Social Media Glossary

Algorithm

A set of rules that social media platforms use to determine what content to show users in their feeds based on relevance and engagement.

Analytics

Data that provides insights into how users interact with content, including metrics like engagement, reach, and impressions.

Avatar

A visual representation of a user on social media platforms, typically a profile picture or digital character.

Audience

The group of people who follow, engage with, or view your social media content regularly.

Authentication

The process of verifying a user's identity on social media platforms, often through passwords or two-factor authentication.

Autoresponder

An automated message sent in response to user actions or messages on social media platforms.

Affiliate Marketing

A marketing strategy where influencers earn commission by promoting other companies' products on their social media channels.

Bio

A short description on a social media profile that tells others about the user or brand.

Block

An action that prevents another user from seeing your content or interacting with you on a platform.

Boosted Post

A post that has been paid to reach a wider audience than it would organically.

Brand Awareness

The extent to which consumers recognize and remember a particular brand on social media.

Bot

An automated program that performs specific tasks on social media, such as posting content or interacting with users.

Bounce Rate

The percentage of visitors who navigate away from a website or landing page after clicking on a social media link.

Branded Content

Content that promotes a brand while providing value to the audience, often created in partnership with influencers.

Caption

Text that accompanies a social media post, often providing context or additional information about the content.

Comment

A response to a post or another comment, allowing users to engage in conversations about content.

Content Creator

Someone who produces and shares original content on social media platforms.

Conversion Rate

The percentage of social media users who complete a desired action, such as making a purchase or signing up for a newsletter.

CTA (Call to Action)

A prompt that encourages users to take a specific action, such as "Shop Now" or "Learn More" in social media posts.

Community Management

The process of building, growing, and managing online communities around a brand on social media platforms.

Content Calendar

A schedule that outlines when and what content will be published across social media channels.

DM (Direct Message)

A private message sent between users on a social media platform, not visible to the public.

Demographics

Statistical data about the characteristics of a social media audience, such as age, gender, and location.

Dark Social

Social sharing that occurs outside of what can be measured by web analytics programs, such as sharing via messaging apps.

Digital Footprint

The trail of data created by a user's activities and interactions online, including social media posts and comments.

Dwell Time

The amount of time a user spends viewing a piece of content on social media before navigating away.

Duet

A TikTok feature that allows users to create content alongside another user's existing video.

Data Privacy

The protection of personal information shared on social media platforms from unauthorized access or use.

Engagement

The interactions users have with content, including likes, comments, shares, and clicks.

Ephemeral Content

Content that is only available for a short period, such as Stories on Instagram or Snapchat.

Embed

The integration of social media posts or content into websites or other platforms.

Engagement Rate

A metric that measures the level of interaction with content relative to reach or followers.

Evergreen Content

Content that remains relevant and valuable over time, continuing to generate engagement long after it's published.

E-commerce Integration

Features that allow businesses to sell products directly through social media platforms.

Earned Media

Publicity gained through promotional efforts other than paid advertising, such as organic shares and mentions on social media.

Feed

A continuously updating list of content from accounts a user follows or content the platform algorithm suggests.

Filter

A digital overlay that changes the appearance of photos or videos, often used to enhance visual content.

Follower

A user who subscribes to another user's account to see their content in their feed.

Finsta

Short for "fake Instagram," a secondary, often private account where users share more authentic or unfiltered content with close friends.

Frequency

How often content is posted or ads are shown to users on social media platforms.

Follow/Unfollow Strategy

A growth tactic where users follow accounts to gain attention and then unfollow them later, regardless of reciprocation.

Facebook Pixel

A piece of code that tracks user actions on websites for Facebook advertising and analytics purposes.

Geotag

A location tag that can be added to posts to show where the content was created or what location it relates to.

GIF

A short, looping animation format commonly used to express reactions or emotions in social media posts and comments.

Growth Hacking

Strategies focused on rapid growth and user acquisition for social media accounts or platforms.

Giveaway

A promotional contest where users can win prizes by engaging with content, following accounts, or sharing posts.

Group

A community of users on social media platforms who share common interests and can interact with each other.

Geo-targeting

Delivering content or ads to users based on their geographic location on social media platforms.

Ghost Follower

A follower who never engages with your content despite following your account.

Handle

A username on social media platforms, often preceded by the @ symbol (e.g., @username).

Hashtag

A word or phrase preceded by the # symbol that categorizes content and makes it discoverable to users interested in that topic.

Highlight

A feature on Instagram that allows users to save and showcase Stories on their profile permanently.

Hook

An attention-grabbing element at the beginning of a social media post or video designed to capture user interest.

Heatmap

A visual representation of data showing where users focus their attention on social media content.

Hashtag Campaign

A marketing initiative that uses a specific hashtag to promote a product, service, or cause on social media.

Header Image

The banner image displayed at the top of a profile on social media platforms like Twitter or LinkedIn.

Impressions

The number of times content is displayed, regardless of whether it was clicked or not.

Influencer

A person with a significant social media following who can affect purchasing decisions of others due to their authority or relationship with their audience.

