Engagement rate formula: 6 ways to calculate it (with benchmarks)

The most common engagement rate formula is: engagement rate = total engagements ÷ followers × 100. Engagements are the actions people take on a post: likes, comments, shares and saves. If a post gets 640 likes, 45 comments and 30 shares and saves on an account with 12,000 followers, its engagement rate is 715 ÷ 12,000 × 100 = 5.96%.

That is not the only way to measure it. Brands, agencies and platforms use different denominators, which is why one creator can have three different "engagement rates". Here are the six formulas you will meet, when to use each, and what counts as good.

What counts as an engagement?

Most calculations include likes, comments, shares and saves. Some also add link clicks, profile taps or replies to stories. Video views are usually left out, because a view is passive. Whatever you include, keep it the same every time you compare.

The 6 engagement rate formulas

1. Engagement rate by followers

ERF = (likes + comments + shares + saves) ÷ followers × 100. It is the formula most benchmark reports and most brands use, so it is the best one for a media kit. Its weakness: it penalises large accounts, since only a fraction of followers see each post.

2. Engagement rate by reach

ERR = engagements ÷ reach × 100. Reach is the number of unique accounts that saw the post, found in your platform's insights. If our example post reached 8,500 accounts, its ERR is 715 ÷ 8,500 = 8.41%. ERR is a fairer measure of content quality, but only you can see your reach, so outsiders cannot check it.

3. Engagement rate by impressions

Engagements ÷ impressions × 100. Impressions count every time the post was shown, including repeat views by the same person. With 11,000 impressions the example post scores 6.5%. Advertisers prefer this one because ad platforms report impressions.

4. Engagement rate by views

Engagements ÷ views × 100. On short-form video, views are the natural denominator. A TikTok with 40,000 views and 2,400 engagements has a 6% engagement rate by views.

5. Average engagement rate per post

Add up engagements across a set of posts, divide by the number of posts, then divide by followers. Ten posts with 5,400 engagements in total on a 15,000-follower account average 540 per post: 540 ÷ 15,000 = 3.6%. Use the last 10 to 30 posts, and leave out giveaways and viral outliers if you want a typical figure.

6. Daily engagement rate

Total engagements in a day ÷ followers × 100. It suits accounts that post several times a day, where per-post numbers swing too much.

What is a good engagement rate?

Rival IQ's 2025 Social Media Industry Benchmark Report measured median engagement rate by followers across thousands of brand accounts:

Every platform fell compared with the year before. These are brand accounts; creators usually score higher, and smaller accounts tend to score higher than large ones because a bigger share of their followers sees and reacts to each post. A useful rule: compare yourself with accounts of a similar size, in the same niche, using the same formula.

How to raise your engagement rate

1. Ask for one specific action. "Save this for later" or a direct question gets more response than a generic call to action.
2. Reply to comments in the first hour. Conversations push posts to more people.
3. Post formats that invite saves and shares: checklists, carousels, tutorials and data.
4. Prune fake or inactive followers. They add to the denominator but never engage.
5. Post when your audience is online, using the times shown in your insights.

Why engagement rate matters for earnings

Brands use engagement rate to judge whether a creator's audience is real and active, and it feeds directly into what you can charge. A smaller account with strong engagement can out-earn a bigger, quieter one. Turn your numbers into a quote with the Sponsorship Rate Calculator, and see how platform payouts work in our guide to YouTube earnings per 1,000 views. If you are pricing your time as well, the freelance rate guide helps.

FAQ

How do you calculate engagement rate on Instagram?

Add likes, comments, shares and saves on a post, divide by your follower count and multiply by 100. For your own content quality, divide by reach instead, using Instagram Insights.

Is 3% a good engagement rate?

By followers on Instagram, yes: it is well above the 2025 brand median of 0.36%. On TikTok it is also above the brand median of 1.73%. Always compare with similar-sized accounts in your niche.

Should I divide by followers or reach?

Use followers when comparing with other accounts or pitching to brands, since anyone can check it. Use reach to judge your own content, because it only counts people who actually saw the post.

Why is my engagement rate dropping as I grow?

That is normal. As follower counts rise, each post reaches a smaller share of them, and larger audiences tend to be less personally connected. Track reach-based engagement to see whether the content itself is getting worse.