Having a good engagement rate is important for growing on Instagram. If you can get people to leave comments, likes and share your content, it signals the algorithm that you are posting valuable content that your audience loves. And for a long time accounts with a good engagement rate on Instagram have been the fastest-growing on the platform.
What is a good engagement rate on Instagram?
Here’s what latest market studies have found:
Research by Sprout Social (2020) states that the average engagement rate on Instagram is 1.6%, but it varies based on industry. For example, accounts with the highest average engagement rate are in the education niche (3.96%), non-profits (2.4%) and sports teams (2.4%).
Additionally, a study by Influencer Marketing Hub (2020) analyzed 100,000 accounts and found that small accounts with 1000 followers have a higher engagement rate (7.2%) than large accounts with 1mil followers (1.1%).
While data varies based on actual case studies, industry, and number of followers, most researches indicate that the average engagement rate on Instagram is around 3 - 4% (socialmediacollege.com). So it’s safe to assume that if you have an engagement rate above 3% you have good engagement.
This is how to calculate your engagement rate:
Engagement rate (%) = Total post interactions (likes, comments, saves & shares) / Total follower count X 100
Knowing your engagement rate can help you plan your Instagram strategy better. Here’s a checklist of daily actions to help you achieve a good engagement rate on Instagram.
How to get a good engagement rate on Instagram:
- Engage with your followers on their page (10 minutes before you post)
- Post relevant content (eg. educational or entertaining content)
- Post at times your audience is active
- Use up to 30 relevant hashtags to attract only relevant followers
- Use an Instagram analytics tool to understand posts stats
- Ask questions in your caption
Now that you know what a good engagement rate is on Instagram and how to calculate it, it’s time to start planning your strategy!