— guide7 min readsep 20, 2027

a social media glossary.

reach, roas, ugc, cpm — decoded. the social media terms every business owner should know, in plain english.

— tl;dr

you should never feel lost in a marketing meeting. here are the core social media terms, explained simply.

agencies and platforms throw around jargon that quietly excludes the people paying the bills. here is a plain-english glossary so you can read any report or pitch with confidence — no marketing degree required.

— 01reach, impressions and engagement.

reach is how many people saw it; impressions is how many times it was shown; engagement is reactions — likes, comments, saves, shares. saves and shares are the strongest signals.

— 02the paid terms.

roas is return on ad spend; cpm is cost per thousand impressions; cpc is cost per click; retargeting is ads to people who already engaged. these run every paid conversation.

— 03content and growth terms.

ugc is user-generated content; hook is the opening that stops the scroll; pillars are your recurring content themes; organic means unpaid. now no strategy meeting can lose you.

— the short version
know reach, roas, ugc, cpm and hooks — and no meeting can talk over your head. book a discovery call →
frequently asked.
what does reach mean on social media?
the number of unique people who saw your content. impressions counts total views, including repeats.
what is roas?
return on ad spend — revenue generated for every unit of money spent on ads.
what is ugc?
user-generated content — content made by customers or creators that brands use in posts and ads.
glossarytermsguide
H
— written by
Harwinder Singh
Production Lead · Social Mafia

heads production. has shot in more restaurants, showrooms and studios than he can count.

work with a team that talks plainly.