Insights

Analytics tools provided by social media platforms that show performance data for accounts and content.

Instagram Reels

Short, entertaining videos on Instagram that can be up to 60 seconds long, similar to TikTok videos.

In-Feed Ad

Paid content that appears within a user's social media feed, designed to blend in with organic content.

IGTV

Instagram's platform for longer-form vertical videos that can be up to 60 minutes for verified accounts.

Infographic

A visual representation of information or data designed to make complex information easily understandable, often shared on social media.

Join

The action of becoming a member of a social media platform, group, or community.

Jargon

Specialized language or terminology used within specific social media communities or industries.

Journey Mapping

The process of tracking and analyzing a user's experience with a brand across various social media touchpoints.

Jump Cut

A video editing technique commonly used in social media videos where sequential shots of the same subject are cut together, creating a jumping effect.

Join Date

The date when a user created their account on a social media platform, often visible on their profile.

Justified Gallery

A grid layout for images on social media platforms where photos are displayed in equal height rows with varying widths.

JV (Joint Venture) Partnership

A collaborative marketing effort between two or more brands or influencers on social media to reach a wider audience.

Keyword

A specific word or phrase that is used to optimize content for search and discovery on social platforms.

KPI (Key Performance Indicator)

Metrics used to evaluate the success of social media activities against specific objectives.

Klout Score

A measurement of social media influence on a scale of 1 to 100, based on interactions across various platforms (now defunct).

Knowledge Panel

An information box that appears in search results providing key facts about entities, often pulling data from social profiles.

Key Message

The main point or takeaway that a brand wants to communicate through its social media content.

Keyword Research

The process of identifying popular words and phrases people use on social media when discussing topics relevant to your brand.

Karma

A point system on platforms like Reddit that reflects a user's contribution to the community through posts and comments.

Like

A form of engagement where users show appreciation for content by clicking a designated button, often represented by a heart or thumbs up icon.

Live Streaming

Broadcasting video content in real-time over the internet to an audience on social media platforms.

Link in Bio

A phrase used on platforms like Instagram to direct followers to a link in the user's profile biography, as links in regular posts aren't clickable.

Listicle

Content presented in the form of a list, popular on social media for its easy-to-consume format.

Lurker

A social media user who observes content but rarely or never engages with it through likes, comments, or shares.

LinkedIn Pulse

LinkedIn's publishing platform that allows users to create and share long-form content with their professional network.

Location Tag

A feature that allows users to add geographical information to their social media posts, making them discoverable by location.

Mention

Tagging another user in a post or comment using the @ symbol followed by their username.

Meme

A humorous image, video, or piece of text that is copied and spread rapidly by internet users, often with slight variations.

Micro-Influencer

Social media users with a smaller but highly engaged following, typically between 1,000 and 100,000 followers.

Monetization

The process of generating revenue from social media content through ads, sponsorships, or other means.

Meta Description

A brief summary of a webpage's content that appears when shared on social media platforms.

Moderator

A person who oversees and manages content and interactions in social media groups or communities.

Multimedia

Content that uses a combination of different forms such as text, audio, images, animations, or videos on social media.

Newsfeed

A constantly updating list of stories in the middle of your homepage on social media platforms like Facebook.

Notification

An alert that informs users about activity related to their account, such as likes, comments, or mentions.

Native Content

Content that matches the form and function of the platform on which it appears, blending in with the user experience.

Niche

A specialized segment of the market for a particular kind of product or service that a social media account focuses on.

Network Effect

The phenomenon where a service becomes more valuable as more people use it, common in social media platforms.

News Jacking

The practice of capitalizing on trending news stories to promote your brand or content on social media.

NFT (Non-Fungible Token)

Digital assets that represent ownership of unique items or content, often promoted and sold through social media.

The number of people who see your content without paid promotion.

The process of improving content to perform better on social media platforms in terms of reach and engagement.

Content providers that distribute streaming media directly to viewers over the internet, often promoted through social media.

The process of introducing new users to a social media platform or community and helping them get started.

The act of contacting influencers, brands, or potential partners on social media for collaboration opportunities.

Content that is created by the user themselves rather than being shared or repurposed from another source.

A protocol that enables web pages to become rich objects in social graphs, controlling how content appears when shared on platforms like Facebook.

A social media service where users create profiles and share content, such as Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

Content shared on social media, which can include text, images, videos, or links.

A user's personal page on a social media platform that displays their information and content.

Content that is promoted through paid advertising on social media platforms to reach a wider audience.

A post that is fixed to the top of a profile or page so that it's the first thing visitors see.

Digital audio content that can be shared and promoted through social media platforms.

A type of content, especially on TikTok, where creators film from their perspective or act out a scenario from a specific viewpoint.

Sharing someone else's tweet with your own comment or context added.

A machine-readable code that can be scanned with a smartphone to quickly access social media profiles or content.

A metric used by some social media advertising platforms to rate the quality and relevance of ads.

A lineup of social media posts scheduled to be published at future dates and times.

A question-and-answer platform where users can ask questions, answer others' questions, and build authority in specific topics.

Pre-written responses that can be quickly sent in direct messages or comments on social media platforms.

