How to Increase Social Media Engagement [Free Calculator]

Social media engagement is the clearest sign your audience is paying attention. From likes and shares to comments and DMs, every interaction matters.

Want to know how to get, keep, and grow engagement? Keep reading.

What is social media engagement?

Social media engagement refers to the interactions people have with your content or brand on social media platforms — things like comments, shares, clicks, saves, or messages. It shows whether people are paying attention and taking action on the content you post.

Types of social media engagement include:

• Likes
• Reactions
• Comments
• Replies
• Shares
• Reposts
• Saves
• Bookmarks
• Link clicks
• Profile visits
• Direct messages (DMs)
• Mentions (tagged or untagged)
• Story interactions (taps, replies, sticker clicks)

How do you measure social media engagement?

The easiest way to measure social media engagement is by calculating your engagement rate. Engagement rate shows how many people interacted with your social content compared to how many people saw it, expressed as a percentage.

The basic engagement rate formula is:

Engagements divided by followers, reach, impressions, or views, multiplied by 100.

For example, if a post gets 125 engagements, reaches 2,400 people, and you have 10,000 followers:

• By reach: 125 ÷ 2,400 × 100 = 5.21%
• By followers: 125 ÷ 10,000 × 100 = 1.25%

Here’s what an engagement rate calculation could look like on various platforms:

• Instagram: (Likes + Comments + Saves + Shares) ÷ Followers or Reach × 100
• TikTok: (Likes + Comments + Shares + Favorites) ÷ Views × 100
• LinkedIn: (Reactions + Comments + Shares + Clicks) ÷ Impressions × 100
• X (Twitter): (Likes + Replies + Reposts + Link clicks) ÷ Impressions × 100

Hootsuite data shows that average engagement rates fall between 1.4% and 2.8% across platforms, which makes this one of the best benchmarks for tracking if your social strategy is paying off.

See average engagement rates across industries to learn more.

If all these numbers are making your head spin, don’t worry. Use Hootsuite’s free engagement rate calculator to do the math for you.

What are the benefits of social media engagement?

The benefits of social media engagement are simple: your content can reach more people in more places than it would if no one interacted with it. Every like, comment, or share tells algorithms and audiences that your content is worth their time.

Good engagement also helps brands build trust, find new leads, and optimize campaign results. Here’s how each benefit works.

Increasing brand awareness

When people like, comment, or share your social media posts, they introduce your brand to their own networks. That’s a signal to algorithms that your content deserves more visibility.

Take this recent Hootsuite LinkedIn post:

A short, relatable line turned into over 1,000 interactions. Each of the 66 reposts spread awareness, while the comments opened up new conversations with new and existing followers.

Takeaway: Engagement moves your content outside the bubble of your own audience and onto the feeds of their networks, multiplying your reach.

Driving customer loyalty and trust

Social media engagement builds loyalty by turning posts into conversations. A like is quick, but a comment or DM takes effort. When you respond to those signals, people feel seen — and that’s what creates community.

As Hootsuite’s Social Team Lead, Trish Riswick explains, “Comments show effort. Followers show intrigue. Likes show reaction. Impressions show spread.”

Source: Trish Riswick

And it’s not just about replying on your own feed. Joining conversations elsewhere matters, too. Hootsuite’s 2025 Social Trends report found that 41% of brands now leave proactive comments on other posts to boost visibility. When those comments spark a reply, engagement jumps 1.6x higher on average.

Takeaway: Every comment you reply to or DM you answer is a chance to build trust and turn followers into a community.

Supporting lead generation and sales

When people interact with your posts, they’re showing interest. Likes and views are nice, but comments, saves, and clicks are stronger signals. They suggest someone is moving from “just browsing” to “ready to buy.”

• Comments open the door to conversation. A simple question under a post can lead to a DM, demo, or purchase.
• Shares expand your reach into new networks, exposing your brand to people who may never have found you otherwise.
• Clicks drive traffic straight to your website or landing page, creating measurable conversion opportunities.
  Messages allow for direct, personalized exchanges that can build trust and shorten the sales cycle.

