TikTok averages 2.50-4.64% engagement. Instagram Reels sits at 0.50-1.48%. YouTube Shorts pulls 3.4-5.91%. Those are the real numbers for 2026, not the recycled stats from 2023 articles that still rank on Google. And they depend on your industry, your account size, and the type of content you publish.
If you’re measuring your performance against a generic average, you’re making decisions with useless data. Here are the benchmarks that actually matter.
Context
This article is part of our full guide Which Social Media Platform Converts Best? 2026 Guide, where we break down which platform drives the best results based on your business model.
TikTok Engagement: Real Numbers by Account Size
The overall average engagement on TikTok ranges from 2.50-4.64%. But that range is so wide it’s almost meaningless. What you actually need is a breakdown by audience size.
| Account Size | Average Engagement |
|---|---|
| Under 100K followers | 7.50% |
| 100K - 500K | 5-6% |
| 500K - 1M | 4-5% |
| 1M - 5M | 3-4% |
| 5M - 10M | 3% |
| 10M+ | 2.88% |
The pattern is obvious: smaller accounts get proportionally higher engagement. This isn’t a bug. It’s the natural mechanics of algorithmic platforms. As audience size grows, affinity gets diluted.
TikTok by Industry
Not every industry is playing the same game.
| Industry | Average Engagement |
|---|---|
| Sports teams | 9.00% |
| Higher education | 7.36% |
| Educational content (general) | 9.50% |
| Entertainment | 5-6% |
| Fashion & beauty | 3-4% |
| Financial services | 2-3% |
| SaaS / Tech | 2-3% |
If you’re in education or sports, your reference benchmarks are radically different from a fintech company. Comparing yourself to the general average is misleading yourself.
Quick reference point: below 2.50%, your content has a problem. Above 5%, you’re doing well. If you’re above 8-10%, you’re in excellent territory.
Instagram Reels Engagement: Why It’s Still the Winning Format on IG
Instagram has an engagement problem compared to TikTok. The platform’s general average is low. But Reels changes the equation.
| Instagram Format | Average Engagement |
|---|---|
| Reels | 1.48% |
| Carousels | 0.55-0.99% |
| Static photos | 0.45-0.70% |
| Stories | Variable (not directly comparable) |
Reels more than doubles the engagement of photos. If you’re still posting static images as your primary Instagram format, the data says you’re leaving engagement on the table.
Instagram Reels by Account Size
| Account Size | Reels Engagement |
|---|---|
| Under 1K followers | 5.00% |
| 1K - 10K | 3-4% |
| 10K - 50K | 1.5-2.5% |
| 50K+ | 5.54% |
One data point breaks the pattern: large accounts (50K+) have higher Reels engagement than mid-size accounts. This suggests Instagram rewards production quality and brand consistency that established accounts tend to have. Or that the algorithm favors creators who’ve already proven retention.
YouTube Shorts Engagement: The Contender Everyone Underestimates
YouTube Shorts has the highest per-view engagement numbers of all three platforms, and few brands are taking advantage.
| Metric | Benchmark |
|---|---|
| Average engagement per view | 3.4-5.91% |
| Large accounts (1M+) | ~6% |
| Completion rate target (videos under 20s) | 90-100% |
| View-through rate (top creators) | 75-80% |
Why does YouTube Shorts have higher engagement? Because YouTube’s recommendation algorithm is more mature. The user base is different: people who are already in video-consumption mode. And the integration with the long-form YouTube ecosystem (subscriptions, notification bell, watch history) creates a more committed audience effect.
View-through rate is the metric that separates average creators from those who actually grow. The best aim for 75-80% of viewers watching the complete video. If your 15-second Short has a 50% view-through, the algorithm reads that as content that doesn’t retain.
What Type of Content Drives the Most Engagement (and What Kills It)
Platform-level numbers matter. But content type matters more.
Educational content on TikTok: 9.5% engagement. Nearly double the platform average. Tutorials, little-known facts, quick concept explanations. This format doesn’t just generate likes. It generates saves and shares, which are the signals that carry the most weight with the algorithm.
