On social media, one of the most important KPIs is the engagement rate. The engagement rate is an indicator used to measure the interactions of an account's followers with one or more posts. It is used to determine the visibility of content published by an influencer, but also as a sales argument (to negotiate with a brand, for example). Needless to say, it's important to calculate it! YOO explains how to calculate your engagement rate.
What is engagement rate? Definition
Engagement rate is a metric used to interpret an audience’s behavior (in other words, a social media account’s followers). It measures the level of interaction an audience has with the account’s posts. Elements that influence the engagement rate include clicks, comments, shares, and likes.
What's the point of that?
The engagement rate measures the performance of a post, article, video, or an entire account. It’s a widely used metric in competitive analysis.
Beyond that, it helps you adapt your content strategy and editorial calendar to better reach your target audience, and also demonstrate your value to potential business partners.
How to calculate the engagement rate?
Formula :
Engagement Rate = (Likes + Comments) ÷ Views
How to do it in practice:
- Select your last 20 posts (excluding Stories)
- Exclude posts published in the last 24 hours to ensure enough data
- Add up the likes and comments from these posts
- Divide by the total number of views
Example:
- Likes: 1,000
- Comments: 200
- Views: 50,000
Engagement Rate = (1,000 + 200) ÷ 50,000 = 2.4%
And there you have it. It’s really that simple!
What is a good engagement rate?
Now you know how to calculate your engagement rate. But how do you interpret the results and know if it’s good?
Here’s a general guide for interpreting your engagement rate:
- Less than 0.5% = low engagement
- 0.5% to 2.99% = medium to good engagement
- Above 3% = high engagement
On average, an influencer’s engagement rate falls between 2% and 3%. Anything above 3% is considered very good! However, the larger your audience, the harder it is to maintain a high engagement rate. Nano and micro-influencers tend to have higher engagement rates compared to influencers with millions of followers.
It’s also important to consider that some industries and social networks perform better than others. For example, on Instagram, the average engagement rate was 0.67% in 2022, compared to 0.064% on Facebook.
How can you improve your engagement rate on social media?
Want your Instagram posts to really resonate with your audience? Here are some practical ideas to boost engagement:
Create content that resonates with your followers
Post what really interests your community. Ask questions, conduct polls, or share personal anecdotes. People like to respond when they feel involved.
Use eye-catching visuals
Photos, videos, reels... Visual content catches the eye and encourages followers to like, comment, or share. Remember to vary the formats so your audience doesn't get bored.
Interact with your community
Responding to comments or private messages shows that you are active and close to your followers. The more you connect with them, the more they interact.
Test different publication times
Posting at the right time can make a huge difference to your interactions. On Instagram, there are tools available to help you find out when your followers are most active. To take things further and maximize your engagement, check out our article on when to post on Instagram!
Be inspired without copying
Look at what other creators in your field are doing. Observe what works, then adapt it to your style and personality.
Tell stories
A post that tells a story or recounts an experience captures more attention than a simple image or text. Followers like to feel involved.
Experiment and analyze
Keep an eye on your analytics and adjust your strategy based on what actually works.
The engagement rate reflects your Instagram community. Using the simple formula (likes + comments ÷ views) and following a few best practices, you can create posts that truly capture attention. Monitor your stats, adapt your content, and get your followers engaging.