The data backs this up:

Engagement metrics are also crucial for creators. Fellow creator JD Alewine, of Them Bites notes that high engagement rates are important for creators who want to work with brands and companies on influencer campaigns.

Takeaway: Engagement warms up leads. A click or comment today can turn into a purchase tomorrow.

Improving campaign performance

Social media algorithms reward posts that readers interact with — shares, comments, saves — because that engagement tells platforms your content deserves more reach. Engagement shows you, in real time, whether your content is working or not.

Here are a few ways to use engagement data to fine-tune performance:

• Compare formats. Carousel posts are currently leading the pack on Instagram, driving higher engagement rates than both video and static images.
• Check comment quality. Posts that generate mid-length comments (50–99 characters) see 151.6% more engagement on average, according to Hootsuite’s 2025 Social Trends report.
• Know your benchmarks. According to Hootsuite’s 2025 data, the average engagement rate across platforms hovers between 1.4% and 2.8%. Use this as a baseline to measure whether your content is really pulling its weight.

Takeaway: Engagement is your campaign’s pulse. Track it closely, and you’ll know when to push harder or change direction.

How can businesses increase social media engagement?

Businesses can increase social media engagement by making content interactive, posting at the right times, using platform features, and showing up in conversations. The key is to make it easy and appealing for people to interact with your brand.

1. Create content that drives interaction

The easiest way to boost engagement is to make content that invites people to react, comment, or share. Posts that encourage participation tend to perform better because algorithms reward active interest.

A few ways to create interaction-driven content:

• Ask questions. Simple prompts like “Which would you choose?” or “What’s your best tip?” invite comments.
• Use storytelling. Relatable, human stories get people talking more than product promos.
• Add clear CTAs. Even a small nudge like, “Save this for later” or “Tag a friend who needs this,” can boost replies and shares.
• Mix formats. Experiment with carousels, polls, and short-form video to see what earns the most responses from your audience.

Source: Vessi

Things to avoid: Don’t fall into engagement baiting. Avoid posts that explicitly say “Comment ‘yes’ if you agree” or “Tag 3 friends to win,” as these often feel spammy and uninviting.

2. Post at the right times and frequency

Even the best content won’t perform if no one sees it. Timing and consistency are two of the biggest factors in whether your posts actually earn engagement.

Hootsuite’s 2025 data shows the overall best time to post on social media is 8:00 AM on Wednesdays. But every platform has its own peak window:

• Facebook: 9 AM on Tuesdays
• Instagram: 3 PM to 9 PM on Mondays
• X (Twitter): 9 AM to 11 AM on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays
• LinkedIn: 4 AM to 6 AM on Tuesdays and Wednesdays
• TikTok: 7 AM to 11 AM on Thursday
• Threads: 8 AM on Tuesdays
• Pinterest: 12 PM on Fridays

Note: These times are based on localized data from 118 countries, so they’re accurate across time zones.

Of course, “best time” benchmarks are a starting point. Your audience may behave differently.

A few ways to post at the right time for your specific audience:

• Check your analytics. Use Hootsuite Analytics to see when your followers are most active and which posting times drive the most social media interactions.
• Lean on automation. Hootsuite’s Best Time to Publish feature analyzes your past performance and suggests the best times for each network.
• Test and adjust. Start with recommended times, then experiment. Compare engagement rates week to week to find your sweet spot.
• Stay consistent. A regular cadence (for example, posting 3–5 times per week per channel) keeps your brand top of mind without overwhelming people.

Hootsuite research also found that Instagram posts that receive high engagement within the first hour they are posted get more engagement long-term than those that don’t.

That means boosting posts (i.e. paying money to get them in front of more people) can be a great way to increase engagement on Instagram.

Takeaway: The right timing gives your content a head start with both audiences and algorithms. Use data to guide your posting schedule.

3. Using interactive features (polls, Q&As, stickers)

Interactive features are one of the easiest ways to spark engagement. Instead of just asking people to “like” a post, you’re inviting them to take part in the conversation.

