While it may be cool to create a viral video that ends up on everyone’s FYP, generating consistently high engagement rates for your brand is the ultimate goal. With the right TikTok engagement strategies, you can reach the right audience, amplify reach, and increase brand awareness.

Below, we’ll cover what counts as a good engagement rate on TikTok, how to calculate your TikTok engagement rate, and effective ways to increase your brand’s engagement on the platform.

What is a Good Engagement Rate on TikTok?

The median engagement rate by follower is 1.73%, according to our 2025 Social Media Benchmark Report. This rate is nearly five times more engaging than the next most engaging channel, Instagram.

And since TikTok is a video channel, it’s also worth noting what the median engagement rate by view is. Counting the number of times a viewer liked, commented, or shared and dividing it by the overall number of views measures just how compelling your content was. On TikTok, the median engagement rate by view is 3.4%.

When it comes to posting frequency, the average brand publishes about 1.97 videos per week or about eight per month. The most active brands, those in the top 25%, published videos at least four times per week on average.

How to Calculate Engagement Rate on TikTok

At Rival IQ, we define engagement as measurable interaction on organic and paid social media posts. On TikTok, this includes likes, comments, and shares.

TikTok engagement rate is calculated based on all of these interactions divided by total follower count. Here’s the formula to calculate your brand’s TikTok engagement rate:

TikTok engagement rate = [engagement total] / [total number of followers]

There are a few different ways to calculate engagement rate, but we find that dividing by the number of followers paints a more accurate picture of how your brand’s engagement rate compares to similar brands in your industry — regardless of audience size.

Top 5 Industries on TikTok

While brands of all industries and sizes are finding success on TikTok, there are a few industries that are doing especially well on the platform.

The top five industries on TikTok, as ranked by engagement rate by follower, are:

• Higher Ed (7.36%)
• Nonprofits (3.04%)
• Travel (2.73%)
• Sports Teams (2.68%)
• Food and Beverage (2.04%)

Schools and nonprofits stand out as the two industries with the highest engagement rates on TikTok. To put it into perspective, Higher Ed’s median engagement rate of 7.36% is more than 4x the all-industry median, while nonprofits’ 3.04% engagement rate is nearly double.

So what are these industries doing to generate impressive engagement rates like these? Let’s take a look at a couple of ways these top-performing industries are tapping into TikTok’s influential reach.

Top Industry on TikTok: Higher Ed

Schools and universities dominate across social channels year after year, and their performance on TikTok is no different.

As we mentioned, the median engagement rate by follower for schools is 7.36%, nearly four times the average engagement rate across industries. Even more impressive is that the top-performing schools (those in the top 25%) earn more than double that rate at a little over 19%. When it comes to posting frequency, schools and universities post 1.59 times per week on average. This comes out to around six to seven posts per month (which is about a third of how often they post on Instagram).

All that to say, Higher Ed has found a sweet spot for themselves on TikTok that many brands would hope to emulate — fewer posts with major impact. So, what exactly are schools doing differently to earn such impressive engagement rates on TikTok?

For starters, school pride is unmatched. Schools often tap into that school spirit by sharing things that current and past students alike can relate to. While on Instagram this often means sharing celebratory carousel posts, on TikTok, this spirit shows up in the form of informal, short videos — moments from a game, glimpses of a school tradition, or even user-generated content that shares an insider’s perspective.

This TikTok by the University of Tennessee, Knoxville is a great example. Their TikTok showing a beloved mascot reveal — when a graduating student finally gets to share that they were the mascot all along — hit a jaw-dropping 90.7% engagement rate by follower. That’s more than 12x the median rate for higher ed.

The University of South Carolina, Columbia, posted a similar mascot reveal and also saw incredible results: a 74% engagement rate by follower, or about 10x the higher ed median. Both schools tapped into the same trend, using #mascotreveal to boost visibility and connect with audiences who already love this type of content.

These examples highlight how powerful it can be to lean into authentic, shareable traditions that spark pride and support. They also show the value of tracking hashtags your industry peers are using. By keeping an eye on popular hashtags, your brand can spot rising trends early and join the conversation in ways that feel timely and relevant.

Top Industry on TikTok: Nonprofits

Nonprofits thrive by tapping into passion and purpose — whether it’s showcasing the impact of their work, spotlighting their community, or giving fans and supporters a special look at something they can’t get anywhere else.

The video below from Boston Ballet highlights a breathtaking moment from Swan Lake, showing a dancer completing the iconic 32 fouetté turns. Paired with a short, expressive caption and a handful of strategic hashtags, the video drew nearly 90K engagements and an astounding 682% engagement rate by follower. That’s 224x greater than the median engagement rate for nonprofits (3.04%).

