11 Key Twitter Performance Metrics You Should Track

I used to tweet like I was throwing darts in the dark. If one stuck—great. If not, I moved on, often without even checking what worked and what didn’t.

But then I noticed something: when one of my tweets started picking up likes or retweets, it wasn’t just luck. There were patterns. And those patterns were buried inside the tweet’s analytics.

The more I looked, the more I realized that every tweet leaves clues—what people click, what they save, what they ignore. If you're trying to grow on Twitter, you can't afford to guess.

You have to know what’s working, what isn’t, and how to build on it. That’s where these 11 key Twitter performance metrics come into play.

Let me walk you through the ones I track now—and how each one changed how I tweet.

1. Impressions

This was the first metric I started watching. It’s basically how many times your tweet appears on someone’s screen. And what shocked me was how much variation there was. One tweet might get 300 impressions, another might hit 20,000—with no likes on either.

That’s when I realized: impressions don’t mean success, but they do mean visibility. If people aren't even seeing your tweets, you don’t have a chance at engagement.

Once I learned when my followers were most active (hint: not during late-night inspiration dumps), I started timing my posts better.

Tip: Scheduling tweets for when your audience is most active can double or triple your impressions. I learned this by trial, error, and eventually Circleboom's best time analytics.

2. Engagements

Engagements measure what people actually do with your tweet—click, like, reply, retweet, bookmark. I used to get hung up on likes, but a tweet with 5 replies and a few clicks is actually more valuable than one with 20 likes and no interaction.

The first time I posted a behind-the-scenes tweet about a project I was working on, I noticed it didn’t get a ton of views—but it got comments, link clicks, and even a DM. That was a turning point.

Tip: Watch not just how many people engage, but how they engage. Are they clicking? Replying? Bookmarking? Each tells a different story.

3. Engagement Rate

Once I found this metric, everything changed. Engagement rate = total engagements ÷ total impressions.

This shows how effective your tweet really was. You might think a tweet with 10K impressions and 50 likes is great—but that’s only a 0.5% engagement rate. Meanwhile, another tweet with 500 impressions and 50 engagements? That’s 10%.

When I started sorting my tweets by engagement rate instead of likes, I discovered that my quieter, more specific posts were the ones actually resonating. I just needed to put them in front of more people.

4. Likes

Let’s be honest—likes are the easiest to spot and the most satisfying to get. They’re that instant dopamine hit. But they’re also surface-level.

I used to chase likes, then I realized that most liked tweets didn’t necessarily grow my account.

Still, they matter. A tweet with tons of likes looks more trustworthy. It’s social proof. People are more likely to engage with something that’s already been “approved” by others.

Tip: Humor, vulnerability, and relatability get likes. Don’t just inform—connect.

5. Retweets

Retweets are power moves. They take your tweet and drop it into someone else's audience. That’s where real reach happens.

The first time a mid-sized creator retweeted me, I gained over 80 followers in a day. It wasn’t because I asked them to. I just wrote something that resonated. That single retweet was more valuable than any ad I could’ve paid for.

Tip: If you notice an old tweet that did well, don’t let it die. Retweet it again or better—rewrite it and reschedule.

6. Replies

When I started asking questions at the end of my tweets, everything changed. Replies aren’t just vanity—they're conversations. That’s where relationships start.

A single reply can lead to a new follower. A thread of replies can lead to collaboration.

I once tweeted a question about tweet scheduling tools and ended up chatting with someone who later featured me in their newsletter. That wouldn’t have happened if I’d just tweeted and moved on.

7. URL Clicks

Clicks are king—especially if you’re driving traffic elsewhere. For a while, I was sharing my blog posts but barely getting any traction.

Once I started leading with a hook—something that made people curious—the clicks came in.

Example: Instead of tweeting “New blog: 11 analytics metrics to watch,” I wrote “You’re tracking likes, but ignoring the one tweet metric that actually grows your account. Here’s what I learned 👇” with the link below. It worked.

Here’s a quick video that shows you exactly how to track URL clicks and measure your tweet performance more effectively. 👇

8. Profile Clicks

This one’s underrated. Every time someone clicks your profile from a tweet, it means they want to know more. And if they like what they see, they’ll probably follow you.

