PostEaseThe short answer
Engagement rate is the share of people who did something with a post (liked, commented, shared, saved) out of the people it reached, the times it was shown, or the account’s followers, multiplied by 100. Which of those you divide by changes the answer a great deal, so an engagement rate means little until you know the formula behind it. In Buffer’s 2025 data, measured against reach, the median post earned about 6.2% on LinkedIn, 5.6% on Facebook, 5.5% on Instagram and 2.5% on X.
The three formulas
Every engagement rate divides engagements by one of three audience measures. Each answers a different question.
| Divide engagements by | Formula | Tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Reach | Engagements ÷ unique accounts that saw it × 100 | How many of the people who saw it reacted |
| Impressions | Engagements ÷ times it was shown × 100 | How often a showing turned into a reaction |
| Followers | Engagements ÷ followers × 100 | How engaged your audience is, whether or not they saw it |
Median engagement rate by platform in 2025
Buffer’s 2026 report measured the median post on each platform, dividing engagements by reach, for accounts that post through Buffer. Use it as a rough benchmark, not a target: your niche, your audience and what each platform counts as an engagement all move the number.
| Platform | Median engagement rate |
|---|---|
| About 6.2% | |
| About 5.6% | |
| About 5.5% | |
| TikTok | About 4.6% |
| About 4.0% | |
| Threads | About 3.6% |
| X | About 2.5% |
Why Instagram can look like 1% or 5%
Buffer published two sets of figures a year apart. Its 2025 article divided interactions by impressions and put Instagram’s average at 1.16%. Its 2026 report divided engagements by reach and put Instagram’s median at about 5.5%. Instagram did not get five times more engaging; the denominator changed. Impressions count every time a post is shown, including repeat views by the same person, so they are always larger than reach, and the rate comes out smaller.
This is the most common mistake with engagement rates: comparing a number worked out one way with a benchmark worked out another. Before comparing, check what is divided by what.
What counts as an engagement differs too
Platforms do not count the same actions. Buffer notes that LinkedIn reports total engagements, while Facebook’s count is reactions, comments and shares. Some include link clicks or saves, others do not. So even with the same formula, a LinkedIn rate and an Instagram rate are not like for like. Compare a platform with itself.
How to work out yours
Pick one formula and stick to it:
- Take the engagements a post earned, as the platform reports them.
- Divide by its reach, if the platform reports reach; otherwise by impressions or views, and note which.
- Multiply by 100.
- Do this for every post over a month and take the median, the middle value, so one viral post does not set the number.
- Compare this month’s median with last month’s. That trend says more than any benchmark.
Questions
What is a good engagement rate?
One above your own median for that platform, worked out the same way each time. As a rough guide, Buffer’s 2025 medians by reach run from about 2.5% on X to about 6.2% on LinkedIn.
What is a good engagement rate on Instagram?
Around 5.5% by reach is the 2025 median in Buffer’s data. Measured by impressions, Buffer’s earlier figure was about 1.2%, because impressions are always larger than reach.
Should I use reach or followers to calculate engagement rate?
Reach, if the platform reports it, because it counts only people who saw the post. Followers is useful for comparing how engaged two audiences are, but it counts people who never saw the post.
Why is my engagement rate going down as I grow?
It can be because posts are reaching more people who do not follow you yet, who tend to react less than an established audience. Compare engagements per post as well as the rate.
Sources
- Buffer, The state of social media engagement in 2026, March 2026.
- Buffer, Engagement in 2025: where social media users are interacting, April 2025.