How to historicize Post data for organic social media connectors?
You are creating a Looker Studio report to analyze your post on TikTok or LinkedIn, but when you try to modify the period, the data does not change.
It is normal behavior! Posts on social media are not historicized.
But we have a solution to "fake" by extracting data to a Google Sheet with the "Post Created Date" and linking this Google Sheet to Looker Studio.
This is what we will cover here.
Extract your data on Google Sheet :
First, follow this link to get our Google Sheets Add-on and install it.
In a new sheet, go to Extensions -> Catchr - data connector -> Launch.
(If the Catchr menu does not appear in Extensions, close it, wait a few seconds, and re-open it.)
Launch Catchr Add-on on Google Sheets
We will now create the request to bring your data into Looker Studio:
Click on Add new.
Select your platform (click on the platform name to select it. Click on the + to add a new platform on Catchr.
Select your account.
Select your metrics related to the post.
Select your dimensions. For TikTok, you should at least get the Created Time and Title (don't take the Cover Image; TikTok dynamically changes the link, which will mess with the automatic import). For LinkedIn, you should get the Post Created Date and Post Title.
Select a time range (it does not matter what you choose. The system will try to get all the posts).
Skip the filter selector.
Select the two options: Combine and update rows and Format date for Looker Studio. The first one will update the metrics of every post. The second one will format the date so Looker Studio can understand it.
Add a schedule to automatically run this request daily (so you do not have to return and launch it to update your data).
Configure your request on Google Sheets.
check that you selected the A1 cell and click on Get Data.
Depending on your number of posts, displaying the table can take a few minutes.
Once done, it should look like this (for example, with a TikTok account).
Post data imported from TiktTok on Google Sheets
Now, we must go to Looker Studio to link Google Sheets and Looker.
Create your Looker Studio report:
Create your Google Sheets data source:
From the Looker Studio home page:
Click on Create -> Data Source
In the connector list, pick the Google Sheets connector.
Select your Google Sheets and sheet. Do not change the options.
Click on Connect.
Create a Google Sheets data source on Looker Studio
You created your data source. If everything went fine, your field Created Time or Post Created Date is on type Date.
Create your report:
Click Create Report at the top right to create a new report associated with this data source.
We will now create a table with our Posts data and add a date control field to display only posts posted during the selected period:
Click on Add a chart.
Select Table, and place it on the canvas.
In dimensions, Select Created Date and Title for TikTok or Post Created Date and Post Title for LinkedIn.
In metrics, add the post metrics you selected.
In Date Range Dimensions, select Created Time or Post Created Date (this is the crucial step; if not filled, the date selector won't work on the table).
Now add a date selector:
Click on Add a control.
Select Date Range Control and place it in the canvas.
Create a table and a date selector and use it on Looker!
Try it! Your table should vary depending on the period selected.
Do not hesitate to ask for our help on the chat. We will answer and help you!
Quick-step to histroicize social media Post on Looker Studio:
Import data into Looker Studio with the post-created date information.
Create a Google Sheets data source in Looker Studio with your new Google Sheets.
Create your table and put the post-created date field in the Date Range Dimensions area.
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