Engagement rate is one of the most important metrics for understanding how your social media is really performing. It helps you see what your audience cares about, shape your content strategy, and show the impact of your social work.
While engagement calculations can feel confusing at first, they don’t have to be. This guide breaks everything down so you can measure engagement with ease.
Keep reading for a free calculator — and for industry-specific benchmarks across all major social networks.
Key takeaways
- Engagement rate measures how many people interact with your social content, not just see it. It includes actions like likes, comments, shares, and saves, but not views.
- A high engagement rate is a sign that your content is resonating with people. It also sends positive signals to social media algorithms, leading to better organic visibility.
- There are a few different ways to calculate engagement, including by reach, by post, or by impressions. Social media analytics tools like Hootsuite can automate these calculations and provide industry benchmarks for comparison.
What is engagement rate?
Engagement rate is a social media metric that measures how much of your audience actively engages with your content. It defines the amount of interaction a piece of content (or a campaign, or a whole account) gets compared to reach or audience size.
Engagement metrics vary by channel, but in general, it’s any action someone takes to interact with your content, including likes, comments, shares, saves, poll responses, messages, or link clicks.
Why does engagement rate matter?
Engagement rate matters because it shows whether your content is actually connecting with your audience. When people take the time to like, comment, share, or save a post, it’s a strong signal that they find it interesting or useful.
Second, higher engagement rates help you get better visibility on social media platforms. That’s because social algorithms surface more engaging content to new audiences.
A lot of engagement on your content also makes you look more trustworthy and appealing to first-time profile visitors, especially if there’s an active conversation happening in your comments.
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Free engagement rate calculator
There are several ways to calculate your social media engagement, and unfortunately, they all involve math. (Unless you have an analytics tool that calculates engagement rate automatically, like Hootsuite Analytics!)
Fortunately, we’ve created this free engagement rate calculator to do that math for you. You just need to plug in some basic information about your posts.
Tip: You can use this free tool to calculate your account’s overall engagement rate, the engagement rate of a specific campaign, or the engagement rate for a specific time period.
For overall engagement, include information about all your posts (e.g., total number of posts published, total number of likes and comments, and so on).
For a specific campaign, only include the details of the posts that were part of the campaign. Same goes for a specific timeframe.
If you’re looking for a more detailed engagement analysis or you want to calculate different kinds of engagement, download our free spreadsheet calculator. It will still do the math for you, but it’s got space for a little more complexity.
Or, better yet, start a free 30-day Hootsuite trial to track the engagement rates for all your social channels in one place. Hootsuite Analytics collects your stats and provides engagement data for your accounts on Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), LinkedIn, Pinterest, and TikTok.
With Hootsuite Analytics, you can also:
- Find out when your audience is online and get personalized recommendations for your best times to post for each of your accounts based on when your audience is most likely to engage.
- View industry engagement rate benchmarks and see how you compare to competitors (so you have a better understanding of what a good engagement rate looks like for your industry).
How to calculate engagement rate: 6 formulas
Here are the most common formulas you’ll need to calculate engagement rates on social media.
1. Engagement rate by reach (ERR): Most common
This is the most common engagement rate formula. ERR measures the percentage of people who interact with your content after seeing it.
Here’s how to calculate engagement rate for a single post:
ERR = total number of engagements on a post / reach of that post * 100
To calculate the average ERR across multiple posts, add together the ERR for each post and divide by the total number of posts:
Average ERR = Total ERR / Number of posts
For example: Post 1 (3.4%) + Post 2 (3.5%) / 2 = 3.45%
Pros: Because not all followers see every post, ERR is often more accurate than follower-based metrics, especially in algorithm-driven feeds. Reach includes both followers and non-followers who discover content through search, shares, hashtags, and recommendations.
Cons: Reach can fluctuate for a variety of reasons, making it a difficult variable to control. A very low reach can lead to a disproportionately high engagement, and vice versa, so be sure to keep this in mind.
2. Engagement rate by post (ER post): Best for specific posts
Engagement rate by post (ER post) measures how many people engage with a post compared to your total follower count, making it a reliable way to compare performance across individual posts. (Most social media influencers calculate their average engagement this way.)
Here’s how to calculate engagement rate by post:
ER post = Total engagements on a post / Total followers *100
To calculate the average ER post across multiple posts, add up the engagement rate for each post and divide by the total number of posts:
Average ER by post = Total ER by post / Number of posts
Example: Post 1 (4.0%) + Post 2 (3.0%) / 2 = 3.5%
Pros: This formula offers a more accurate measure of post-by-post engagement if your reach tends to fluctuate.
Cons: This formula may not provide the full picture since it doesn’t account for viral reach. Make sure to view this stat alongside follower growth analytics, as you can expect this engagement rate calculation to go down as your follower count goes up.
