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UTM codes for Facebook and LinkedIn posts: what to put in each field

Updated 2026-11-10

If you build tracked addresses yourself, you have to decide what to type in each field. A good choice makes your reports easy to read. A bad choice splits one platform across three rows. This guide shows sensible values for Facebook and LinkedIn posts.

If you are new to the idea, start with what UTM codes are.

The rule that matters most

Be consistent. Reports group by exact text. facebook, Facebook and fb become three separate sources. Choose one spelling, write it down, and use it every time. Lowercase, with hyphens instead of spaces.

utm_source: the platform

This is the site or app where the link was posted. Use the plain name of the platform:

• Facebook posts: facebook
• LinkedIn posts: linkedin

Keep it to the platform, not the page. A post on your company page and a post in a group are both facebook. You can tell them apart with the content field below.

utm_medium: the kind of channel

This is the type of traffic. For unpaid posts, social is a common and clear choice. Use something else for other kinds, such as email for a newsletter or print for a flyer. If you run paid ads, many teams use a separate value so paid and unpaid do not mix. Pick one word and keep it.

utm_campaign: the job or offer

This names the thing you are promoting. Think of it as the title of the effort, not of the platform. Good examples:

• night-shift-rn-hiring
• spring-open-house
• front-desk-openings

Use the same campaign name on every platform for the same job. Then your report can show the whole campaign and, inside it, how each platform did.

utm_content: which version

This one is optional. Use it when you post the same job more than once on the same platform and want to compare them. For example, company-page and nursing-group for two Facebook posts, or monday-post and friday-reminder for a repeat. Short, descriptive and lowercase.

utm_term: usually skip it

This field was made for the keyword in a paid search ad. For social posts you can leave it out.

A worked example

You are hiring night-shift nurses and posting on Facebook and LinkedIn. Your landing page is https://example.com/careers/rn.

The Facebook version:

https://example.com/careers/rn?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=night-shift-rn-hiring

The LinkedIn version:

https://example.com/careers/rn?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=night-shift-rn-hiring

Same page, same campaign, different source. A report grouped by source now shows each platform on its own row.

Mistakes to avoid

• Changing names halfway through. If you rename a campaign in the middle, the report shows two campaigns. Decide the name before the first post goes out.
• Using the platform name as the campaign. Facebook is a source, not a campaign. A campaign is the job or offer.
• Reusing one link everywhere. The labels only help if each place has its own address.
• Adding labels to links inside your own site. Labels are for links that bring people in from outside. If you add them to links between your own pages, you can overwrite the real source with a useless one.

What about Instagram, X and the rest?

The same rules apply. Use the plain, lowercase name of the platform as the source: instagram, x, tiktok, indeed. Keep medium and campaign the same as you use for Facebook and LinkedIn, so one campaign reads as one campaign across every platform.

Do not put private information in them

UTM codes are visible in the web address. Do not put names, email addresses or anything private in them.

Skip the typing

Doing this by hand for every post is slow, and a single typo splits your report. Quill Tracker builds the address for you. You tick Facebook and LinkedIn, and each short link adds the right utm_source, utm_medium and utm_campaign when someone taps it. You can add utm_content when you want to tell two posts apart.

Quick answers

Should I write facebook or Facebook?

Write facebook, all lowercase, every time. Reports treat different capitalisation as different values.

What medium should I use for an organic post?

Many teams use social for any unpaid post. Whatever you choose, use the same word for every post so the report groups them together.

Do I need different campaign names for each platform?

No. Use one campaign name for one job or offer, and let the source tell the platforms apart.