Posted on

February 3, 2026

Instagram engagement rate: definition, calculation and tips to boost it

After a frantic hunt for followers, the trend on Instagram in recent years has been to know how to capture and retain an audience through engaging content. Engaging content is content that makes people react. The problem is that the larger the community, the more difficult it is to maintain a good engagement rate. However, it is this same rate of engagement that is taken into account in the Instagram algorithm and allows you to gain visibility.

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Two hands holding a smiley face icon with abstract colorful shapes in the background.

Calculating your Instagram engagement rate

Before going into the details of the calculations, it is important to remember the concept of engagement. On Instagram, it can be likes, comments, shares or even registrations generated under a publication. It is ultimately all the interactions made on a content, whether it is a photo or a video. The engagement rate is the ultimate quality indicator; it allows you to judge the relevance of the content shared with your community.

To calculate the Instagram engagement rate, we will mainly take into account likes and comments.

There are several methods for calculating the engagement rate. The important thing is to make sure you keep the same calculation method over time in order to homogenise your analyses.

Rate of engagement per subscriber

his is the percentage of people who interact with an Instagram account or an Instagram publication on a daily basis after having come into contact with it. It can be calculated with this formula: sum of interactions divided by the number of followers. This option is interesting because it allows you to compare yourself with your competitors; the number of followers and the number of likes are data available to everyone. It is also an opportunity to determine to what extent an Instagrammer is an influencer or not.

To summarise: (Likes + Comments) / Followers x 100 = Engagement rate per follower.

Rate of engagement per person reached

This second method of calculation is only possible for professional Instagram accounts because they have access to reach. This calculation takes into account the people who have actually seen your post and therefore brings more precision to your engagement rate. Don’t forget that a good part of your followers will never see your Instagram posts…

To summarize: (Likes + Comments) / Reach x 100 = Engagement rate per person reached.

To go further, it can also be interesting to calculate your positive engagement rate, i.e. to be able to exclude all positive reactions to your brand. The engagement rate does not take into account the tone of the interactions, which can be positive or negative (during a bad buzz for example).

The average engagement rate on Instagram

Instagram is the preferred social network for influencers, as it is the platform that generates the most engagement. An Instagram post would generate 23%(1) more engagement than if it had been published on Facebook (which has many more monthly active users). Instagram is therefore also becoming the preferred social network for brands when it comes to engagement when they want to interact with their audience.

The average engagement rate on Instagram is 2.84%(2) but be aware that this rate is strongly correlated to the number of followers. The larger the community, the lower the average engagement rate. There is no single “good” engagement rate.

If you want to collaborate with an Instagrammer for your next influencer marketing campaign, you should therefore first take into account the size of their community before judging whether their engagement rate is good or not.

The graph below speaks for itself: the average engagement for a nano-influencer is 5.6% while that of a mega-influencer varies from 2.05% to 1.97%:

Nano and micro-influencers have a small community, but are becoming increasingly interesting for brands wishing to launch an Influence Marketing campaign. Their engagement rate is on average much better than that of a macro-influencer. It is, in fact, easier to interact with a small audience. As a brand, you will indirectly benefit from an engaged audience, ready to like and re-share content.

Another important point in defining one’s influence strategy is that the formats offered by Instagram generate higher or lower engagement rates.

The first observation: posts with an image get 27% more engagement than a post with a video and 13% more likes than a photo carousel(3).

Videos now have their place on other formats – Instagram stories or Instagram Reels. Both of these formats generate engagement primarily because they allow for spontaneous and more authentic content than a photo. Instagram also offers a wide range of interactive buttons for its stories: poll, slider, question…

Increase your engagement rate on Instagram

Good news, some Instagram practices can boost your engagement rate, and this without necessarily incurring advertising costs.

