How Do You Read a Digital Report?hope
Mon, 01/19/2026 - 08:00
by
Tobias Cebulash
(He/Him)
Using Digital Reports to Optimize Your Digital Advocacy Campaign
Your digital program is live. Congratulations!
Ads are running. Money is being spent. But do you actually know how to read your digital report to understand what's working and what needs to change?
Digital programs are not a "set it and forget it" tactic. The organizations that achieve the best return on their digital investment are those that actively monitor performance, identify opportunities, and make strategic adjustments in real-time. If you’re working with a digital firm, that means learning to read a digital report with confidence and knowing which metrics actually matter for your specific goals.
Why Digital Reports Matter More Than You Think
Many campaigns treat digital reports like homework that they have to glance at once a week. By not taking those few minutes to understand what’s going on, they miss opportunities to shift spending toward what's working and away from what's underperforming. Ignoring your digital report means leaving wins on the table.
With a digital campaign, you have to be ready to call an audible. Maybe your programmatic display is underperforming but your Facebook ads are knocking it out of the park. Maybe one piece of video creative has double the completion rate of all the others. Your digital report gives you the intelligence to act on those insights before you've run through your budget.
What You'll Find in a Standard Digital Report
When you receive a digital report from your agency, it typically includes three main sections: full program metrics, platform-specific breakdowns, and creative-level performance. Understanding what each section tells you is the first step toward making smart optimizations.
Full Program Metrics give you the big picture. This is where you'll see total impressions, total clicks, overall click-through rate (CTR), total spend, and average cost per thousand impressions (CPM). These numbers help you understand whether your program is delivering at scale and whether you're on track to hit your goals.
Platform-Specific Metrics break down performance by channel. Your Facebook performance will be separated from your YouTube performance, programmatic display, and Google Search ads. This is where you start to see which platforms are working hardest for you. Maybe your Facebook CTR is strong, but your programmatic display CTR is lagging. That tells you something important about where your audience is most engaged.
Creative-Level Metrics show you which individual ads are performing best. If you're running three different video ads, this section reveals which one has the highest video completion rate (VCR). If you have multiple display creatives, you'll see which one generates the most clicks. This data is gold because it tells you exactly what messaging and visuals resonate with your audience.
Key Metrics You Need to Understand
Let's get specific about the metrics that matter and what they actually mean for your digital program.
Impressions are the total number of times your ad was displayed.
Clicks measure how many people took action by clicking your ad.
Click-Through Rate (CTR) is the percentage of people who saw your ad and clicked on it. This is calculated as clicks divided by impressions. CTR is one of your most important efficiency metrics because it tells you how compelling your ad is. A high CTR can mean your creative and targeting are working well together.
Cost Per Mille (CPM) tells you how much you're paying per thousand impressions.
Video Completion Rate (VCR) shows the percentage of people who watched your video ad all the way through. This is critical for video campaigns because it tells you if your message is engaging enough to hold attention.
Reach measures the number of unique individuals who saw your ad. This differs from impressions because one person might see your ad multiple times.
Frequency is the average number of times each person saw your ad.
Engagement Rate (primarily used for social media) measures likes, comments, shares, and other interactions as a percentage of impressions.
Understanding Benchmarks: What "Good" Looks Like
Raw numbers don't mean much without context. A 0.5% CTR might sound small, but if the industry benchmark is 0.08%, you're actually not doing so bad. Understanding benchmarks helps you evaluate whether your digital program is performing well or needs adjustment.
Programmatic Benchmarks:
Industry standard CTR for programmatic display is around 0.08%.
Programmatic video benchmarks vary more, but 70% is generally considered a strong VCR.
Static ad CPMs typically range from $5 to $10, depending on targeting and competition.
Facebook & Instagram Ad Benchmarks:
Average CTR for Meta ads is approximately 0.9%.
Meta CPMs vary widely but often range from $5 to $15 for static.
