Engagement rate

Engagement rate (ER) expresses interactions as a percentage of followers, reach or views.

Choose a calculation base

Engagement rate = interactions ÷ calculation base × 100

The base can be followers, reach or views. For example, 500 interactions from a profile with 25,000 followers gives an ER by followers of 2%. If the post reached 10,000 accounts, its ER by reach is 5%. Label the method alongside the result.

Instagram and TikTok

For public Instagram post data, one option is (likes + comments) ÷ followers × 100. A creator report may include saves or shares as well. Adding those actions changes the calculation.

For a TikTok video, you can use (likes + comments + shares) ÷ views × 100. A video with 900 such interactions and 30,000 views has a views-based ER of 3%. This is not directly comparable with a followers-based rate.

Use ER when choosing creators

Compare similar topics, formats and dates with the same formula. Review a group of posts rather than the best-performing one. A high rate does not prove audience quality, positive sentiment or sales potential. One person can perform several actions, so ER is not necessarily a percentage of people who responded.

The free creator lookup shows available public-profile data from Rufka’s database, including ER when present. Assess those figures together with the content and your campaign brief.