# Social media ROI calculator Enter the revenue social media brought in and what it cost (ads, tools, hours, content), and get the ROI, the net return and where the money went. ## What social media ROI measures Return on investment (ROI) compares what social media earned with what it cost. A result of 100% means you earned back twice what you spent; 0% means you broke even; below 0 means it cost more than it brought in. The formula is the same everywhere: (revenue − total cost) ÷ total cost × 100. The formula is the easy part. The two inputs are where most ROI numbers go wrong: revenue that is not really from social media, and costs that leave out the time people spent. ## Counting the revenue Only count revenue you can trace. Tag the links in your posts, bios and ads with UTM parameters, then read the revenue per source and campaign in your analytics or shop. For leads that close later, use the value your sales team assigns to a lead, and say so in your report. ## Counting the costs Add every cost from the same period: ad spend, tool subscriptions, content production, freelancers and the hours your team spent, valued at what an hour costs you. The breakdown shows which cost takes the largest share, which is often time rather than ads. ## Make it a habit Work out ROI for the same period length every time, with the same rules for revenue and costs, so the trend means something. PostBoost analytics shows reach and engagement for your connected accounts in one place, next to the revenue side you measure with UTM links. ## How to use 1. Enter the revenue you can attribute to social media for one period, for example from UTM-tagged links in your analytics. 2. Add what social media cost in the same period: ad spend, tools, content production and anything else. 3. Enter the hours spent and what one hour costs, so your team's time counts too. 4. Read the ROI, the net return and each cost's share of the total. 5. Repeat it every period with the same rules, so the numbers stay comparable. ## FAQ ### How do you calculate social media ROI? Subtract the total cost from the revenue social media brought in, divide by the total cost and multiply by 100. For example, 5,000 in revenue against 1,000 in ad spend and 10 hours at 50 an hour (1,500 in total) is (5,000 − 1,500) ÷ 1,500 × 100 = 233.3%. ### What counts as a cost? Everything you spent to get the result in that period: paid ads, tool subscriptions, content production such as design or video, freelancers, and the time your team spent, valued at an hourly cost. Leaving out time is the most common reason social ROI looks better than it is. ### How do I know which revenue came from social media? Tag every link you share with UTM parameters and read the revenue per source in your web analytics or shop. Revenue you cannot trace to a tagged link or a social campaign should stay out, or the ROI will be overstated. ### Can social media ROI be negative? Yes. When the costs are higher than the revenue, the ROI is below 0 and the calculator shows it as a negative percentage instead of hiding it. A negative ROI over one month is common for new accounts; compare several periods before deciding. ### Why is there no ROI when all costs are 0? ROI divides by the cost, and dividing by 0 has no answer. Add at least one cost, even just the hours you spent, to get a result. ### What is a good social media ROI? It depends on your margins, your sales cycle and how you attribute revenue, so this page quotes no benchmark. Track your own ROI with the same method every period and compare channels and campaigns against each other. ### Is my data sent anywhere? No. The calculator runs in your browser. Nothing you enter is sent to PostBoost or stored. ## Related - [Engagement rate calculator for Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn](https://postboost.co/tools/engagement-rate-calculator): Calculate engagement rate by followers, reach or impressions, for one post or several. See the formula with your own numbers. Free, in your browser. - [UTM builder for social media links](https://postboost.co/tools/utm-builder): Build UTM-tagged links for social posts in your browser: network presets, live preview, naming warnings and saved presets. Free, no signup. - [Best time to post on social media, by network and weekday](https://postboost.co/tools/best-time-to-post): Best times to post on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, X and TikTok by weekday, from Sprout Social, Buffer and Hootsuite, side by side with sources. - [Engagement Rate by Reach vs Followers: Which to Use](https://postboost.co/learn/engagement-rate-reach-vs-followers): Engagement rate by reach or by followers? See what each method answers, worked examples with the same posts, the multi-post trap and how to report it. - [Analytics](https://postboost.co/features/analytics): Account and post analytics for your social accounts in one place, and reports you can download as CSV or a branded PDF. Last verified: 2026-10-16 Canonical: https://postboost.co/tools/social-media-roi-calculator