Engagement rates on Meta typically fall between 1% and 3%, though highly engaging content can go much higher.
Google Search Ad Benchmarks:
Search ads typically have much higher CTRs than display, often 3% to 5% or higher, because people are actively searching for related topics.
Cost per click (CPC) varies dramatically by keyword competitiveness, but understanding your cost per click relative to the value of a conversion is critical.
These benchmarks give you a baseline, but remember that your specific campaign goals, audience, and creative will all impact performance. The key is using benchmarks to identify when something is significantly underperforming and needs attention.
Beyond the Standard Report: What Else to Ask For
Most digital reports from vendors include the basics, but there's additional reporting that can help you make even smarter decisions. Don't be afraid to ask for customized reporting that serves your specific strategic needs.
Day-by-Day Reporting shows you performance trends over time. Are certain days of the week performing better? Did performance spike or dip after a specific event? Day-by-day data helps you understand patterns and optimize timing.
Audience Reporting breaks down performance by different audience types. If you're running ads to multiple audiences on the same platform (e.g., interest-based targeting, list match, and lookalike audiences on Facebook), you need to know which audience segment is delivering the best results so you can shift budget accordingly.
Geographic Breakdowns show you which markets or regions are responding best to your ads. If you're running a multi-state campaign, you may get some important insights by comparing digital performance across different locations.
Ask for the reporting you need to make strategic decisions, don’t just accept whatever comes standard. If there's a data point that would help you optimize your campaign, ask your vendor for it.
Making Strategic Adjustments Based on Your Digital Report
Reading your digital report is only valuable if you act on what you learn. Here are the most common and impactful adjustments campaigns make based on digital report insights.
Shifting Spend to Top-Performing Platforms: If Facebook is delivering a 1.2% CTR while programmatic display is sitting at 0.05%, it may make sense to reallocate budget toward Facebook. But keep reach in mind—every voter isn’t on Facebook, that’s why you layer multiple platforms. There’s a balancing act with every adjustment, so make them strategically.
Pausing Underperforming Creative and Doubling Down on Winners: If one video ad has a 45% VCR and another has 15%, you may want to pause the underperformer and put more budget behind the winner.
Adding New Creative Mid-Campaign: If all your ads are experiencing creative fatigue (declining CTRs, falling engagement), consider injecting fresh creative to recapture attention.
Optimizing Audience Targeting: If your lookalike audience on Facebook is delivering twice the CTR of your interest-based audience, shift more budget to lookalikes. Similarly, if one interest segment wildly outperforms others, lean into it.
Adjusting Campaign Timing: If your digital program has a hard deadline, like an election, this may not be an option for you. But if you aren’t constrained in that way, you may be able to make adjustments to your end date. For instance, a program that isn’t showing signs of creative fatigue could be extended to maximize impact. If ads are performing poorly across the board, perhaps during a holiday weekend, it’s worth considering the option of pausing the campaign entirely and re-evaluating.
The Bottom Line on Digital Reports
Digital reports are not one-size-fits-all. The metrics that matter most depend entirely on your campaign strategy, goals, and tactics. A persuasion campaign will care more about reach and frequency. A mobilization campaign might prioritize clicks and conversion actions. A fundraising program needs to track cost per acquisition above all else.
The key is knowing what success looks like for your specific program and using your digital report to measure progress toward that definition of success. Focus on the data that enables strategic decision-making.
If the reporting you're getting doesn't answer the questions you need answered, ask for more. A good digital firm will work with you to provide the insights that help you optimize.
The best digital programs are the ones that treat reporting as an ongoing conversation, not a final report card. Use your digital report to guide adjustments, test new approaches, and continuously improve. That's how you turn a good digital program into a great one.
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Categories
Digital Advertising
Tags
Digital Campaign Strategy|
Efficient Digital Advertising|
Digital Advertising for Democrats|
Digital Advertising for Politics
