Fastory Studio
What are UTMs for and how do I use them on my experience?
Learn what UTM parameters are and how to add them to your Fastory experience links to track exactly where your visitors come from, channel by channel.
UTMs are small parameters you add to your links to know exactly where your visitors come from. On Fastory, they let you measure how well each distribution channel of your experience performs. Using them is optional, but highly recommended as soon as you share a game across several channels.
What is it for?
UTMs are variables passed in a URL that let you precisely track traffic and where your users come from.
They are optional, but they bring greater precision to the analysis of your traffic sources.
You will usually find the results of these UTMs in Google Analytics or in a third-party platform able to detect them, as well as directly in Fastory's statistics.
The different types of UTMs
There are several types of UTMs that let you be as precise as possible when identifying the traffic source. Here are the most common ones.
utm_source
Identifies the source channel of the traffic.
Example: Newsletter, Google, Facebook, X, LinkedIn.
https://story.tl/noel?utm_source=facebook
utm_medium
Works together with utm_source, as it adds detail about where the traffic comes from.
Example: email, social, cpc.
https://story.tl/noel?utm_medium=social
utm_content
Lets you identify which component the link was placed on, or which ad the traffic comes from.
Example: CTA, image, story_ads.
https://story.tl/noel?utm_content=CTA
utm_campaign
Associates the link with a marketing campaign.
Example: campagne_noel_2022.
https://story.tl/noel?utm_campaign=campagne_noel_2022
You define your own UTM naming convention: the examples above are simply best practices. Since these UTMs are optional, you can add just one, or three to four different ones. It all depends on the level of tracking precision you need.
Set up UTMs on your experience
Launching a game and want to track your traffic precisely? Here is how to proceed.
- Go to your game's editor.
- Click Publish (see the article How to publish my experience).
- Fastory has generated default
utm_sourcevalues based on the type of channel used. Copy and paste the link you need and share it as is on your distribution channel.
- If needed, add other UTMs (
utm_medium,utm_content,utm_campaign) at the end of the link.
Analyze the results
- Go to the Statistics page, then open the Users tab. You will find four charts showing the results by UTM type.
- For a per-visitor breakdown, go to Audience, display the columns and export the CSV file. You will then be able to identify where each user comes from.
Best practices
- Define a clear naming convention and reuse it identically across all your campaigns, so you can compare your results over time.
- Keep the casing of your UTMs consistent to avoid duplicates in your statistics.
- Only add the UTMs you really need: a single one may be enough, or three to four for very precise tracking.
- Combine
utm_sourceandutm_mediumto identify both the channel and the type of traffic.
- Use Google's Campaign URL Builder, an excellent tool for building your links without making mistakes.
Concrete use cases
If you want to measure the impact of your newsletter
Imagine a newsletter in which several elements point to your experience (a CTA button and a logo). Add the matching UTMs at the end of each link:
- CTA button:
?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=cta&utm_campaign=article_noel
- Logo:
?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=logo&utm_campaign=article_noel
You will then know which of the two elements generates the most clicks.
If you want to compare several social networks
Share the same link and simply change the utm_source for each platform (facebook, X, linkedin). You will immediately see which network drives the most traffic to your game.
If you want to group the results of a single operation
Add the same utm_campaign to all the links of a single campaign (for example ?utm_campaign=campagne_noel_2022). All the results will then be grouped under that campaign in your statistics.
FAQ
Are UTMs mandatory on my Fastory experience?
No, they are completely optional. They are only there to refine the analysis of your traffic sources, and your experience works perfectly without them.
Where can I find the results of my UTMs?
You will usually find them in Google Analytics or in a third-party platform able to detect them, but also directly in Fastory, on the Statistics page (Users tab) and via the CSV export of the Audience.
Does Fastory generate UTMs automatically?
Yes. When you publish your experience, Fastory generates default utm_source values based on the type of channel. All you have to do is copy the corresponding link and share it as is.
Can I add my own UTMs on top of the ones generated by Fastory?
Yes. You can complete the provided link with your own utm_medium, utm_content or utm_campaign, depending on the level of precision you want.
How many UTMs can I add to a single link?
As many as you need. You can use just one or combine three to four. It all depends on the level of tracking precision you need.
How can I avoid typos in my UTMs?
Use Google's Campaign URL Builder: it builds the full link for you and limits input errors that would skew your statistics.