I noticed a spike in profile clicks after I tweeted a bold opinion thread. Even though the tweets didn’t get many replies, people wanted to see who I was. After that, I made sure my bio was clear, my pinned tweet was valuable, and my link led somewhere useful.

Tip: Treat every tweet like a potential “first impression.”

9. Bookmarks

The silent MVP of tweet analytics. People don’t often comment or like—but they’ll bookmark something they find truly useful.

When I shared a tweet with a Notion template I built, it got very few likes. I was disappointed—until I saw it had been bookmarked over 70 times. That told me people valued it enough to save it.

Tip: If you create something useful—share it. You might not go viral, but you’ll become a trusted voice.

10. Video Views

I started experimenting with short videos—screen recordings, walkthroughs, little visual stories. It didn’t take long to notice that videos behave differently from text. People pause, replay, and spend more time with them.

My first tweet with a 30-second tutorial video had 4x the watch time of my typical tweets. Even though it didn’t go viral, people messaged me saying it helped them. That’s real engagement.

11. Video Starts

This metric shows how many people hit play. It’s a great curiosity signal. High starts but low views? That tells you your video’s intro isn’t strong enough to keep attention. I’ve had to learn this the hard way.

Tip: Start strong. The first second of your video and tweet caption should grab attention instantly.

Why I Don’t Use X Premium for This

Let’s address the obvious: Yes, you can get tweet analytics with X Premium—but it’s frustratingly limited.

You can see metrics per tweet, but that’s about it. There’s no way to sort or filter by engagement rate, no option to export your data, and no system to help you reuse your best content. It’s static. Manual. Slow.

Even when I had Premium, I found myself digging through tweets, copying numbers into spreadsheets just to track what worked. Eventually, I stopped bothering.

What I Use Instead: Circleboom Twitter

Then I turned to Circleboom Twitter—and it changed everything.

Circleboom is an official enterprise partner of X, which means it’s safe, stable, and built for serious Twitter users. And unlike Premium, it actually lets you work with your tweet data.

Here’s what I love about it:

➡️ A clean dashboard that shows every tweet’s metrics at a glance

➡️ Sort and filter tweets by likes, retweets, impressions, or engagement rate

➡️ Export your tweet history and performance to a spreadsheet

➡️ Instantly reschedule, auto-retweet, or rewrite your best tweets with AI

➡️ Analyze content performance across different timeframes and formats

How I Use Circleboom (Step-by-Step)

Step #1: Log In to Circleboom Twitter

Go to the Circleboom Twitter website and log in with your credentials. If you’re a new user, sign up—it’s quick and easy!

Step #2: Navigate to the Analytics Menu

From the left-hand menu, click on "Post Engagement Analytics" from the X Post Planner Menu.

Circleboom will display a detailed breakdown of your posts, including metrics like impressions, likes, retweets, replies, and more.

Step #3: Sort by Retweets

Locate the "Retweets" column in the content list.

Click on the column heading, and Circleboom will automatically arrange your tweets from the highest to the lowest number of retweets.

Optional Tips: Use Advanced Filters

For a more focused analysis, click on the "Filter Options" button.

You can refine your search by metrics like date, engagement type, or other performance indicators to identify specific trends.

With these analytics, I could see which tweets performed best and the patterns behind their success.

Step #4: Choose What to Do Next

Circleboom quickly sorts your tweets from the most retweeted ones to the least.

For any tweet in the list, you can:

🟢 Set Auto-Retweet: Reshare it at regular intervals automatically.

🟢 Rewrite with AI: Generate a fresh version of the tweet with improved wording.

🟢 Reschedule: Share it again at a better time based on follower activity.

Once you’ve set it up, Circleboom handles everything. No more manual retweeting, tracking, or redoing the same steps over and over.

It’s efficient, data-driven, and actually fun. I stopped guessing, and my results started improving.

Final Thoughts

You don’t need to be a data nerd to grow on Twitter. But you do need to understand your tweet performance. Each of these 11 metrics tells you something different. Together, they give you the full picture.

Once I stopped chasing likes and started reading the data, I became more intentional.

I knew which tweets to post again. I figured out what time my audience was most active. I saw what topics really clicked and built on them.

If you want to do the same, start tracking the right metrics. And if you’re tired of clunky tools and limited data, try something better.

👉 Try Circleboom Twitter and see your tweets the way your audience sees them—clearly.