Most major social media platforms now offer built-in engagement tools:

• Instagram Stories: Polls, quizzes, emoji sliders, and “Add Yours” stickers make it simple to get quick reactions.
• LinkedIn and X (Twitter): Polls encourage lightweight participation and can be used to test ideas or gather opinions. Infographics also promote engagement on LinkedIn.
• TikTok: Duets, stitches, and comment replies turn engagement into new content.
• Facebook: Polls, reactions, giveaways, and Q&A posts are easy ways to boost replies and shares.

Pro tip💡: Use polls and questions to test content ideas before launching bigger campaigns. For example, ask your audience which product feature they want explained next, or what trend they’re most curious about. Giveaways can also help drive engagement.

4. Leverage social listening to join conversations

Social listening is one of the fastest ways to increase social media engagement because it helps you spot and join the conversations that matter most to your audience. Instead of waiting for people to comment on your posts, you can track keywords, hashtags, competitor mentions, and industry trends across social media platforms to find new opportunities to engage.

How to use social listening to boost engagement:

• Watch for mentions of your brand (tagged and untagged) so you can reply quickly.
• Track trending hashtags or industry terms to jump into wider discussions.
• Monitor what people say about your competitors to learn what works for them.
• Collect questions or complaints and turn them into helpful posts or FAQs.

Pro tip 💡: With Hootsuite, you can set up listening streams in your dashboard to follow keywords, hashtags, and competitor mentions across all your social media platforms in one place.

5. Study your metrics

The only way to improve engagement is to know what’s working — and what’s not. That starts with tracking your social media metrics.

Look at your social media analytics to see which posts spark the most interaction and which fall flat. Patterns usually appear quickly: maybe Reels drive more saves than static posts, or carousels get more comments than videos.

Metrics like comments, shares, saves, and DMs give you a clearer picture of what your audience cares about than likes alone.

Hootsuite Analytics makes this process simple. Use it to:

• Track engagement by post or campaign to spot top performers.
• Monitor comments, DMs, and mentions to see what questions or topics come up most often.
• Identify brand advocates — the followers who consistently interact with your content — and consider collaborating with them.
• Measure conversion rates to connect engagement with real business outcomes.

Pro tip 💡: If customers are asking the same questions in your DMs, turn those into post content. Not only does it save time on replies, but it also shows you’re paying attention.

6. Create a specific engagement strategy

Develop an engagement marketing strategy to support your engagement-specific goals. You don’t have to create an entirely new content strategy, but rather, work in a branch dedicated to engagement.

First, determine your engagement goals. These may be:

• Changing public perception of your brand awareness
• Developing new customer leads
• Collecting feedback about new products
• Educating your audience with resources and advice

Pro tip 💡: Be sure you’re setting SMART social media goals.

Once you have identified where you want to go, brainstorm types of content to deliver on your goals. Then, work this content into your overall social media calendar.

7. Encourage user-generated content (UGC)

User-generated content is one of the strongest signals of social proof on social media platforms. When your audience creates posts about your brand — whether it’s a product photo, a TikTok trend, or a LinkedIn testimonial — you not only boost engagement but also extend your reach into their networks.

UGC tends to drive higher engagement rates because it feels more authentic than branded content. In fact, according to 2025 data from Statista, “friends and family were the most trusted source of product recommendations” in the U.S.

The simplest way to spark UGC is by creating a clear call to action. Branded hashtags, photo challenges, or feature campaigns (“Share your setup for a chance to be featured”) make it easy for followers to contribute.

Once the content starts rolling in, reshare it. This not only increases interaction but builds a sense of community around your brand.

Source: Gabriel Gomez

Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram, has repeatedly emphasized that content that inspires people to create and remix tends to earn more distribution in feeds. In other words: UGC doesn’t just increase engagement — it can also help you beat the algorithm.

8. Tap into influencers and employee advocacy

Influencers and employees can both expand your reach and boost engagement. The difference is how they connect: influencers introduce you to new audiences, while employees make your content feel more personal and trustworthy.

On LinkedIn, employee posts often get more engagement than brand accounts. Edelman’s 2024 Trust Barometer shows employees are seen as more credible spokespeople than CEOs or company pages. When they share stories, post insights, or reshare content, the conversation feels authentic.

Influencers also play a key role, especially micro- and nano-influencers. Their audiences are smaller but more engaged. In fact, they often see engagement rates higher than celebrity accounts.

