Engagement rate formula
The most common way to calculate engagement rate — and the one brands use when evaluating influencers — is engagement by followers:
If you enter views or reach, the tool also calculates engagement by views, which is fairer for Reels and TikTok, where many viewers don't follow you yet.
What is a good engagement rate?
Engagement rates fall as accounts grow, so compare yourself with accounts of a similar size. Typical benchmarks by followers:
| Followers | TikTok | |
|---|---|---|
| Under 10K (nano) | 3% – 6% | 6% – 12% |
| 10K – 100K (micro) | 1.5% – 3.5% | 4% – 9% |
| 100K – 1M (mid/macro) | 1% – 2% | 3% – 6% |
| Over 1M (mega) | 0.5% – 1.5% | 2% – 5% |
These are typical ranges from industry studies; they change over time and between niches.
How to improve your engagement rate
- Ask a question or invite a choice ("A or B?") in your caption.
- Reply to comments in the first hour — it doubles the conversation.
- Make save-worthy content: tips, checklists, recipes and tutorials.
- Use Stories with polls and question stickers to stay in followers' feeds.
- Clean up fake followers. Inactive or bought followers drag your rate down.
Get more comments with the caption generator — it adds an engagement question to every caption.
Frequently asked questions
Do brands care about engagement rate?
Yes. Many brands value a smaller account with high engagement over a large account with low engagement, because it signals a real, interested audience.
Why is my engagement rate dropping as I grow?
This is normal. As accounts grow, a smaller share of followers sees and interacts with each post. Compare yourself with accounts of a similar size.
Should I count Reels and posts together?
You can, but Reels often reach non-followers, which can inflate engagement by followers. For the clearest picture, calculate them separately.
Where do I find saves and shares?
On Instagram, open a post and tap "View insights". On TikTok, shares and saves show on each video and in analytics.
