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Engagement rate calculator
Work out the engagement rate of a post or your account, by followers or by reach, the way brands check it.
A reading by follower tier
Platforms do not publish a passing score. Smaller accounts usually beat larger ones, and the 1–3% band below is the mid-size Instagram-by-followers range already used on this site. The highlighted row follows the followers field.
| Followers | How to read your rate |
|---|---|
| Under 1,000 | Small accounts usually post a higher rate than large ones. One post is a noisy sample. |
| 1,000–10,000 | Still usually higher than a big account. Average your last 10 to 20 posts before you quote it. |
| 10,000–100,000 | A common Instagram-by-followers reading on this site is about 1–3%. |
| 100,000–1,000,000 | Expect a lower rate than that 1–3% band as more casual followers are in the count. |
| 1,000,000 and up | The rate is often under the mid-size band. A reach-based rate is the fairer one to send a brand. |
Engagement rate by followers, reach or views: which formula to use
There is no single engagement rate. The interactions on top of the fraction are usually the same (likes, comments, shares, saves), but the number underneath changes, and it changes the result a lot. Before comparing two rates, check that both use the same base.
The table takes the calculator’s default post, 1,430 interactions, and divides it by four different bases. The same post comes out anywhere from about 3.6% to 9.5%.
Followers is the usual base for comparing accounts, because anyone can see a follower count. It understates engagement on platforms where most views come from people who do not follow you. Reach counts the unique accounts that saw the post, so it is the fairest test of how one post landed. Impressions count every time the post was shown, including repeat views, so they give a lower rate than reach. Views are the norm for TikTok, Reels and YouTube, where the algorithm decides more of the distribution than your follower list does.
Keep the interactions you include consistent too. Some tools count only likes and comments, because those are public on every account, while creators with access to their insights add shares and saves. Including shares and saves, as this calculator does, gives a higher rate than a likes-and-comments formula. If a brand or a tool reports a lower number for you, this is often why. When comparing yourself with accounts whose insights you cannot see, enter 0 for shares and saves so both sides are measured the same way.
When a brand asks for your engagement rate, it usually wants a follower-based average across recent posts, and often a reach-based one from your insights too. Send both and label them. A screenshot of your insights is more convincing than a number typed in an email.
Rates tend to fall as accounts grow. A small account’s audience is often peers and early fans who interact a lot, while a large account reaches more casual viewers. That is normal, which is why comparing yourself with accounts of a similar size in your niche tells you more than a universal benchmark.
| Base | Divide by | Best for | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Followers | 40,000 followers | Comparing accounts | 3.6% |
| Views | 25,000 views | TikTok, Reels and YouTube videos | 5.7% |
| Impressions | 18,000 impressions | Posts on X or LinkedIn | 7.9% |
| Reach | 15,000 accounts reached | Judging a single post | 9.5% |
How it works
Engagement rate = (likes + comments + shares and saves) ÷ followers × 100. Using reach instead of followers gives the rate among people who actually saw the post, which is usually higher.
Brands look at the average over your last ten to twenty posts, not your best one.
Comments, shares and saves signal more interest than likes; a post with fewer likes but many saves is often the stronger one.
Questions
Followers or reach: which should I use?
Use followers to compare accounts with each other, and reach to judge how a single post performed. Say which one you used when you share the number.
What is a good engagement rate?
Smaller accounts usually have higher rates than large ones, and rates differ by platform. Compare yourself with accounts of a similar size in your niche, and with your own past average.
How do I calculate the engagement rate of my whole account?
Take your last 10 to 20 posts, calculate the rate for each and average them. Leave out a one-off viral post or a giveaway if it would distort the average, and say that you did.
Do views count as engagement?
No. Views and reach are the base you divide by, not interactions. Engagement means an action someone takes on the post: a like, comment, share, save or, on some platforms, a click.
Why does my engagement rate drop as I gain followers?
Bigger accounts reach more people who are only casually interested, and older followers stop seeing or interacting with every post. A slow decline as you grow is normal. A sudden drop on posts that reach as many people as before is worth looking into.
Can engagement rate reveal fake followers?
Often. Many followers but very few interactions, or comments that are generic and unrelated to the post, suggest bought followers or engagement groups. Brands check for this, so steady, genuine numbers are worth more than inflated ones.
Should saves and shares count the same as likes?
In this formula each interaction counts once. Saves and shares usually signal stronger interest than a like, which is why the calculator shows their share separately. If yours is high, point it out when you pitch a brand.