Most metrics in Measure are available as either a total or an average of all data in the set. In this article, learn how totals and averages differ, how to toggle between a metric's total or average value, and how averages are calculated differently for channel data and content data.
In this article:
What's the difference between a total and an average?
The default value for any given metric is its total value, and this total represents either the sum of multiple days (for channel metrics), or multiple posts (for content metrics). If a metric doesn't say avg. in the name, this means it's a total.
A metric's average value, on the other hand, is based on its totals—either the sum of the daily totals divided by the number of days (for channel metrics), or the sum of the posts' totals divided by the number of posts (for content metrics). The average value of a metric will always say avg. in the name.
Selecting between total and average metrics
For widgets that support both metric types, you can select between total and average metrics by using the toggle in the upper left corner when creating or editing the widget. You can also mix and match metric types freely.
Averaging channel metrics
Average channel metrics show the metric’s average value per day. This means that the value shown for each day, in the Time Series widget, will always be a total. Averages are calculated from the collective results of all daily totals during the selected date range.
Average channel metric =
(Day 1 Total + Day 2 Total + Day 3 Total +...) / Total number of days
For example, in the widget below, reactions avg. is calculated as: (0 + 4 + 2 + 4 reactions) / 4 days = 2.5 reactions per day.
Averaging content metrics
Average content metrics show the metric’s average value per post. This means that the value shown for each individual post will always be the total value – even if you’ve selected an average metric. The average is calculated from the collective results of all posts in the widget.
Average content metric =
(Post 1 Total + Post 2 Total + Post 3 Total +...) / Total number of posts
For example, in the widget below, engagement rate avg. is calculated as: (12.2 + 5.56 + 0 + 0 + 0 + 75 total engagement rate) / 6 posts = 15.46% engagement rate per post.