Free tool
Engagement Rate Calculator
Engagement rate tells you what share of an audience actually reacts. It is calculated two ways, by followers or by accounts reached, and the gap between them easily reaches a factor of three.
Engagement rate divides a post’s interactions by its audience, multiplied by 100. Interactions add up likes, comments, shares and saves, like Instagram’s interactions metric. The audience is either the follower count or the number of accounts that saw the post.
Your Posts Get Reactions. What About Your Ads?
A post that engages often makes a good base for an ad. Campaigns show it beyond your followers, to people who can buy.
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How engagement rate is calculated
Interactions = Likes + Comments + Shares + Saves Rate by followers = Interactions ÷ Followers × 100 Rate by reach = Interactions ÷ Accounts reached × 100
4,000 likes, 300 comments, 200 shares and 500 saves make 5,000 interactions. Over 120,000 followers the engagement rate is 4.17 %; over the 40,000 accounts that saw the post it rises to 12.5 %.
The two rates never compare with each other. The rate by followers compares accounts of different sizes; the rate by reach judges the post itself. Before comparing two creators, check they quote the same one. The influencer rate calculator then starts from those accounts reached.
What the calculation lets you do
- Compare creators before a collaboration, on the same calculation.
- Spot the posts that get reactions, and reuse them as a base for your ads.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate Instagram engagement rate?
Add up likes, comments, shares and saves, divide by the follower count, then multiply by 100. 5,000 interactions for 120,000 followers: 4.17 %.
Engagement rate by followers or by reach?
By followers to compare accounts, by reach to judge a post. The second is higher, since only part of the followers see each post.
Where do I find a post’s accounts reached?
In the post insights in the Instagram app, for a professional or creator account. For someone else’s account, ask them for a screenshot of their insights.
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