Delta vs Lifetime Metrics: Understanding the Differences

When building reports with Adriel’s Organic V2 Connectors, you’ll often choose between Delta and Lifetime metrics. Both serve different reporting needs. This guide explains what each means and when to use them.

Lifetime Metrics

Lifetime metrics show the total value accumulated for a metric at the time of data retrieval. They represent the complete history of the object you're reporting on — whether that’s a post, profile, or page.

Key points:

• Cumulative totals
• Reflect all data up to the current date
• Useful for showing total growth or audience size

Common examples:

• Total Followers
• Total Likes
• Total Video Views

When to use:

• Reporting total audience growth over time.
• Presenting overall channel health.
• Comparing full historical performance across profiles.

Delta Metrics

Delta metrics capture the change within the specific date range you select in your dashboard. Instead of reporting the total, Delta focuses on what happened during your reporting period.

Key points:

• Reflect only activity that occurred during the selected time window.
• Calculated as the difference between Lifetime totals at the start and end of the period.
• Ideal for tracking short-term or campaign-specific performance.

Common examples:

• New Followers Gained This Week
• Likes Received During the Last 30 Days
• Views Generated This Month

When to use:

• Campaign performance reporting.
• Monitoring recent growth.
• Weekly or monthly trend analysis.

Have More Questions?

If you’re unsure which metric type best fits your reporting, contact Adriel Support for guidance. You can also read more about Organic V2 and how Adriel handles data for your social media reporting!