3. Engagement rate by impressions (ER impressions): Best for paid content
Engagement rate by impressions (ER impressions) measures how many engagements a post receives compared to the total number of times it’s displayed.
For context, impressions count every time your content appears on someone’s screen, even if the same person sees it multiple times. For example, if a user sees a post three times, that counts as one reach but three impressions.
Psst: We have a handy guide that lays out the difference between reach and impressions if you want to learn more.
Here’s how to calculate engagement rate by impressions:
ER impressions = Total engagements on a post / Total impressions *100
Average ER impressions = Total ER impressions / Number of posts
Pros: This formula is an effective way of measuring the success of paid content, especially when you are using a CPM cost structure (cost per thousand impressions).
Cons: An engagement rate calculation that uses the number of impressions as the base is bound to be lower than ERR and ER post equations. After all, a user who sees the same post (or ad) three times is not likely to engage with it three separate times. Plus, like reach, impressions can be inconsistent.
4. Daily engagement rate (Daily ER): Best for long-term analysis
Daily engagement rate (Daily ER) measures how often your followers interact with your account on an average day. Here’s how to calculate it:
Daily ER = Total engagements in a day / Total followers *100
Average Daily ER = Total engagements for X days / (X *followers) *100
Example: Say you have a total of 100 engagements in 10 days with 400 followers.
Formula: 100 / (10 *400) *100 = 100 / 4000 *100 = 2.5%
Pros: Daily ER shows how frequently followers interact with your account overall, not just with newly published posts. As a result, it takes engagements on all posts into consideration – even if they were posted outside your reporting period. For example, if a new follower finds your account and likes some of your old posts, this will still be included in this equation.
You can also tailor this metric by counting specific actions, such as comments or saves, depending on your goals. For instance, if your brand only wants to measure daily comments, you can adjust “total engagements” accordingly.
Cons: The formula can’t distinguish between one follower engaging 10 times in a day versus 10 followers engaging once. Daily engagement volume can also fluctuate depending on how much content you publish, so it’s best to plot daily engagement with the number of posts published in the same period.
5. Engagement rate by views (ER views): Best for video
Engagement rate by views (ER views) measures how many people engage with a video relative to the total number of views. Here’s how to calculate it:
ER views = Total engagements on video post / Total video views *100
Average ER views = Total ER views / Number of posts
Pros: If one of your video’s objectives is to generate engagement, this can be a good way to track it.
Cons: View counts often include repeat views from the same user. This can lower ER views compared to other engagement rate formulas.
6. Cost per engagement (CPE): Best for influencer marketing or conversion-based campaigns
Cost per engagement (CPE) shows how much you pay for each engagement a campaign generates.
To calculate cost per engagement, divide the total amount spent by the total number of engagements:
CPE = Total amount spent / Total engagements
Most social media ad platforms will do this calculation for you, along with other objective-oriented calculations, such as cost-per-click. Make sure to check which interactions count as engagements before comparing results.
How to calculate engagement rate automatically
You can calculate engagement rate automatically by using a social media analytics tool like Hootsuite. It does this by collecting engagement data across platforms and applying standard formulas for you.
This means you can analyze your social media engagement rate across social networks from a high level and get as detailed as you want with customized reports.
Here’s an example of what an engagement rate report looks like in Hootsuite. In addition to your overall post engagement rate, you can also see what types of content get the highest engagement rate (so you can make more of those in the future), and even how many people visited your website.
In Hootsuite reports, it’s super easy to see how much engagement you get over a period of time, what is being counted as an engagement for each network, and compare your engagement rates to previous time periods.
Pro tip: You can schedule these reports to be created and sent to your email automatically. You can also set them to show you the data in whatever format makes the most sense to you: graphs, charts, etc.
A great bonus is that with Hootsuite, you get to see when your audience is most likely to engage with your posts — so you can schedule your content to maximize engagement rate.
What is a good engagement rate? [benchmarks for 2026]
A good engagement rate generally falls between 1% and 5%. However, this number depends on a few factors:
- Platform: You should expect variation in your engagement rate across platforms, and this can change over time. For example, TikTok has a generally higher engagement rate than Instagram.
- Industry: When evaluating your engagement rate, you need to compare with other accounts in your own industry. Fashion and entertainment will always see higher engagement rates than finance (except on LinkedIn).
- Follower count: In general, you can expect your engagement rate to go down as your follower count goes up. This is because smaller accounts tend to have a more focused and passionate follower base.
The Hootsuite team partnered with data science agency Critical Truth to analyze over 1 million social posts — across industries and social networks — to identify reliable benchmarks you can use in your strategic planning.
Keep reading for the most recent available data (collected in Q1 of 2025).
