbox and form |
| Make sales | Orders from a tracked link or code | Your shop or CRM |
Pick the row that matches what you're trying to do on each platform. LinkedIn might be about leads, Instagram about reach, and TikTok about reach. That's a good reason not to compare them with a single number.
Build one table, not ten charts
Make a table with one row per platform and these columns:
- This month: your chosen metric.
- Your median: the typical value over the last 90 days.
- Gap: this month minus median, as a percent.
A platform with a positive gap is doing better than normal. A platform with a negative gap needs a closer look. You're comparing change against a baseline, which is the only fair comparison across platforms.
Mydrop analytics show native per-platform metrics and a multi-profile benchmark, so you can read the medians without building the table by hand. For a client or boss, white-label PDF reports put the table into a format you can share.
Count effort, not just results
ROI has a cost side that most dashboards ignore. For each platform, write down the hours your team spent last month.
Then divide your chosen result by the hours. "12 leads from LinkedIn in 8 hours" and "30 saves from TikTok in 20 hours" are comparable in a way that "12 vs 30" is not. You don't need exact time tracking. A rough estimate to the nearest hour is enough to see which platform pays back your time.
Watch for two traps
Posting frequency is not a lever by itself. In Mydrop's data, accounts posting less than once a week had a median rate of 7.0%, while accounts posting seven or more times a week had 0.7%. That's a correlation, because smaller accounts post less and carry higher rates. Don't cut posts just because the rate looks better.
Small samples lie. If a platform has five posts this month, one hit changes the whole average. Use at least 90 days, or write "too few posts to judge" in the table.
Write the verdict in one sentence per platform
A table is only useful if it leads to a decision. Under it, write one sentence for each platform in plain words: "Instagram is 12% above its median, keep the carousel series" or "Facebook is 20% below its median, test two new post types before cutting it".
This keeps the report honest. A reader who skips the numbers still learns what to do next, and you're forced to commit to an action instead of admiring a chart. Review the sentences next month and check whether the action moved the number.
Run the comparison this week
Pull the last 90 days for each platform, pick one metric for each goal, and fill in the three-column table. Circle the biggest negative gap and spend your next experiment there.
To see every platform's metrics and benchmarks side by side, start free on Mydrop and connect your accounts.
Google review
Trustpilot review
Product Hunt comment