Source: Our Place

Takeaway: Don’t keep engagement limited to your brand account. Empower employees with tools like Hootsuite Amplify to share content, and collaborate with influencers who already have the trust of your target audience.

9. Engage with your audience

The fastest way to increase social media engagement is to actually connect with people. Comments, replies, and live chats all send strong signals that your brand is present and paying attention.

Plus, if you talk to people, they tend to talk back.

Here’s what audience engagement looks like across major platforms:

• Instagram & Threads: Reply to comments and DMs quickly. Broadcast Channels and interactive replies are great for sparking two-way conversations.
• TikTok: The TikTok Creator Academy recommends engaging through comments, TikTok LIVE, Duets, and Stitches.
• LinkedIn: Thoughtful replies on posts (your own or others’) help build credibility and attract new followers.
• Facebook: Messenger and Groups remain top spaces for one-to-one or community-driven engagement. Quick responses here can make or break customer trust.
• X (Twitter): Replying to trending conversations helps you earn visibility and relevance.
• Pinterest & YouTube: Comments often move slower, but answering questions on Pins or videos helps nurture long-term community trust.

The hard part: engagement doesn’t stay in one app. Comments, mentions, and DMs spread across every social platform you use — and it’s easy to miss things.

That’s where Hootsuite Inbox comes in. Inbox pulls all your messages, mentions, and comments into one place so your team can respond quickly, assign conversations, and track response times. You never miss a chance to connect with your audience, no matter which platform they’re on.

10. Be authentic

Your audience follows you for a reason. Whether they find your content educational or entertaining or just vibe with your personality, it’s important to remain authentic if you want to retain your audience.

“As corny as it sounds, truly being ourselves and letting our personalities and humor shine goes a long way in creating authentic content and building an engaging audience,” says Food Blogger Alewine.

“If a trend doesn’t feel like us, we don’t do it. We can’t fake it, and we know doing stuff that doesn’t excite us will result in boring content.

What are the best tools to track social media engagement?

The best tools to track social media engagement are the ones that make it easy to measure what matters, compare results across platforms, and spot opportunities to improve.

You don’t need to juggle spreadsheets or jump between apps — modern analytics tools do the heavy lifting for you.

Free social media engagement rate calculator

You can use our engagement rate calculator below to figure out your engagement rate by post. Or, skip to the next section to learn how Hootsuite Analytics can give you the nitty-gritty details.

Pro tip 💡: If you’re calculating your social media account’s total engagement, include information about all your posts (e.g., total number of posts published, total number of likes, and so on).

If you’re calculating the engagement rate of a specific social media campaign, only include the details of the social media posts that were part of the campaign.

Hootsuite Analytics

Tracking social media engagement is only useful if you have clear, reliable data. Hootsuite Analytics makes it easy to track engagement across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and X (Twitter) in one dashboard.

Instead of piecing together numbers from different platforms, you get a complete view of your social media performance, so you can see what’s working, compare results, and prove engagement (and ROI) with confidence.

With Hootsuite Analytics, you can easily:

• Track engagement metrics (comments, saves, clicks, DMs, mentions) across all social media channels in one place.
• Create custom reports to show results by campaign, post type, or social networks.
• Benchmark against industry averages to see if you’re ahead of the curve.
• Connect engagement data to traffic and conversions to prove ROI.

What are best practices for social media engagement in 2025?

If you’re looking to create a social media engagement strategy in 2025, you need expert guidance. I spoke with Elissa Wardrop, Global Social Media Specialist at IKEA, who oversees content for 31 markets.

1. Keep it real and resist the hard sell

Wardrop believes the best-performing brands in 2025 are the ones that sound human. She describes the foundation of strong engagement as “Being authentic and not making everything a very obvious, polished sales pitch.”

She encourages brands to show the work behind the work: the people, the ideas, and the moments that don’t make it into a campaign. “Bring people on a journey to build an emotional connection with them,” she says.

To illustrate, she points to SULT, a new electrolyte brand whose founders document their startup process on social. “They’ve been creating super-engaging content from day one, showing the ups and downs and even involving their followers in decisions. It’s helped to build trust and loyalty even before launching their product.”

