# What is a good engagement rate? Benchmarks for Instagram, TikTok and X by follower count

> Engagement rate is interactions divided by followers (or by views). 2026 creator medians by follower tier for Instagram, TikTok and X, why rates fall as accounts grow, why views-based rates matter on X, and what brands look at besides engagement.

**A good engagement rate depends on the platform and your size. For creators in 2026, the median is about 1.8% on Instagram, 4.3% on TikTok and 1.1% on X, measured as interactions divided by followers (SociaVault Labs). Smaller accounts score higher: a creator with 1,000–10,000 followers has a median of about 3.4% on Instagram, 7.8% on TikTok and 2.2% on X. If you're at or above the median for your tier, your engagement is good.**

## How do you calculate engagement rate?

The common formula divides a post's interactions by your follower count:

> Engagement rate = (likes + comments or replies + shares or reposts) ÷ followers × 100

Average it over your recent posts (10–20 is typical) rather than judging one post.

On X, you can also divide by **views** instead of followers, because X shows how many people saw each post:

> Engagement rate by views = (likes + replies + reposts) ÷ views × 100

The two give very different numbers, so compare like with like: a benchmark calculated by followers can't be compared with your rate calculated by views.

## What is a good engagement rate by follower count?

Creator medians by follower tier, by followers (SociaVault Labs, 2026; 350,000+ accounts that passed fraud screening):

| Followers | Instagram | TikTok | X |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1,000–10,000 | 3.42% | 7.84% | 2.18% |
| 10,000–50,000 | 2.15% | 5.21% | 1.42% |
| 50,000–100,000 | 1.53% | 3.89% | 0.97% |
| 100,000–500,000 | 1.12% | 2.73% | 0.63% |
| 500,000+ | 0.81% | 1.84% | 0.35% |
| All creators (median) | 1.81% | 4.25% | 1.11% |

SociaVault counts likes and comments on Instagram, likes, comments and shares on TikTok, and likes, replies and retweets on X. Its Instagram figures come from aggregated sources rather than its own direct analysis.

Brand accounts score much lower than creators. Socialinsider's 2026 benchmarks for brands put average engagement by followers at about 0.48% on Instagram, 3.70% on TikTok and 0.12% on X. That's a useful reminder that a creator's 1% on X is well above what most brand accounts get.

## What is a good engagement rate for a micro-influencer?

For micro-influencers (about 10,000–100,000 followers), creator medians by followers in 2026 are (SociaVault Labs):

| Followers | Instagram | TikTok | X |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 10,000–50,000 | 2.15% | 5.21% | 1.42% |
| 50,000–100,000 | 1.53% | 3.89% | 0.97% |

So roughly 1.5–2% on Instagram, 4–5% on TikTok and 1–1.4% on X is typical for a micro-influencer; above that is good. Nano accounts (under 10,000 followers) usually score higher, so a micro-influencer shouldn't compare themselves with them.

## Why does engagement rate fall as accounts grow?

Every tier in the table above engages less than the one below it. A common explanation is that smaller accounts have audiences who chose them for a specific topic, while bigger accounts pick up more passive followers who don't interact. That's one reason brands often get more for their money from smaller creators: see [Why smaller creators often outperform big influencers](/blog/why-micro-creators-outperform).

## Why do views matter on X?

On X, a post can reach people who don't follow you, through replies, reposts and the For You feed, and many followers won't see a given post. So follower count can understate (or overstate) how many people you actually reach. Views per post tell a brand what a sponsored post is likely to deliver, and engagement divided by views shows how well your posts hold the people who see them. Brands paying for a post on X care most about the first: how many people will see it.

## What do brands look at besides engagement rate?

- **Reach:** typical views per post, not just followers.
- **Audience fit:** whether your followers are the people the brand wants to reach.
- **Quality of engagement:** real replies and conversations count for more than likes alone, and suspicious patterns (sudden spikes, generic comments) are a red flag.
- **Consistency:** posting regularly, with steady results.
- **Past sponsored posts:** how your paid partnerships performed, and whether you disclose them properly.

More on this in [How many followers do you need for brand deals?](/blog/how-many-followers-for-brand-deals)

## How to see yours

Log in with X at [What's your influencer value?](/value) to see the views and engagement from your recent posts, and our estimate of the value of one sponsored post on your account.

Transformer is the agentic influencer marketplace: real creators, paid on confirmed posts. Run it from the dashboard or from your agent. Brands send paid offers for X posts; you keep 80%.

## FAQ

### What is a good engagement rate on Instagram?
For creators, the 2026 median is about 1.8% by followers, and higher for small accounts: about 3.4% at 1,000–10,000 followers, falling to about 0.8% above 500,000 (SociaVault Labs). At or above the median for your size is good.

### What is a good engagement rate on TikTok?
The 2026 creator median is about 4.3% by followers, ranging from about 7.8% for accounts with 1,000–10,000 followers to about 1.8% above 500,000 (SociaVault Labs).

### What is a good engagement rate on X?
The 2026 creator median is about 1.1% by followers: about 2.2% for accounts with 1,000–10,000 followers, falling to about 0.35% above 500,000 (SociaVault Labs). Brand accounts on X average about 0.12% (Socialinsider).

### What is a good engagement rate for a micro-influencer?
For accounts with about 10,000–100,000 followers, 2026 creator medians by followers are roughly 1.5–2.2% on Instagram, 3.9–5.2% on TikTok and 1.0–1.4% on X (SociaVault Labs). At or above those is good.

### How do you calculate engagement rate?
Add up likes, comments or replies, and shares or reposts on a post, divide by your follower count (or by the post's views on X), multiply by 100, and average over your recent posts.

### Why is my engagement rate going down as I grow?
That's normal: engagement rates fall at every follower tier as accounts grow, because larger audiences include more passive followers. Compare yourself with the benchmark for your tier, not with smaller accounts.

## Sources

- [SociaVault Labs: Social media engagement rate benchmarks 2026 (March 2026)](https://sociavault.com/labs/reports/engagement-benchmarks-2026)
- [Socialinsider: Social media benchmarks 2026 (January 2026, with quarterly updates)](https://www.socialinsider.io/social-media-benchmarks)