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Historical Data

Pull in posts from before your tracker started to analyze past campaigns, spot early trends, and fill reporting gaps.

Julie Bevacqua avatar
Written by Julie Bevacqua
Updated over a week ago

In this article

Learn how to use Historical Data to analyze activity from before your tracker started, including how to:

  • Request backfill data for keywords, hashtags, or accounts

  • Capture pre-tracker moments like launches, events, or crises

  • Include historical posts in dashboards and reports

  • Understand platform-specific historical data limits

Overview

Keyhole starts collecting data the moment you create a tracker. But what if the most important activity happened earlier? With Historical Data, you can pull in posts from before your tracker started—giving you a complete picture of campaign performance, trends, and audience response.

Historical Data is available with most Enterprise plans and is priced based on volume and date range.

Key insights to look for

  • Engagement spikes before your tracker started: Reviewing early data helps explain trends that began before real-time tracking.

  • Changes in sentiment leading up to a key moment: Shifts in tone before a launch or crisis can highlight early reactions you otherwise would’ve missed.

  • Recurring themes or keywords: Historical patterns may reveal topics or concerns that consistently show up across time.

  • Gaps in reporting or dashboards: Including historical posts can give clients or teams a more complete picture of campaign performance.

Watch this video to see how to request Historical Data


Real-Time Tracking vs. Sample Data

When you create a tracker, Keyhole begins pulling in data in real time. To help you preview your dashboard, you may also see a small sample of older posts.

What is sample data?

  • A limited set of older posts (up to 200, depending on platform)

  • Instagram: Posts from the past 24 hours

  • Appears before the “Tracker Created” line in your dashboard

  • Helps visualize trends, but is not complete

To fill in everything from before your tracker started, you’ll need to request Historical Data.


Platform Availability

Each platform has its own limitations on how far back data can be retrieved.

Platform

Historical Data Availability

X (Twitter)

Data available as far back as 2015

Instagram

Hashtag posts from professional accounts (last 24 hours); keyword and @mentions from authenticated accounts in Watchlist or Profile Analytics only

TikTok

Not currently supported

Facebook

Up to 90 days of posts from accounts in Watchlist or Profile Analytics

YouTube

Up to 30 days of data for channels in Watchlist or Profile Analytics

News, Blogs, Forums

Varies by source; many go back several months


How to Request Historical Data

You can request Historical Data in three ways. The steps are the same across each option:

Option 1: From Listening & Campaigns

  1. Go to Listening & Campaigns

2. Click Get Historical Data

3. In the popup, specify:

  • Tracker

  • Search terms

  • Platform

  • Date range

4. Click Continue to review:

  • Remaining Monthly Quota

  • Estimated Backfill Volume

5. Click Confirm to submit your request

Option 2: From the Tracker

  1. Open the tracker

  2. Click Historical Data next to the tracker name

  3. Follow the same steps as above

Option 3: From Using the Left Menu

  1. Open the tracker

  2. Click Historical Data in the left-hand menu

  3. Follow the same steps as above

Once your request is submitted, you’ll receive a notification when the data is ready.


Get Help

For additional support, click the chat icon in the bottom right-hand corner and select I'm an existing customer and need support.

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