Engagement rate is the share of people who interacted with a post. The most common formula divides a post's interactions (likes, comments, shares and saves) by the creator's follower count and multiplies by 100. When the creator can share their insights, dividing by reach instead is more accurate, and for video, dividing by views is the fairest comparison.
Here are all three, with examples, and how to use them without being misled.
The three formulas
1. Engagement rate by followers
Engagement rate = (likes + comments + shares + saves) ÷ followers × 100
Anyone can calculate this from a public profile, which is why it is the most used. Its weakness: most followers never see a given post, so it understates engagement for big accounts and is easy to compare unfairly across sizes.
2. Engagement rate by reach
Engagement rate = interactions ÷ reach × 100
Reach is the number of unique accounts that saw the post. Only the creator can see it, in their analytics, so ask for a screenshot. This is the most honest measure of how the people who saw the post responded.
3. Engagement rate by views (for video)
Engagement rate = interactions ÷ views × 100
For Reels, TikTok and Shorts, views are public and closer to reach than followers are. Use this to compare video creators.
A worked example
The numbers below are made up to show the arithmetic.
A creator has 40,000 followers. Their last post got 1,150 likes, 85 comments, 40 shares and 125 saves, so 1,400 interactions. The post reached 22,000 accounts.
| Formula | Calculation | Result |
|---|---|---|
| By followers | 1,400 ÷ 40,000 × 100 | 3.5% |
| By reach | 1,400 ÷ 22,000 × 100 | 6.4% |
Same post, two very different numbers. That is why you should always say which formula you used, and compare creators with the same one.
Use an average, not one post
One viral post makes any creator look great. Calculate the rate for each of their last 10 to 12 posts and use the median (the middle value), which ignores one-off spikes better than the average does. Leave out sponsored posts when you want to know how the audience responds to the creator, then look at sponsored posts separately to see whether the audience tunes out of ads.
What counts as a good engagement rate?
There is no single good number. Engagement rates differ by platform, by format (video against photos), by niche and by account size: smaller accounts usually have higher rates than large ones. Industry benchmark reports exist, but they measure different things in different ways, so treat any one number with care.
What works in practice:
- Compare like with like: creators on the same platform, in the same niche, within a similar follower range.
- Compare a creator with themselves: is their recent engagement steady, rising or falling?
- Look at the quality: thoughtful comments and saves usually mean more than likes.
Signs the engagement is not real
- Comments that could sit under any post ("Amazing!", "So cool"), often from accounts with no profile picture or posts.
- Likes far out of proportion with comments and views.
- A follower count that jumped overnight with no post that explains it.
- Engagement that arrives within minutes and then stops dead.
Bought followers and bought engagement are not just wasted money: in the US, the FTC's 2024 rule on fake reviews and testimonials also covers buying or selling fake indicators of social media influence for commercial purposes.
Engagement is a filter, not the goal
Engagement rate tells you whether an audience pays attention. It does not tell you whether they buy. Use it to shortlist creators, then judge the campaign on what it sold, with tracked links and codes. Our guide to measuring influencer marketing ROI shows how.
Frequently asked questions
Should saves and shares count as engagement? Yes, when you can see them. They are strong signals: a save means someone wants to come back, a share means they recommended it. Saves are only visible to the creator, so they appear in reach-based calculations.
Is engagement rate by followers useless? No. It is the only one you can calculate for any public account, which makes it useful for a first pass. Just use the same formula for every creator and move to reach-based numbers for your shortlist.
How often should I recalculate? Before every campaign. Audiences change, and a creator's last three months matter more than last year.