Engagement Rate

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Engagement Rate is a metric used to measure the level of interaction content receives from an audience.

It’s often used in the context of social media, but it can apply to any form of digital content. 1

Formula

engagement rate formula

How Engagement Rate Is Calculated?

Engagement rate is typically calculated by taking the total number of interactions (likes, shares, comments, clicks) a piece of content receives and dividing it by the total number of followers or views, then multiplying by 100 to get a percentage.2

Engagement Rate = (Total Engagements / Total Reach or Impressions ) x 100

  • Total Engagements: This is the sum of all interactions on your post, such as likes, comments, shares, saves, clicks, etc. (The specific interactions may vary depending on the platform.)
  • Total Reach or Impressions: The number of times the campaign has been seen.

Purpose

The reason for monitoring engagement rate is to see how well marketing campaigns, social media tactics, and content-making work.

It gives clues on how much the audience likes the content, helping to shape future content, marketing plans, and ways to engage with customers.

A higher engagement rate means more significant interactions, indicating that the content is hitting the mark and being both useful and engaging to the audience.2

Usage

Engagement rate is used by marketers and content creators to:

  • Measure content performance.
  • Understand audience preferences.
  • Tailor marketing strategies.
  • Benchmark against competitors.3

Example

Consider a company that posts a video about a new product on social media.

If the video receives 500 interactions (likes, comments, shares) and is viewed by 10,000 people, the engagement rate would be calculated as follows:

engagement rate calculation example

This means that 5% of the viewers interacted with the content, indicating its effectiveness in engaging the audience.

Related Terms

References:

1. Engagement rate. Engagement rate – BrandMentions Wiki. (n.d.). https://brandmentions.com/wiki/Engagement_rate

2. Eckstein, M. (2024, January 29). Social Media engagement: Why it matters and how to do it well. Buffer Library. https://buffer.com/library/social-media-engagement/

3. Sehl, K. (2023, November 15). Engagement rate calculator + guide for 2023. Social Media Marketing & Management Dashboard. https://blog.hootsuite.com/calculate-engagement-rate/

4. Chaffey, D., Smith, P. (2022). Digital Marketing Excellence: Planning, Optimizing and Integrating Online Marketing. United Kingdom: Taylor & Francis. https://www.amazon.com/Digital-Marketing-Excellence-Optimizing-Integrating/dp/0367444755/

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