Source: Sult

2. Focus on community, not just comments

Wardrop believes engagement has shifted from metrics to meaning. “Place a high importance on interacting with your audience and building a community across multiple platforms in a meaningful way,” she says.

That means answering comments, asking questions, and joining conversations about your industry — not just reacting to whatever’s trending. “Don’t focus on commenting on big viral videos that have nothing to do with your brand,” she warns. Instead, engage with people who actually care about what you do.

3. Create content that adds value to the scroll

Audiences are harder to impress than they used to be. “Long are the days where just a single image post with a caption cuts through,” Wardrop says. “They expect content that’s educational, entertaining, interesting, and inspirational. If you aren’t adding value to their scroll, don’t expect them to engage.”

That doesn’t mean you have to have a massive budget, Wardrop says. “Sometimes the most simple post can turn out to be the most engaging post, don’t overthink it,” she says.

One of her best-performing posts for IKEA was shot in a few hours, on her phone, with no lighting. “It was just taken on a stool, but the idea was strong enough and I moved with speed — which is one of the most important things when tapping into trends or cultural moments.”

Source: Elissa Wardrop

4. Establish your tone — don’t chase someone else’s

Wardrop says one of the biggest mistakes she sees right now is brands confusing attention with engagement. “Maybe I’m going to sound like the fun police with this one,” she says, “but I see brands trying too hard to replicate Duolingo and Wendy’s unhinged, chaotic vibe and responding to comments in a sarcastic way.”

That kind of humor can grab eyes, but it doesn’t always hold them. “It can be very funny, but sometimes I personally think it comes off as cringe and trying to be something they aren’t. You can still make high-quality content without mascots and sarcasm. Be an innovator, not an imitator.”

Authenticity, she explains, is what drives sustained engagement. When a brand knows its tone, every reply and comment feels consistent, trustworthy, and human. “Be true to your core brand personality and tone of voice,” she says.

To make that practical, Wardrop uses a metaphor her teams rely on. “Imagine your brand as a guest invited to a dinner party — how would they get there, how would they dress, what would they bring, what and how would they talk to the other guests at the dinner table?”

5. Build a series that keeps people coming back

Wardrop believes one of the biggest opportunities for engagement right now is creating regular, recurring content. “A big opportunity for brands right now is to focus on creating a regular content series, posted on the same day and time each week,” she says.

It doesn’t need to be complex. “Whether it’s educational, behind the scenes, or something as lighthearted as IKEA UK’s Life in Stitches series (a sit-com using the beloved soft toys).”

Source: Ikea UK

That routine creates a rhythm audiences can rely on. “It’s had a huge amount of love from fans,” Wardrop says of the series. “People are even leaving comments on content that isn’t related to the series as they eagerly await for the next episode to drop.”

Social media engagement FAQ

What is social media engagement?

Social media engagement is how people interact with your content on social media platforms. It includes likes, comments, shares, saves, clicks, profile visits, direct messages, and other actions that show attention and interest.

What is a good engagement rate on social media?

A good engagement rate on social media is generally between 1.4% and 2.8%, based on Hootsuite’s 2025 benchmark data. Engagement rates vary depending on the platform, industry, and type of content.

Which platform has the highest engagement?

TikTok leads in engagement thanks to short-form video and interactive features. Instagram follows closely, especially with Reels and Stories. LinkedIn performs best for B2B engagement through thought leadership and employee advocacy.

How can businesses increase Instagram engagement?

To increase engagement on Instagram, post Reels, use polls and stickers in Stories, and keep your content real and useful. Hootsuite data shows the best time to post is Monday between 3 PM and 9 PM. Replying to comments and DMs quickly also helps boost engagement.

Why is engagement more important than followers?

Engagement is more important than followers because it shows that your audience is active and interested in your content. A large follower count with little engagement signals to algorithms that your social media content may not be relevant, which can limit your reach. On the other hand, consistent engagement tells platforms that people enjoy your posts, and lets algorithms know they should show them to more people.

Save time managing your social media presence with Hootsuite. Publish and schedule posts, find relevant conversions, engage your audience, measure results, and more — all from one dashboard. Try it free today.