If you want to quickly grow your following on Instagram, it helps to learn about engagement and performance rates. These allow you to easily check your performance and make adjustments to your content so it reaches your intended audience. In this guide, we answer the question ‘What is a good engagement rate on Instagram?’ and others you might have.
Maintaining a high rate is always the goal, but this can be difficult with a high follower count. By identifying the right metrics for your account or brand, you can work to keep them consistent over time.
What Is Instagram Engagement Rate?
Your engagement rate on Instagram is the percentage of people who see your post and interact with it. This is perhaps the most important statistic for long-term growth on the platform and shows if people enjoy your content. Though getting more followers is also essential, consistent interactions are what will determine your account’s success and quality. For example, if you have 10,000 followers, less than 100 likes per post can be a cause for concern.
There are many analytics that count towards your rate, including likes, saves, comments, shares, direct messages and profile visits. A strong post will excel in at least half of these categories, though likes and comments are usually more critical. It might help to look at the values across different points in your account’s existence. This shows you if certain campaigns or topics are less likely to get attention from your audience.
What Is a Good Engagement Rate on Instagram For Growing Accounts?
You should aim for a rate of around 1-5%. More than 5% is definitely possible, but it almost always becomes less likely as you gain more followers. This is because people are less likely to engage with big accounts, while smaller ones can cultivate a loyal audience. Your niche or industry also often determines a ‘good’ rate, as it can be highly variable. This is because certain target audiences engage with brands and accounts in different ways.
Your rate similarly varies from one platform to another, though Instagram is usually the best social network in this regard. When determining a post’s rate, you may decide to only take likes and comments into consideration. It is ultimately up to you how to measure the success of your content strategies or a specific post. However, a full audit of every metric is usually best and can point towards room for improvement across your campaign.
How Does Industry Affect a Good Engagement Rate?
As mentioned above, different sectors each have a unique target audience, which could affect their engagement metrics. Even if your rate is lower than expected, it might be relatively strong when compared to other similar accounts. Instagram is generally better engagement-wise for virtually any industry compared to other social media sites, including Facebook and Twitter. However, a good rate often still depends on your niche. This means even a low percentage could count as a success, though 1% is still a good minimum.
For tech companies, the average engagement rate on Instagram is 1.25%, while the education sector’s average is 2.55%. You should always view your rate in this context when determining your account’s success. Even a value of 1.4% would be above the average for real estate brands in January 2024, for example. However, there are still many factors that decide your rate beyond this, which you need to be aware of.
What Influences Your Rate?
One of the biggest questions about engagement rates is the factors that affect them. Learning these factors can help you modify your content and build better campaigns in the process. Here are the main details that can change your rate:
1. Content Quality
Your followers ultimately engage with your content if they think it is worth the time. They will like your individual posts and stories if they find value in them, possibly saving them to read again. Instagram is naturally a very image-based social network, so high-quality and visually appealing images often get the most engagement.
2. Posting Schedule
Your upload frequency can also influence engagement rate. For example, Instagram’s algorithm rewards those who post at regular intervals. If you upload outside of peak hours, even your most dedicated followers might miss the post. Consistency can also prime audience members to expect posts on certain days.
3. Audience Interaction
Accounts that talk to their audience, such as by putting a question in their post’s caption, usually see more engagement. This also builds a stronger rapport with your followers, which might then encourage them to comment more often. Interacting with your audience shows them that you always appreciate their support.
4. Hashtags
Popular hashtags make it easier for new people to find your content, taking your engagement beyond your followers. Finding the right hashtags can even connect you with new followers who possibly have a stronger interest in your content. You can add 30 hashtags to your posts, but Instagram recommends 3-5.
Which Content Types Have a Higher Average Engagement Rate on Instagram?
Instagram has five main content types: Image posts, video posts, reels, stories, and live broadcasts. Users can like and comment on all of these, though stories and live broadcasts are not savable or sharable. Reels are perhaps the most popular type of content, and according to Billion Dollar Boy, they offer better engagement than videos. This also shows that Instagram Reels actually outperform TikTok posts in terms of comments, making them essential for creators.
Instagram introduced reels in 2020, and they have steadily grown in popularity since. In contrast, image and video posts, in general, have endured lower overall engagement, especially with younger audiences. For Generation Z, in particular, social media engagement now focuses mainly on short-form video content. Reels always give a strong boost to your metrics, but are absolutely vital if your audience is young.
Carousel posts, ones with multiple photos (or even videos), are yet another common format for high-engagement Instagram profiles. This allows you to condense multiple posts into one, meaning more opportunities for followers to connect with your content. Their layout naturally encourages your audience to swipe through each photo or video. You can also use carousels for lists and other educational content that your followers are likely to save and re-read.
Your carousels will get more engagement if you mix photos and videos. However, you should make sure the content comes together under a shared theme. For example, a food influencer may post several photos showing different recipes from a cookbook sponsoring them. According to Socialinsider’s data, using all ten slides pushes your rates beyond 2%. With carousel posts, your content has more variety and can make more of an impact.
How To Calculate Engagement Rate on Instagram
There are five main ways to calculate your Instagram engagement rate, with each one suiting a different type of content. This variety is essential, as you might monitor your account’s success through different metrics, such as impressions instead of interactions. The most common techniques for checking your engagement include:
1. Overall reach
Formula: (Total post engagements/total reach) x 100
The easiest way of testing a post’s average engagement rate is by checking its engagement compared to its overall reach. These calculations are typically more accurate as they also include non-followers who may or may not interact with your content.
2. Daily engagement
Formula: (Total daily engagements/account followers) x 100
If you want to see how your followers engage with your account overall, this technique might be best for you. A daily perspective lets you chart your account’s long-term performance both generally and across specific metrics, such as comments.
3. Follower engagement
Formula: (Total post engagements/account followers) x 100
This approach is for checking the ‘quality’ of your followers and how they specifically respond to each of your posts. You should use this method to compare different posts and identify the types of content that your followers respond to.
4. Cost per engagement
Formula: Total marketing spend/engagements
Influencers and digital marketers may look at engagement metrics in terms of profit, specifically the results of their recent investment. This is quite different from the other calculations, though the cost per engagement can offer more actionable information for brand accounts.
5. Total impressions
Formula: (Post engagements/impressions) x 100
Impressions are whenever a post renders on a device, while views are when users directly click on the post. For paid content, impressions may take a higher priority as this helps to build brand awareness, even without further interaction.
No matter the formula you use, knowing how to calculate engagement rate on Instagram is very useful for your brand.
The Benefits of an Instagram Engagement Rate Calculator
Here are the main ways an engagement calculator can help your Instagram account:
• Less room for error: Dedicated engagement calculators avoid basic mistakes when adding the metrics together or dividing one number by another.
• Saves you time: An Instagram engagement rate calculator simplifies the process of working out the average rate, letting you focus on the brand.
• Quality benchmarks: These calculators usually let you compare your rate to other growing accounts similar to yours, such as direct competitors.
• Feedback on content: Frequently checking your rate with a calculator can also provide real-time feedback on your account’s recent posts.
Answering the question ‘What is a good engagement rate on Instagram?’ can bring your brand’s growth to new heights. At snsflow.com, we know how important it is to have active followers who will add value to your account. Right after your first payment, we can give you followers that like, comment, and engage on a regular basis. This will do wonders for your rate while making sure your posts reach and connect with new people. Discover how snsflow.com can boost your followers and engagement today.
