Engagement rate

Engagement rate is a percentage that expresses how actively an audience responds to your content. The numerator is interactions — likes, comments, shares, saves, clicks. The denominator is where practitioners disagree.

Three common formulas:

• ER by reach: interactions ÷ unique accounts reached. Most accurate for per-post performance.
• ER by impressions: interactions ÷ total views. Useful for paid campaigns.
• ER by followers: interactions ÷ follower count. The number brand deals quote, but the least precise.

Benchmarks shift by platform and size. As a rough guide, 1–3% ER by followers is normal on Instagram; below 1% on accounts above 100k is common; TikTok averages run higher because views are counted liberally. A sudden ER drop often precedes a visible follower-growth slowdown, so creators watch the rate more closely than raw follower count.