Engagement rate is average engagement per post divided by followers: likes plus comments, divided by follower count. It is the standard check before paying an influencer, because follower counts can be bought and engagement is much harder to fake.
To use it well, average the influencer's last 5 to 10 posts rather than cherry-picking one. A large account with a low engagement rate is a red flag worth asking about before money moves.
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Across 70 million posts analyzed by Socialinsider, the average engagement rate by followers for brand accounts in 2026 is 0.45% on Instagram, 2.60% on TikTok, and roughly 0.15% on Facebook. Treat these as floors, not targets. Small accounts run hotter than big ones, and individual creators run hotter than brands, so judge an influencer against accounts of similar size on the same platform.
| Platform | Average engagement by followers | Period |
|---|---|---|
| TikTok | 2.60% | H1 2026 |
| 0.45% | Q1–Q2 2026 | |
| ~0.15% | Q4 2025–Q2 2026 |
Source: Socialinsider 2026 social media benchmarks, 70M posts, brand accounts, engagement counted against followers.
The classic Instagram formula matches this calculator: likes plus comments, divided by followers. Format changes the number. In Socialinsider's 2025 data, carousels averaged 0.55%, Reels 0.52%, and static images 0.37%, so a creator who leans on carousels and Reels will look stronger than one posting stills, from format alone. When you compare two accounts, look at the same content mix.
TikTok is usually measured against views, not followers, because distribution comes from the For You feed rather than a follower graph. By views, TikTok engagement averaged 3.85% in Q2 2026 per Socialinsider. By that same views-based measure, accounts under 10K run hottest:
| Account size | Engagement rate by views (2025) |
|---|---|
| 1–5K followers | 4.40% |
| 5–10K followers | 4.00% |
| 10–50K followers | 3.90% |
| 50–100K followers | 3.75% |
| 100K–1M followers | 3.95% |
Source: Socialinsider TikTok benchmarks, 2M videos. A follower-based number from this calculator will read lower than a views-based one; never compare across the two definitions.
Throw out giveaways and any single viral outlier before you average, since both distort the mean. Then read the comments: generic emoji strings and repeated one-word replies at a high engagement rate usually mean bought engagement. Ask for a screen recording of their native analytics before money moves. When the numbers check out, price the placement with the influencer pricing calculator against our published CPM ranges by platform.
A good rate is one clearly above accounts of the same size and content mix, not just above the platform average. For scale: brand accounts averaged 0.45% of followers in 2026 per Socialinsider, and creators typically run above that.
Both definitions exist. The 412 Freelancers engagement rate calculator uses followers, the standard for Instagram vetting. TikTok is usually measured by views. The two produce very different numbers, so only compare rates that use the same denominator.
Depends on the definition. The classic Instagram formula counts likes and comments. TikTok benchmarks usually include shares and saves. If a media kit quotes a rate, ask which interactions it counts.
A rate far below similar-size accounts, or a high rate built on low-quality comments, such as emoji strings and repeated one-liners. High likes with near-zero comments is also worth questioning.
Five to ten recent posts, excluding giveaways and any single viral outlier. One post is a sample of one, and the outliers are exactly what a media kit will show you.