A feature in Instagram Stories that allows users to ask their followers questions and receive responses.

The total number of unique users who see your content.

Sharing someone else's content on your own profile, such as retweeting on Twitter or sharing on Facebook.

Short, entertaining videos on Instagram that can be up to 60 seconds long, similar to TikTok videos.

A measure of the profitability of social media marketing efforts relative to their cost.

The act of reposting another user's Instagram content to your own account, with proper attribution.

Web design approach that ensures content looks good on all devices, important for social media landing pages.

When a reply to a post gets more engagement than the original post, often indicating disagreement or criticism.

Distributing content from another user or page to your own followers or friends.

A temporary post format that typically disappears after 24 hours, popular on platforms like Instagram and Facebook.

A user who follows a channel or account to receive updates, commonly used on platforms like YouTube.

Monitoring social media platforms for mentions of your brand, competitors, products, or relevant keywords.

Strategies to improve visibility in search engine results, which can affect social media discoverability.

A feature in Instagram Stories that allows users with verified accounts or over 10,000 followers to add links that viewers can access by swiping up.

Evidence that other people have purchased, used, or endorsed a product or service, often displayed through testimonials or user-generated content on social media.

Identifying someone in a post or photo, creating a link to their profile.

A series of connected posts or replies on a social media platform.

Topics or hashtags that are currently popular and being widely discussed on social media.

A social media platform focused on short-form video content, known for its viral challenges and trends.

The flow of visitors to a website or landing page from social media platforms.

A small image that represents a larger image or video on social media platforms, designed to attract clicks.

A post on Twitter, limited to 280 characters of text, which can also include images, videos, or links.

UGC (User-Generated Content)

Content created by users rather than brands, often shared on social media platforms.

URL Shortener

A tool that creates a shorter, more manageable link that redirects to a longer URL, useful for character-limited platforms.

Unfollow

The action of stopping following another user's account on social media.

User Interface (UI)

The visual elements and design of a social media platform that users interact with.

User Experience (UX)

The overall experience a user has when interacting with a social media platform, including ease of use and satisfaction.

UTM Parameters

Tags added to URLs to track the effectiveness of online marketing campaigns across social media platforms.

Upload

The process of adding content such as photos, videos, or documents to a social media platform.

Viral

Content that spreads rapidly and widely across social media platforms through sharing.

Vlog

A video blog or video log, a form of content where the creator films their daily life or discusses specific topics.

Verification

A process by which social media platforms confirm the authenticity of accounts, often indicated by a blue checkmark.

View

A count of how many times a video or story has been watched on social media.

Vanity Metrics

Statistics that look impressive but don't necessarily translate to meaningful business outcomes, such as follower count without engagement.

Vertical Video

Video content created in portrait orientation (9:16 aspect ratio) optimized for mobile viewing on social media platforms.

Voice

The distinctive personality, style, or point of view expressed through a brand's social media content.

Webinar

An online seminar or presentation that is hosted on the internet and can be shared through social media.

Whitelist

A list of approved accounts or content that are exempt from certain restrictions on social media platforms.

Widget

A small application that can be embedded in websites to display social media feeds or enable social sharing.

Word of Mouth

Organic promotion that occurs when satisfied customers share their experiences with others on social media.

Workflow

A sequence of processes or tasks used to create, approve, and publish social media content.

Watermark

A logo or text overlaid on images or videos to protect copyright and identify the creator on social media.

Web Analytics

Tools that track and report website traffic, including visitors from social media platforms.

XML (Extensible Markup Language)

A markup language used for storing and transporting data, often used in RSS feeds for social media content.

X (Twitter) Views

The number of times a post has been seen by users on X (formerly Twitter), indicating its reach.

XR (Extended Reality)

Technologies like AR and VR that are increasingly being integrated into social media experiences.

X-Post (Cross-Post)

Sharing the same content across multiple social media platforms simultaneously.

XML Sitemap

A file that helps search engines understand the structure of a website, which can impact social media SEO.

X (Twitter)

The rebranded name of Twitter, the social media platform known for short-form content and real-time updates.

XFN (XHTML Friends Network)

A microformat used to represent human relationships using hyperlinks, an early form of social networking.

YouTube Shorts

Short-form vertical videos on YouTube, designed to compete with TikTok and Instagram Reels. Great for quick content consumption and discoverability.

YouTube Monetization

The process by which creators earn money from ads, memberships, and sponsorships on their YouTube channel, often through the YouTube Partner Program.

YT Studio

YouTube’s dashboard for creators, providing analytics, video management, monetization settings, and audience insights.

YouTube

A video-sharing platform where users upload, view, and interact with content. It’s the second-largest search engine and a key player in influencer marketing.

YouTube Subscribers

Users who follow a channel to receive updates on new uploads. Subscriber count is a major trust and influence metric on the platform.

Youth Demographics

Young audiences (typically Gen Z and Gen Alpha) that drive trends and engagement on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.

Year-over-Year Growth

A metric comparing performance (followers, engagement, revenue) this year versus the same period last year—used to gauge momentum over time.