If your goal in 2024 is to increase your engagement rate on Instagram, that’s a great goal. Focusing on engagement rate rather than obsessing over followers and likes is a brilliant strategy for the new year.
Now that you’ve chosen your Instagram goal, you probably want to know what qualifies a good engagement rate and are eager to learn how to increase it.
In this article, I’ll explain Instagram’s engagement rate and provide some actionable tips to help you improve yours. A good engagement rate shows a healthy content strategy and a captivated audience.
Key Points
- Your Instagram engagement rate is the number of likes and comments you receive per post divided by the number of followers you have multiplied by 100.
- Industry and audience demographics influence what is considered a good engagement rate.
- A good engagement rate on Instagram has vital benefits, including boosting platform visibility, attracting new audiences, and boosting credibility.
- The average engagement rate for social media is between 1% and 3.5%, with anything above 3.5% considered higher.
What Is a Good Engagement Rate on Instagram?
Calculating your engagement rate is one thing, but to determine whether or not your Instagram photos are receiving a good amount of engagement, you also need to know what your calculation implies.
So, what is a reasonable engagement rate on Instagram?
There isn’t a straightforward answer to this, as the concept of “good” depends on several factors. These include your industry, your Instagram account, and your audience demographics. However, as a general rule of thumb, an engagement rate of 3% or higher is considered good, while an engagement rate of 6% or higher is considered excellent.
Below is an industry-standard guideline so you can benchmark results:
- Less than 1% = low engagement rate
- Between 1% and 3.5% = average/good engagement rate
- Between 3.5% and 6% = high engagement rate
- Above 6% = very high engagement rate
In summary, as an industry standard, an engagement rate on Instagram between 1% and 3% is generally good; it is the average we see on an influencer’s profile. If the engagement rate is higher than 3%, that is a good sign that their audience is very engaged with their content, and if it is below 1%, it means their audience as a whole is not very engaged with their content.
Note that several factors influence Instagram’s engagement rate, such as the time of each post, the frequency of posting, the number of followers, the content and messaging, and the Instagram algorithm (and the limitations that sometimes come with it).
Why Does Good Engagement Rate Matter on Instagram?
So, what’s the big deal about Instagram engagement? Check out these key benefits of having a good engagement rate on Instagram.
#1. Boost Platform Visibility
The Instagram algorithm ranks and displays content based on several parameters. Relevance is one crucial factor, but engagement is also quite important. Posts with a high level of engagement, even within pertinent content, have a higher chance of appearing in a user’s Explore. Therefore, increasing your visibility on Instagram requires having a high engagement rate.
#2. Attract a New Audience
More substantial visibility makes you more likely to draw in new customers. Generally speaking, Instagram will only display your material to users who find it interesting. These individuals may look at your profile and follow you if they find your material interesting. A good engagement rate can help you grow your Instagram following.
#3. Boost Credibility
To the average Instagram user, a post with tons of engagement means others enjoy it. As such, good engagement serves as social proof and reflects positively on your brand authenticity. People may feel more comfortable trusting your brand because many others engage with it.
Instagram Engagement Formulas
Before I list some of the most popular Instagram engagement formulas, it’s essential to understand the different metrics that go into these calculations.
Different goals call for measuring different metrics, and the engagement rate will change according to those metrics.
Here’s a list of possible engagement metrics to consider in your formula:
- Likes
- Shares
- Saves
- DMs
- Impressions
- Link clicks
- Story views
- Story replies
- In-story sticker taps
- Branded hashtag followers
- Mentions and tags
Engagement Rate Based on Reach
This formula is suitable for determining the efficacy of your content with the reach your posts or your account gets.
There are two formulas you can use, one to measure the engagement rate for a single post and the other to measure the average rate across your entire profile:
Formula 1 = (likes+comments) per post/ reach per post x 100
Formula 2 = Formula 1 / total amount of posts
While this formula is good because reach is a more accurate indicator than followers (not all of your followers will see all of your posts), reach can vary for different reasons that you can’t control.