Promotional content: -40% compared to educational or entertainment content. When your video says “buy my product” directly or indirectly, the audience scrolls past. The platforms know this and penalize it in distribution.
What does this mean in practice? The brand that publishes 8 out of 10 videos talking about its products is losing to the one that publishes 8 out of 10 videos teaching something useful.
Loopable Content and Rewatch Triggers
There’s a factor that doesn’t show up in standard benchmarks but multiplies distribution: content designed to be watched more than once.
Videos with a plot twist at the end that makes you want to rewatch. Tutorials where the final result appears first and you want to understand the process. Content where the ending connects to the beginning so the loop is imperceptible.
Every time someone watches your video twice, the platform counts that as doubled engagement signals. A 15-second video watched 3 times generates more retention signals than a 45-second video watched once.
The Micro-Influencer Advantage: Why Fewer Followers Can Mean More Impact
Accounts with fewer than 100K followers consistently outperform large accounts in engagement rate. On TikTok, 7.50% versus 2.88% for 10M+ accounts. On Instagram Reels, small accounts dominate too.
Why?
-
More concentrated audience. Followers of smaller accounts tend to be genuinely interested in the topic, not just following because of a viral trend.
-
More direct relationship. The creator can respond to comments, build content based on audience questions, generate real community.
-
The algorithm rewards retention, not fame. Platforms care whether your video retains, not how many followers you have. A 5,000-follower account with 90% completion rate gets more distribution than a 500,000-follower account with 30%.
For brands evaluating creator collaborations: 10 micro-influencers with 7% engagement will likely generate more results than 1 macro-influencer with 2.5%.
How to Calculate Your Real Engagement Rate
The basic formula most people use:
Engagement Rate = (Likes + Comments + Shares) / Followers x 100
But this formula has a problem: it penalizes fast-growing accounts (more followers = bigger denominator = lower rate even with good engagement).
The formula you should use for short-form video:
Engagement Rate per View = (Likes + Comments + Shares) / Views x 100
This version reflects reality better because it measures the response from people who actually saw your content, not your entire follower base (many of whom never saw the video).
For YouTube Shorts, add these metrics:
- Completion rate = Complete plays / Total plays x 100
- View-through rate = Average watch time / Total duration x 100
If your engagement rate per view exceeds 5% on TikTok, 1.5% on Instagram Reels, or 4% on YouTube Shorts, you’re above average. If your Shorts completion rate exceeds 80%, your content retains well.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good engagement rate on TikTok in 2026?
The TikTok average is 2.50-4.64%. An engagement rate above 5% is considered good. Above 8-10% is excellent. But these numbers vary by industry: education and sports exceed 7%, while financial services and SaaS average 2-3%.
Why does Instagram have lower engagement than TikTok?
Instagram is a more mature platform with a broader user base. The feed prioritizes content from accounts you already follow, which limits organic virality. TikTok, with its interest-based “For You” feed, exposes new content to more people, generating more interaction per video.
Which Instagram format gets the most engagement?
Reels at 1.48% average, followed by carousels at 0.55-0.99% and static photos at 0.45-0.70%. Reels is the only Instagram format that comes close to TikTok’s discovery behavior.
Is it better to have many followers or high engagement?
High engagement. Accounts with fewer than 100K followers on TikTok average 7.50% engagement, versus 2.88% for 10M+ accounts. A high engagement rate indicates an active, interested audience, which is what converts to sales. Followers without engagement are a vanity metric.
How do you calculate engagement rate on YouTube Shorts?
The formula is: (Likes + Comments + Shares) / Views x 100. For Shorts, also measure completion rate (complete plays / total plays) and view-through rate (average watch time / total duration). Top creators aim for 75-80% view-through and 90-100% completion on videos under 20 seconds.
Related resources:
- Which Social Media Platform Converts Best? 2026 Guide
- X (Twitter) Algorithm: Full Guide
- LinkedIn Algorithm 2026: Why Your Content Isn’t Getting Reach
Need a content strategy that doesn’t depend on a single algorithm? At Mazkara Studio we build content systems for founders and executives that work across multiple platforms. Get your free consultation →