Which metrics indicate the reach and impact of a fire safety message on social media?

• A. Number of new followers gained
• B. Reach/impressions and engagement metrics (shares, comments, clicks)
• C. Average time to respond to comments
• D. Video completion rate

Answer: (B)

Understanding which social media metrics reflect the reach and impact of a fire safety message. The best indicators are reach or impressions and engagement actions like shares, comments, and clicks. Reach shows how many unique people saw the message, while impressions track total views (including repeats). Engagement measures how people interacted with the content, signaling that the message resonated enough to elicit a response or to be circulated to others. Together, these metrics reveal both how broadly the message was seen and how actively people interacted with it, which is key for assessing real-world reach and potential impact.

Other options don’t capture both spread and interaction as directly. The number of new followers gained reflects overall audience growth but doesn’t tell you whether a specific fire safety message reached people or prompted engagement. The average time to respond to comments relates to how quickly you manage the community, not how far the message spread or how it affected behavior. The video completion rate shows how much of a video was watched, indicating interest in that piece of content, but it doesn’t necessarily indicate broader reach or ongoing engagement with the message.