Engagement / Followers
This formula is by far the most common. Many online tools use this equation, making benchmarking your page against competitors easy. The formula is simple:
Engagement Rate = (Total likes + total comments)/followers x 100
As mentioned, using followers as a key metric can be challenging because the algorithm can only display your content to some followers. Your reach rate, which is the percentage of your followers who see your post divided by the total number of followers, can provide you with helpful information about the general health of your page.
Engagement/Impressions
Another famous engagement rate formula, this equation takes your engagement divided by the number of times your content has been displayed:
Engagement rate = (total likes+ total comments) / account impressions x100
In contrast to reach, which counts the number of times your content has been viewed on a screen, impressions count the total number of individuals who have seen your content.
Tracking impressions is a helpful tool for evaluating the effectiveness of ads. When monitoring metrics such as ad fatigue, impressions and their correlation with your ad’s frequency, reach, and click-through rate are crucial to watch.
Total Engagement/ Impressions
Total engagement includes likes, comments, saves, and shares (if any). This benchmark can give you a holistic idea of how your content and page perform.
Engagement rate = (total likes + total comments + total saves + total shares) / account impressions x 100
What Is an Excellent Average Engagement Rate?
The average engagement rate for social media is between 1% and 3.5%, with anything above 3.5% considered higher. However, some say a good engagement rate is between 1% and 5%, while others consider 0.5% good and anything above 1% significant. Smaller businesses with an engaged following may aim for a consistently higher than 1% engagement rate.
What Is Considered a Good Reach on Instagram?
A good reach rate on Instagram depends on the size of your account. For example, brands with large followings (over 501,000 followers) should aim for a reach rate of around 8% for posts and 1% for stories. Smaller brands with fewer followers should aim for a reach rate of 34% of their audience for posts and 7.5% for stories.
To calculate your reach rate, divide the number of people who reached your post or story by your total number of followers. For example, if your post reaches 500 people and you have 2,000 followers, your reach rate is 25%.
Social media reach can be calculated using engagement, a more accurate way to look at engagement data.
Strategies to Increase Engagement Rate on Instagram?
Now it’s time for the fun part of this article. The following 8 tips will show you how to improve your Instagram engagement rate.
But before we dive into these actionable tips, it’s essential to have a structured content strategy in place. A well-thought-out strategy will guide your content creation, help you stay consistent, and ensure your efforts are aligned with your goals.
Lamphills Content Strategy Template
Let’s get started!
#1. Focus on Instagram SEO
For a long time, getting your content seen was all about understanding the algorithm. I’m not going to tell you to ignore the Instagram algorithm. But I will tell you to put some energy into Instagram search optimization (SEO).
Instagram SEO is about seeing your content when people search using keywords on Instagram. People who find your content through SEO are an ideal audience for increasing engagement since they specifically search for what you provide!
To get the best search rankings, you’ll need to understand what words and phrases people use to search for content like yours. On that note…
#2. Engage With Your Audience
No one likes being left on read. Reaching out to your audience and tapping the heart icon is just as good as ignoring them. There are better methods to make someone feel heard if you try to discuss things with them; all they do is smile and walk away.
You should respond to every Instagram follower who interacts with your brand. By thoughtfully answering their DMs, comments, and tagged material, you can demonstrate to your audiences that you are paying attention. A strong brand reaction can build the foundation for long-lasting reciprocal partnerships and encourage followers to participate again.
Want to take your engagement a step further? Grow your engaged community by reaching out to like-minded users yourself! Be proactive and make the first move. Comment on posts from accounts with a similar target audience to gain exposure within their following. You can also follow relevant hashtags to easily find and comment on posts from potential clients directly on your feed.
#3. Use Instagram Stories to Your Advantage
Instagram offers plenty of stickers that make it easy to drive engagement through Stories. Every time someone engages with those stickers, it counts toward your engagement.
Use these stickers to conduct polls and quizzes or get your followers to ask you questions. See how Living Stone Construction creates a simple poll asking people to vote if they like the renovation work. You could make it more fun and competitive by asking people to guess the correct answer.
The question sticker is perfect for hosting an AMA (Ask Me Anything) session. You’ll then be able to share a series of Stories answering those questions.