Knowing your audience is a key step to ensure a winning social media strategy. Before producing your own content or via an influencer, you need to know who you are addressing. Knowing your target audience, their needs, their habits, their lifestyle… is essential to offer them relevant content.
Another good practice to increase your Instagram engagement rate: keep a regular, even daily, benchmark your competitors’ practices. This analysis should concern both the content (what messages are conveyed by my competitors on Instagram?) and the form (what formats – photo, video, live… – do my competitors use to speak on Instagram).
The use of hashtags is also a lever that generates engagement. Be careful, however, to use them sparingly and with meaning. Niche hashtags, less popular, offer you the possibility to see your publication displayed in the top posts associated with the hashtag. On the other hand, it can be difficult to emerge on a star hashtag that already displays millions of publications (e.g.: #food).
Video is a format that should not be overlooked to improve your engagement rate on Instagram. The average engagement of videos increases faster than that of photos. It is therefore in your best interest to mix formats and extend your content strategy to Instagram Reels or at least Stories. On the latter format, engage your community as much as possible by making good use of the features offered by the platform: hashtags, polls, Shopping, questions, live video…
Finally, collaborating with an Instagram influencer will help you gain visibility and increase your engagement rate. With 4.2 billion “Likes” per day, Instagram is the social network with the highest engagement rate. The time given to choosing an influencer should not be underestimated to make your campaign a success. Depending on your target and your brand values, Kolsquare will guide you in choosing the right Instagram influencer, and allow you to contact them for your product placement project.

What is a good engagement rate on Instagram?

So, what actually counts as a good engagement rate on Instagram? The answer isn’t that straightforward, as it depends on several factors. Generally speaking, an engagement rate between 1% and 3% is considered average, between 3% and 6% is considered good, and anything above 6% is considered excellent. That said, it’s important to keep in mind that these benchmarks can vary depending on your industry and the size of your audience.

The “number of followers” factor

For example, an influencer or celebrity with millions of followers may have a lower engagement rate, but their overall reach is significantly higher. Conversely, a small brand with just a few thousand followers may achieve a higher engagement rate, but with more limited reach. This is why it’s essential to look at both engagement rate and reach when analysing your Instagram performance.

The “content format” factor

It’s also worth noting that engagement rates can vary depending on the type of content shared, whether photos, videos, Stories, Reels or carousels. Some formats naturally resonate more with audiences than others, which can lead to higher engagement levels.

Ultimately, the best way to determine what a good engagement rate looks like for your Instagram account is to track your performance over time and benchmark it against industry standards.

How can you find your Instagram engagement rate?

There are two main ways to access your engagement rate: using Instagram’s native analytics or relying on external analytics tools.

1. Using Instagram Insights

If you have a professional or creator account, Instagram gives you access to valuable data directly within the app:

Go to your profile, then tap “Insights” and “Content you shared”
Select a post, Story or Reel to view likes, comments, shares, saves and reach
Use this data to manually calculate your engagement rate using the formulas mentioned earlier

Tip: Compare several posts over the same period to identify which formats and posting times generate the most engagement.

2. Using external analytics tools

Specialised platforms allow you to automate calculations and access more advanced insights:

Kolsquare (via the KOLculator): free evaluation of a profile’s engagement rate and the potential value of its content
HypeAuditor, Iconosquare or Later: in-depth analysis of audience quality, performance and engagement trends over time

These tools make it easier to compare influencers, brand accounts or campaigns, and to fine-tune your content strategy accordingly.

How can you increase your Instagram engagement rate?

Good news: there are several proven ways to boost your engagement rate on Instagram, without necessarily investing in paid media.

Understanding your audience is a key first step towards building a successful social media strategy. Before creating content in-house or working with an influencer, you need to know exactly who you’re speaking to. Understanding your target audience, their needs, habits and lifestyle is essential if you want to deliver relevant and engaging content.

Another best practice is to carry out regular, even daily, monitoring of your competitors’ activity. This analysis should cover both content substance (what messages are your competitors sharing on Instagram?) and format (which formats – photos, videos, live content – are they using to engage their audience?).

Hashtags are also a powerful engagement driver, provided they’re used thoughtfully. Niche hashtags, which are less saturated, can help your post appear among top posts for that hashtag. On the other hand, it’s often harder to stand out using highly competitive hashtags with millions of posts (such as #food).

Video is another format you shouldn’t overlook if you want to improve your engagement rate. On average, video engagement grows faster than photo engagement. This makes it essential to diversify your content formats and incorporate Instagram Reels or, at the very least, Stories into your strategy. With Stories, make the most of interactive features such as polls, questions, hashtags, Shopping stickers and live video to actively engage your community.

