Follower count can be misleading. What truly indicates how active and interested your audience is—whether they save, comment, share, or click—is your Engagement Rate (ER). Algorithms on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn prioritize content with high engagement, rewarding it with more reach and visibility.
This guide breaks down the latest benchmarks and provides actionable tactics to improve your performance.
📏 How to Calculate Engagement Rate
Before diving into benchmarks, it's crucial to know how to measure your own performance. You can do this in two primary ways, and our Engagement Rate Calculator handles both automatically.
- By Followers: This formula reflects the overall health and responsiveness of your entire community.
(Likes + Comments + Shares + Saves) ÷ Followers × 100 - By Reach: This formula measures how well an individual post resonated with the people who actually saw it, making it a more precise indicator of content quality.
(Likes + Comments + Shares + Saves) ÷ Reach × 100
📊 What’s a “Good” ER in 2025?
Engagement rates vary significantly by platform. Here are the updated ranges to aim for in 2025:
- TikTok: 1.5% – 2.3% on average. Top-performing accounts, especially smaller ones, can achieve rates up to ~5%.
- Instagram Reels: ~1.9% – 3%. Reels consistently outperform static Feed posts.
- Instagram Feed: ~1% – 2%. The median rate was around 0.61% in early 2025.
- LinkedIn: A very strong performer with a ~2.8% average, climbing to over 8% for posts created without AI assistance.
- X (Twitter): Around ~1.6% – 1.8%.
- Facebook: ~1.4% overall, though brand pages typically see engagement rates under 1%.
Industry Benchmarks (Q1 2025 Data)
| Industry | Reels | TikTok | X (Twitter) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Education | 4.2% | 3.1% | 2.3% | 2.2% | 2.8% | 2.4% |
| Media & Entertainment | 3.0% | 2.7% | 1.8% | 0.8% | 2.0% | 1.7% |
| Financial Services | 3.8% | 3.1% | 1.6% | 1.8% | 3.2% | 2.1% |
| Government | 3.5% | 2.6% | 1.6% | 1.5% | 2.7% | 1.7% |
| Overall Average | 3.5% | 2.8% | 1.5% | 1.3% | 3.4% | 1.8% |
Source: Adapted from Hootsuite Q4 2024 / Q1 2025 industry reports.
🚀 Key Factors That Affect Engagement
- Account Size: Micro-influencers (10k-100k followers) and nano-influencers (<10k followers) consistently generate higher engagement rates than mega-accounts.
- Platform Algorithms: Social platforms now heavily reward "private" engagement signals like saves, shares, and watch-time, often more than public likes and comments.
- Content Format: Short-form video (Reels, TikToks, Shorts) and multi-image carousels typically produce stronger engagement than static, single-image posts.
- Industry Norms: B2B channels like LinkedIn and niche sectors often score higher engagement than general consumer brands due to more targeted and passionate audiences.
💡 Proven Tactics to Increase Your Engagement Rate
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Create Saveable & Sharable Content
Focus on providing value that encourages users to bookmark your post for later or share it directly with others. Think checklists, tutorials, and insightful data. -
Leverage User-Generated and Employee Content
Authentic content from your community and team builds trust and drives significantly higher engagement than polished brand messages. -
Focus on Short-Form Video
Prioritize posting Reels, TikToks, and Shorts. These formats are favored by algorithms and match current user consumption habits. -
Collaborate with Micro/Nano Influencers
Partnering with smaller creators provides access to highly engaged, niche audiences and enhances the authenticity of your message. -
Stimulate Conversations
Don't just post and ghost. Ask direct questions in your captions, host polls in your stories, and make an effort to reply to comments to boost interaction. -
Test, Measure, and Repeat
Use your analytics to see what's working. A/B test different formats, posting times, and caption lengths to learn what resonates best with your specific audience.