One of the latest Instagram trends involves using the “Add Yours” sticker. Use this sticker to start a challenge and get people to engage with your brand. Share a prompt and encourage people to participate by adding their content to your challenge.
#4. Produce Consistent Quality Content
Losing an audience is much easier than gaining one, especially on channels that build engagement on current content rather than loyalty. Instagram content needs to be very visual, but it should also be a mix of relatable, aspirational, and endearing. This is your chance to show the human side of your brand. The best way to keep your content Instagram-friendly is with the “people test” — this involves asking other people if they would relate to, enjoy, or engage with your posts. If your content doesn’t pass the people test, it’s on the wrong platform.
#5. Use Instagram Ads Strategically.
When Facebook added Instagram to its Ads Manager, new targeting possibilities opened. You can boost a post or advertise your account, but you should do so with more extraordinary subtlety and discretion.
Take advantage of customization by retargeting and targeting custom audiences. For instance, visiting a furniture store website like Pottery Barn will get ads from other furniture stores. After searching for a bookshelf, you found the following ads from other furniture brands.
Custom audiences can come from many sources. But to start, try using:
- Your newsletter lists
- People who have visited your store
- Those who purchased from your website
- People who’ve engaged with your Facebook or Instagram accounts
- From there, you’ll then be able to find even more people similar to any of the above audiences using the lookalike audience feature.
Familiarizing yourself with all the Instagram ad options will put you ahead of your competitors. And retargeting will further help you improve conversions and lower your ad costs.
#6. Write Eye-Catching Captions
Instagram captions can be up to 2,200 characters long. While short and sweet can sometimes be the best choice, don’t be afraid to take up space when you’ve got a good story to tell. No matter the length, good captions add context and showcase your brand’s personality.
For examples of exceptional longer-form storytelling with Instagram captions, you can always count on National Geographic.
#7. Post at the Optimum Time of Day for Engagement
It goes without saying, but I will say it anyway: post to Instagram at the optimal times! This means publishing your content when most of your audience is online and ready to engage with your content. As a general guide, the best times to post on Instagram are 2 p.m. – 3 p.m. on Thursdays, 11 a.m. on Wednesdays, and 10 a.m. on Fridays. The best overall day to post on Instagram is Tuesday. While I encourage you to use these posting times as a guide, it’s still important to consider your personal social media audience and vary your posting times to discover what works for you.
#8. Organize a Fun Giveaway Event
Who wouldn’t want to win free stuff? Giveaways on social media are a fantastic strategy for increasing Instagram engagement. They create a level of brand engagement that you have never seen before.
You can increase participation if the contest requires sharing, leaving comments, or presenting a narrative.
That said, your giveaway contest must be strategic and intentional. Make sure to design the rules while keeping your goal in mind, i.e., boosting engagement. Moreover, the prize should be attractive and valuable enough to get people to participate.
For example, Fenty Beauty hosted a Game Day Giveaway for a chance to win two tickets to the Championship Game. The brand would cover the cost of flights, hotels, and ground transportation. As you can expect, this post saw more than 17k Likes and almost 18k comments.
Now that we’ve covered how to increase your engagement on Instagram, you’re ready to put your skills to the test. Remember to plan content, regularly check your Instagram analytics, and don’t be afraid to keep refining and experimenting!
Is 15% Engagement Good on Instagram?
According to industry standards, 1–3.5% engagement on Instagram is considered average or good. However, no single value defines a good engagement rate, and what’s considered good can vary depending on factors like your industry, audience demographics, and the platform you’re using.
Bottom Line
It’s true that in 2024, Instagram is an incredibly competitive place to market products and services. But that doesn’t mean you can’t grow a highly engaged community that loves what you do.
This means that you may have to mix up your strategy a little. Try new things, focus on your followers, and repurpose past successful content. Then, sit back and watch your engagement blossom.
Similar Articles
- HOW TO REACH YOUR IDEAL AUDIENCE: Mastering Social Media Targeting Strategies
- How I Use Seamless Instagram Carousels to Boost Engagement: 9 Tips for Getting Started
- Mastering Instagram Live: A Step-by-Step Guide for Business Success
Reference
