Follower counts don’t always tell the whole story. A creator with 500K followers and zero engagement is basically shouting into the void. But a creator with 10K followers whose audience actually cares? That's where the magic happens - higher conversion rates, stronger brand trust, and real ROI on your campaign spend. Engagement rate is the metric that separates creators who drive results from creators who just look good on paper.
How does Modash calculate ER?
Modash uses platform-specific formulas to calculate engagement rates because each platform works differently - and we want to give you the most accurate picture possible. All calculations are based on roughly the last two months of content.
Instagram: Median Likes ÷ Followers
We use the median (not average) of likes divided by follower count. Why median? Because one viral post shouldn't trick you into thinking a creator consistently gets high engagement. The median filters out those spikes and shows you what typical performance actually looks like.
TikTok: Average Likes ÷ Average Views
Here's the thing about TikTok - the For You page means a creator's content reaches way beyond their followers. Follower-based engagement would be misleading. By measuring likes against views, you see how well the creator's content resonates with everyone who actually watches it. That's a much more powerful signal.
YouTube: Average Likes ÷ Average Views
Same logic as TikTok. YouTube's algorithm drives the majority of views, so measuring engagement against views tells you how compelling the content actually is - not just how many people subscribed.
What's a good engagement rate?
Use these benchmarks to instantly spot standout creators:
Instagram:
Nano creators (1K-10K): 5-10% - these creators have incredible audience relationships
Micro creators (10K-100K): 3-7% - the sweet spot for most campaigns
Macro creators (100K-1M): 1-3% - solid for broad reach plays
Mega creators (1M+): 0.5-2% - normal at this scale, still massive total engagement
TikTok & YouTube:
3-6% is strong across most creator sizes
Views-based engagement runs lower than follower-based, but don't let that fool you - a 4% engagement rate on TikTok often means thousands of people actively engaging with every post
Pro tip: Always compare engagement rates within the same niche and follower range. A 2% rate might be amazing for a celebrity but underwhelming for a nano creator.
Why engagement rate matters for your campaigns
When you partner with a high-engagement creator, you're tapping into an audience that genuinely trusts and listens to them. That means:
More clicks, more conversions, more sales from your campaign
Stronger word-of-mouth as engaged followers share recommendations with their own networks
Better content performance because the algorithm rewards posts that get real interaction
Low engagement? That's your red flag. It could signal fake followers, stale content, or an audience that's checked out. Catching this before you invest saves you time, money, and a lot of frustration.
Using engagement rate in your search
This is where it gets exciting. Head to Discover, set a minimum engagement rate filter, and watch your results transform. Low-engagement creators disappear. What's left? A curated list of creators whose audiences are actually paying attention.
You can also sort results by engagement rate to surface the most engaged creators first. It's the fastest way to find hidden gems that your competitors are missing.
Pro tip: If a creator hides their likes, Modash can't calculate an accurate engagement rate. You'll see this noted on their profile.
FAQs
FAQs
Why do some creators have no engagement rate listed?
Either they've hidden their likes, or they haven't posted recently enough for us to calculate a meaningful rate. Check their posting frequency and audience quality scores instead.
Can engagement rate be manipulated?
Yes, creators can buy fake engagement. That's why Modash also provides audience quality scores and fake follower detection. Use multiple metrics to vet creators - Modash makes this easy.
Does engagement rate include comments and shares?
The formulas we display focus on likes and views for consistency across platforms.
Should I reject all creators below a certain engagement rate?
Not automatically. Context matters. A mega creator with 1% engagement might still deliver more total reach than a micro creator with 5%. Think about your campaign goals and what success looks like for you.
How often does engagement rate update?
We recalculate engagement rate every 2-4 weeks based on the creator's recent content. You're always looking at fresh data.
Are pinned posts included in the calculation?
Yes. Pinned posts are treated as regular posts in the engagement rate calculation, as long as they fall within the content window we analyze.