Construction, mining, and manufacturing
- LinkedIn: 4.0%
- Instagram: 4.4%
- Instagram Reels: 3.4%
- TikTok: 2.6%
- X: 2.4%
- Facebook: 1.7%
Consumer goods and retail
- LinkedIn: 3.9%
- Instagram: 3%
- Instagram Reels: 2.4%
- TikTok: 1.6%
- X: 1.7%
- Facebook: 1.0%
Dining, hospitality, and tourism
- LinkedIn: 3.9%
- Instagram: 3.1%
- Instagram Reels: 2.6%
- X: 2.0%
- Facebook: 1.3%
- TikTok: 1.3%
Finance
- Instagram: 3.8%
- LinkedIn: 3.2%
- Instagram Reels: 3.1%
- TikTok: 1.6%
- X: 2.1%
- Facebook: 1.8%
Government
- Instagram: 3.5%
- LinkedIn: 2.7%
- Instagram Reels: 2.6%
- Facebook: 1.5%
- X: 1.7%
- TikTok: 1.6%
Healthcare, pharma, and biotech
- LinkedIn: 3.3%
- Instagram: 3.7%
- Instagram Reels: 2.7%
- X: 2.3%
- Facebook: 1.9%
- TikTok: 1%
Media and entertainment
- Instagram: 3%
- Instagram Reels: 2.7%
- LinkedIn: 2%
- TikTok: 1.8%
- X: 1.7%
- Facebook: 0.8%
Nonprofit
- Instagram Reels: 4%
- Instagram: 4.4%
- LinkedIn: 3%
- Facebook: 1.8%
- X: 2.1%
- TikTok: 1.3%
Overall (all industries)
- Instagram: 3%
- Instagram Reels: 2.7%
- LinkedIn: 2%
- TikTok: 1.8%
- X: 1.7%
- Facebook: 0.8%
Real estate, legal, and professional services
- Instagram Reels: 4%
- Instagram: 4.4%
- LinkedIn: 3%
- Facebook: 1.8%
- X: 2.1%
- TikTok: 1.3%
More industries
Hootsuite has a built in benchmarking tool that allows you to compare your engagement rate to the average for your industry. You can use it to see graphs of how engagement rate for your industry has changed over time, so you always have an up-to-date understanding of engagement trends.
Don’t see the industry + platform combination you need here? Grab a free 30-day Hootsuite trial, and dig into data specific to your industry.
You use engagement rates in your social strategy by tracking engagement trends over time, then applying those insights to content planning, optimization, and reporting.
Remember: Engagement rate is most valuable when you look beyond a single post and focus on patterns across platforms, formats, and time periods.
Here’s how engagement rate data can inform your social strategy:
- Fill your content calendar with high-quality, engaging posts. Dive into your analytics to see which types of posts work best on each platform. Over time, you’ll identify patterns that can guide you to package winning ideas or lean into specific content formats.
- Find out what your audience and customers think. Tracking engagement data like comments, messages, shares, and mentions provides free business intelligence. Sure, this information tells you what your audience thinks about specific social posts. But thinking bigger, you’ll also see feedback on your products, branding, customer service, and more.
- Identify brand advocates. Your most engaged online fans may be good brand advocates to approach for sponsored deals and collaborations.
- Spot changing trends early. If you keep doing the same thing and your engagement rate changes significantly, that’s a clue that something is changing beyond your brand. Whether it’s a change in the algorithm or simply shifting audience preferences, you’ve got an early warning system in place to course correct from the start.
As you gain insights into what kinds of social brand behavior drive higher engagement, you can increase both your engagement rates and your ROI.
FAQ: Engagement rate benchmarks and formulas
What is engagement rate on social media and how is it calculated?
Engagement rate is calculated using several formulas, but the most common formula is engagement rate by reach (ERR), which is calculated by dividing total engagements by reach and multiplying by 100.
What is a good engagement rate on social media?
For example, the average engagement rate for Instagram Reels in the finance industry is 1%, while nonprofits average 2.6% on Instagram Reels, according to Hootsuite research.
How do you improve engagement rate on social media?
The best way to improve engagement rate on social media is to review which formats, topics, and posting times consistently drive interaction, so you can double down on what’s working. Analyze engagement data over time and use those insights to guide your content strategy.
What are engagement rate benchmarks by social media platform?
LinkedIn has an average engagement rate of 2.8%, TikTok averages 2%, Instagram averages 2%, Instagram Reels average 1.9%, X averages 1.6%, and Facebook averages 1.4%, according to Hootsuite’s analysis of over one million social posts across industries.
Why does engagement rate matter more than follower count?
Engagement rate matters more than follower count because it reflects how people are actually interacting with your content, not just how many people follow you. High engagement shows that your content is relevant and sends positive quality signals to social media algorithms, which can increase organic visibility. Follower count alone doesn’t indicate how well content is performing.
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