Finally, collaborating with Instagram creators is a powerful way to increase both visibility and engagement. With 4.2 billion likes every day, Instagram remains the social network with the highest engagement levels. Choosing the right creator is therefore critical to the success of your campaign. Based on your target audience and brand values, Kolsquare helps you identify the right Instagram creators and get in touch with them for your product placement campaigns.

The Instagram engagement rate calculator

An Instagram engagement rate calculator is a tool that allows users to measure how much interaction their content generates on the platform.

By using an engagement rate calculator, users can identify the average engagement rate of their posts, making it easier to understand which types of content resonate most with their followers. These tools typically take into account the number of likes, comments and shares a post receives, as well as the total number of followers. Armed with these insights, Instagram users can make more informed decisions about their social media strategy and continuously improve engagement over time.

What free tools are available to calculate Instagram engagement rate?

The KOLculator by Kolsquare

To meet the needs of influencer marketing professionals, Kolsquare offers a free calculator for estimating the value of sponsored Instagram content: the KOLculator.

Whether you’re a brand or a creator, you can get an estimate of the value of posts and Stories shared by any Instagram profile, as well as the creator’s average engagement rate.

One of the key advantages of Kolsquare’s engagement rate calculator is that it’s completely free. Anyone can access the KOLculator directly on the Kolsquare website, without paying any fees or subscribing to a plan. This makes it an ideal tool for small businesses or individuals with limited influencer marketing budgets.

Another benefit is its ability to highlight which types of content resonate most with an audience. By analysing engagement rates across different posts, users gain valuable insights into what their followers are most interested in. This data can then be used to refine social media strategies and create content that drives stronger engagement.

HypeAuditor’s free engagement rate calculator

HypeAuditor is a platform offering a range of tools to support social media marketing campaigns. Among them is a free engagement rate calculator, which can be a useful resource for anyone looking to improve their social media performance.

HypeAuditor’s calculator works by adding up the total number of likes, comments and shares a post receives, then dividing that figure by the total number of followers. The result is expressed as a percentage, representing the engagement level generated by the post.

Conclusion

Engagement rate remains a key indicator of any high-performing Instagram strategy. More than just a number, it reflects a brand or creator’s ability to build connections, spark emotion and nurture an active community.

Understanding how engagement evolves, knowing how to measure it and analysing it over time allows marketers to optimise content, formats and collaborations to maximise reach and credibility.

In an ever-evolving ecosystem, where algorithms increasingly reward genuine interaction, closely monitoring engagement rate becomes a strategic lever for maintaining visibility and building a loyal audience. Analytics and calculation tools such as Kolsquare’s KOLculator simplify this process and help teams manage performance with precision.

In short, mastering your engagement rate means understanding how to turn an audience into a true community and an online presence into a long-term asset for your brand.

About Kolsquare

Kolsquare is Europe’s leading Influencer Marketing platform, offering a data-driven solution that empowers brands to scale their KOL (Key Opinion Leader) marketing strategies through authentic partnerships with top creators.

Kolsquare’s advanced technology helps marketing professionals seamlessly identify the best content creators by filtering their content and audience, while also enabling them to build, manage, and optimize campaigns from start to finish. This includes measuring results and benchmarking performance against competitors.

With a thriving global community of influencer marketing experts, Kolsquare serves hundreds of customers—including Coca-Cola, Netflix, Sony Music, Publicis, Sézane, Sephora, Lush, and Hermès—by leveraging the latest Big Data, AI, and Machine Learning technologies. Our platform taps into an extensive network of KOLs with more than 5,000 followers across 180 countries on Instagram, TikTok, X (Twitter), Facebook, YouTube, and Snapchat.

As a Certified B Corporation, Kolsquare leads the way in promoting Responsible Influence, championing transparency, ethical practices, and meaningful collaborations that inspire positive change.

Since October 2024, Kolsquare has become part of the Team.Blue group, one of the largest private tech companies in Europe, and a leading digital enabler for businesses and entrepreneurs across Europe. Team.Blue brings together over 60 successful brands in web hosting, domains, e-commerce, online compliance, lead generation, application solutions, and social media.

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