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UTM Parameters for Marketing

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Track Social Marketing Like a Pro With UTM Parameters (Using Jetpack Complete)

If you’ve ever looked at your site stats and thought, “Cool… but which Facebook post (or email, or LinkedIn update) actually drove those visits?” — you’re exactly who UTM parameters are for.

UTM parameters are small, standardized tags you add to the end of a URL. When someone clicks that tagged link, analytics tools can attribute the visit to the right platform, channel, and campaign—so you can stop guessing and start measuring.

Jetpack Stats (included in Jetpack Complete) has a built-in UTM URL Builder and a UTM reporting card right inside your WordPress dashboard, making this way easier than managing spreadsheets or third-party link builders. (Jetpack).

Sites managed by Chesley Software on the Pressable Platform (WordPress’s agency hosting platform) get a no cost license to JetPack Complete! Check out our site design offerings here or review our digital consulting services here.

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

The UTM basics (in plain English)

A typical UTM-tagged URL looks like this:

https://example.com/services/?
  utm_source=facebook
 &utm_medium=social
 &utm_campaign=winter-promo

Core terminology

These are the most common (and most useful) parameters:

  • utm_source = Where the click came from (facebook, linkedin, newsletter, google)
  • utm_medium = What type of channel it was (social, email, cpc, paid_social)
  • utm_campaign = The campaign or initiative name (spring-launch, membership-drive)
  • utm_content (optional) = Which creative/link variant (carousel, bio-link, footer-cta)
  • utm_term (optional) = Typically for paid search keywords (revolutionary-war-books)

Jetpack’s own guidance highlights that UTMs are case-sensitive—so consistency matters. (Jetpack)

What you get for the effort (why UTMs are worth it)

When you tag links consistently, you can:

  • Compare platforms apples-to-apples (LinkedIn vs Facebook vs email)
  • Measure campaigns, not vibes (what actually worked, with real numbers)
  • Test content variations (post copy A vs copy B using utm_content)
  • Build a repeatable marketing system (naming conventions + reporting you can trust)

And if you’re using Jetpack Stats already, you can review UTM performance without leaving WordPress. (Jetpack)

A simple naming system that won’t make you hate future-you

Pick a convention and stick to it. Here’s one we like at Chesley Software:

  • utm_source: platform name only (facebook, linkedin, x, instagram, youtube, tiktok)
  • utm_medium: channel type (social, paid_social, email, cpc, referral)
  • utm_campaign: YYYY-MM + campaign slug (e.g., 2026-01-winter-membership)
  • utm_content: format/placement (reel, story, carousel, bio, headerlink)
  • Use lowercase, hyphens, and avoid spaces.

Example campaign set:

  • utm_campaign=2026-01-winter-membership
  • utm_content=carousel-1 vs utm_content=carousel-2

Ready-to-copy UTM examples for common platforms

Use these as starting templates (swap in your real URL and campaign name):

Facebook (organic post)

https://example.com/landing/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=2026-01-winter-membership&utm_content=post

Facebook (paid)

https://example.com/landing/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=paid_social&utm_campaign=2026-01-winter-membership&utm_content=ad-set-1

Instagram (link in bio / story link)

https://example.com/landing/?utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=2026-01-winter-membership&utm_content=bio

LinkedIn (organic)

https://example.com/landing/?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=2026-01-winter-membership&utm_content=company-page

X (Twitter)

https://example.com/landing/?utm_source=x&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=2026-01-winter-membership&utm_content=thread

TikTok

https://example.com/landing/?utm_source=tiktok&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=2026-01-winter-membership&utm_content=profile-link

YouTube (description)

https://example.com/landing/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=2026-01-winter-membership&utm_content=description

Email newsletter (Mailchimp example)

https://example.com/landing/?utm_source=mailchimp&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2026-01-winter-membership&utm_content=button-cta

QR code (print / signage)

https://example.com/landing/?utm_source=print&utm_medium=qr&utm_campaign=2026-01-winter-membership&utm_content=flyer

Tip: Never put personal info in UTMs (names, emails, addresses). UTMs are visible in the URL.

How to build UTMs with Jetpack Complete (UTM URL Builder)

Jetpack’s UTM URL Builder is built into the Jetpack Stats dashboard and is available with Jetpack Complete (or a commercial Jetpack Stats plan). (Jetpack)

Steps

  1. In your WordPress admin, go to Jetpack → Stats.
  2. Scroll until you see the UTM card, then click URL Builder. (Jetpack)
  3. Enter your destination page/post URL.
  4. Fill in at least:
    • UTM Source
    • UTM Medium
    • UTM Campaign
  5. Copy the generated link (Jetpack provides a “copy to clipboard” button). (Jetpack)
  6. Use that link in your social post, ad, email, or QR code generator.

Where to see results in Jetpack Stats (UTM reporting)

Once your tagged links are out in the world, head back to:

Jetpack → Stats → Traffic and find the UTM stats card. From there, you can use dropdowns to view performance by source, medium, campaign, and more. (Jetpack)

What to do inside the UTM card

  • Switch the dropdown to Campaign to compare campaigns
  • Switch to Source to see which platforms are driving traffic
  • Adjust the date range to match your campaign window (Jetpack)
  • (Optional) Drill into per-post performance—helpful if you’re tagging multiple links to different pages/posts (Jetpack)

Practical Jetpack workflow we recommend

Here’s a simple, repeatable system:

  1. Decide your campaign slug (example: 2026-01-winter-membership)
  2. For each platform, generate a UTM link in Jetpack’s builder:
    • facebook + social
    • linkedin + social
    • mailchimp + email
  3. If you’re A/B testing, vary only utm_content (e.g., cta-top vs cta-bottom)
  4. Post/share using those links
  5. Review results weekly in Jetpack → Stats → Traffic → UTM card (Jetpack)

One last tip: UTMs + Jetpack Social

Jetpack Social is great for auto-sharing posts, but UTMs shine when you control the link (manual social posts, ads, emails, partner links, QR codes). The easiest place to standardize those is Jetpack’s own UTM Builder—then measure results in the UTM card.

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