How to calculate engagement rate and read it correctly

Engagement rate puts the reactions to a post in relation to its reach. You add up likes, comments and, depending on the platform, saves or shares, divide by followers or views and multiply by a hundred.

Engagement rate formula: the basics

The basic formula is simple. You take a post’s interactions, meaning likes, comments and, where available, saves and shares. You divide that sum by a base figure and multiply the result by a hundred to get a percentage. For a meaningful picture, you don’t calculate this for a single post but for several recent posts and take the average. Otherwise individual outliers, such as a viral clip or a giveaway, skew the result. Above all, it matters that you use the same formula for all the creators you compare.

Engagement rate by followers or by views: two bases, two answers

Engagement rate based on followers shows how active a channel’s entire audience is. The rate based on views shows how strongly the people who actually saw the post react. Both numbers are correct; they just answer different questions and are often far apart. That’s why a number without its base is hardly comparable. Ask how a stated figure was arrived at, or calculate it yourself. For campaigns where you are paying for views, the rate based on views is often the more useful one.

Instagram engagement rate

On Instagram, formats differ considerably. Reels are often shown far beyond your own followers, feed posts and carousels more to existing followers, stories only to followers and only for a short time. That’s why it pays to look at engagement rate separately for each format instead of lumping everything together. Saves and shares aren’t always publicly visible, but they say a lot about genuine interest. When in doubt, ask the creator for an excerpt from their analytics instead of just counting public likes.

TikTok engagement rate

On TikTok, reach depends heavily on the algorithm and less on follower count. A channel with few followers can have individual videos with a huge number of views, and vice versa. That’s why on TikTok the rate based on views is usually more meaningful. Look at several videos, not just the most successful one, and check whether the views are spread evenly or hinge on one hit. Comments that relate to the content and lots of shares point to an audience that really watches.

Comparing engagement rate on creatordeal

On creatordeal, the engagement rate for each channel is on the profile, next to reach, views and audience. In the search, you can set a minimum with the “Minimum engagement rate” filter and bring channels with an attentive audience to the top. The numbers come from what creators enter for their channels; if a creator has connected their account, the channel carries the “verified numbers” badge and the numbers come directly from the platform. Because all profiles show the same details, you compare small and large channels side by side instead of guessing.

Questions

Frequently asked.

Key answers at a glance. Everything else is in the guides and in the FAQ.

How do you calculate engagement rate?

A post’s interactions — likes, comments and, where applicable, saves and shares — divided by followers or views, times a hundred. It only becomes meaningful when averaged over several posts.

What is a good engagement rate?

There is no fixed threshold, because the numbers vary widely by platform, format, niche and channel size. So compare creators on the same platform and of the same size using the same formula.

How do I calculate engagement rate on Instagram?

The same way as in general, but ideally separately for each format: Reels, feed posts and stories reach different parts of the audience and therefore give different numbers.

Why is engagement rate different on TikTok?

Because TikTok distributes videos heavily by interest rather than by followers. The rate based on views is usually more meaningful there than the rate based on followers.

Can I filter by engagement rate on creatordeal?

Yes. With the “Minimum engagement rate” filter, you set a lower limit. The numbers are also on every profile for each channel.

Filter creators by engagement rate

Set a minimum engagement rate and compare the results side by side.

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