Understanding Engagement Rate Per Post
In the world of social media marketing, vanity metrics like follower counts are becoming less important compared to actionable metrics like Engagement Rate (ER). This calculator helps you determine the effectiveness of a single piece of content on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, or Twitter.
((Likes + Comments + Shares + Saves) / Audience Size) × 100 = Engagement Rate %
Why Calculate Per Post?
While an account-wide engagement rate gives you a general health check, calculating ER per post allows you to:
- A/B Test Content: See if videos perform better than carousels.
- Analyze Timing: Determine if posting at 9 AM yields better interaction than 5 PM.
- Audit Influencers: Verify if an influencer's specific sponsored post actually resonated with their audience.
Reach vs. Followers: Which to Use?
This calculator allows you to input either Total Followers or Post Reach as your denominator. Here is when to use each:
1. Engagement Rate by Followers (ER post)
This is the public standard. It measures engagement against your total potential audience (your follower count). It is ideal for comparing your performance against competitors or influencers, as follower counts are publicly visible data.
2. Engagement Rate by Reach (ERR)
This is the internal standard. Because algorithms often limit how many followers see your content, calculating based on Reach (the actual number of unique people who saw the post) is a more accurate measure of content quality. If 1,000 people saw it and 100 engaged, your content is highly compelling (10%), even if you have 100,000 followers.
What is a Good Engagement Rate?
Benchmarks vary wildly by platform and industry, but generally speaking:
- Low (Below 1%): Typical for very large accounts or low-affinity audiences.
- Average (1% – 3.5%): This is a healthy standard for most business accounts on Instagram and Facebook.
- High (3.5% – 6%): Indicates a highly active community.
- Viral/Exceptional (Above 6%): Often seen on TikTok or viral Reels where content reaches far beyond the follower base.
Tips to Improve Your Rate
If your calculator results are lower than you'd like, consider adding Call-to-Actions (CTAs) in your captions (e.g., "Save this for later" or "Tag a friend"). Furthermore, responding to comments within the first hour of posting can signal the algorithm to push your content to more people, increasing the opportunity for engagement.