Nonprofits make an impact in the world — and that extends online. By sharing moments that are visually striking, inspiring, or mission-driven, nonprofits turn casual scrollers into engaged supporters. Whether it’s a powerful performance, a heartwarming story, or a behind-the-scenes glimpse, short-form video offers the perfect format to inspire, educate, and garner support.

8 Ways to Increase TikTok Engagement

Whether you’re just getting started on TikTok or want to shake up your approach, here are eight ways to navigate the algorithm and increase TikTok engagement in 2025.

1. Mention other brands

When you mention another brand, especially if that brand is a big TikTok account with a lot of reach, the tagged account may engage with it, share it, and ultimately help get your video and brand in front of its audience.

The median brand on TikTok includes a mention in about 11.2% of its videos. However, it seems that using mentions in moderation is the most strategic approach. We found that brands that include mentions in 10% of their videos or fewer receive the highest engagement rates by view, with effectiveness dropping off when that percentage goes over 30%.

Now, that’s not to say that you should abandon mentions altogether. In fact, brands that included no mentions at all had notably less engagement than those that used mentions in moderation (or less than 30% of their TikToks). So, let’s take a quick look at exactly how mentions can impact your performance on TikTok.

When Coach mentioned The Summer I Turned Pretty, Amazon, Lola Tung, and Prime Video in the video below, it saw great results. The video received over 2M views and generated a 27.1% engagement rate by follower, which is more than 21x higher than the average for retail brands on TikTok (1.28%).

Note how the mentions were relevant and appropriate, with the brand simply tagging the appropriate accounts when discussing its collaboration rather than mentioning accounts just for the sake of it. The result was a TikTok that appealed to diverse audiences, from fans of the Prime Video show to Amazon shoppers.

All in all, mentions matter. If you’re ever talking about another brand or product, be sure to mention them if they’re on TikTok. It’s also wise to tap into social media listening so you can get involved in relevant conversations in your industry and mention other brands when it makes sense.

While it’s not a good idea to mention accounts simply for the sake of reach and exposure (you don’t want to risk coming across as spammy), keep mentions in mind for about 10% of the videos you post, and you’ll be primed to generate more views and engagement.

2. Engage in the comment section

You’ve invested time and effort into creating content, so get the most out of it by staying engaged with your followers and other users. Being active in the comment section is a simple yet effective way to generate higher engagement rates on TikTok. This includes the comment section under your own videos as well as other users’ videos.

Replying to your followers’ comments and questions, commenting on other users’ videos, and mentioning brands in your comments all help amplify your account’s reach by getting it in front of a larger audience.

The interaction in the comments section of this video by Fenty Beauty, one of the top beauty brands on TikTok, is a great example of how to engage thoughtfully. Fenty Beauty consistently interacts with its followers in the comments of its TikToks. For instance, when a user commented on the satisfying appearance of the brand’s new primers, Fenty Beauty took the opportunity to shed a little more light on what made the new release special.

Actively monitoring your comments section ensures you never miss an opportunity to share more details with your followers, loop in other brand accounts, and effectively increase engagement.

3. Leverage hashtags

Want to increase your chance of landing on someone’s FYP? Use hashtags. Niche hashtags and hashtag challenges are a great opportunity to join in on a relevant trend or conversation.

Like other social channels, TikTok uses hashtags to curate content and help users discover videos they could be interested in. Hashtags can also help boost your brand’s searchability on TikTok, which is especially important when you consider how many people use TikTok as a search engine, especially among younger generations.

When using hashtags on TikTok, less is more. According to our report, the median number of hashtags used by brands across all industries is four per video, with 16% of the brands we analyzed including one or fewer hashtags in their videos. The takeaway here is to be intentional when choosing which hashtags to include. Focus on using just a few that have the most potential to increase your video’s number of views and engagement.

For instance, if we take a look at Rival IQ’s hashtag analysis for top-performing airlines, we can see which hashtags were most used, how many airlines on TikTok were using them, and what the engagement rate is for each one.

If you were a marketer for an airline, you could use this to determine which hashtags are worth using in your videos to increase your engagement. You could also use this as an opportunity to tap into a lesser-used hashtag that still performs well in order to stand out above your competitors.

4. Reply with videos

In the same vein as mentions, replies are one of the best ways to increase your engagement by amplifying your video’s reach. By re-engaging a follower who previously commented, you’re creating an opportunity to grab their attention and get back on their radar again.

Creating content as a reply is also a great way to give followers the content they want to see and let them know you’re taking their comments, questions, and feedback into consideration, making them active participants.

Use video replies to answer FAQs or fulfill audience demands like Laneige frequently does. The beauty brand makes it a point to give the audience exactly what they want, like the comeback of a popular product that fans have been asking for in the comments.

Garnering 689K views and earning 25.4K engagements, the TikTok below scored an engagement rate by follower of 2.58%, or more than 3x the median for health and beauty brands on Instagram (0.85%). Talk about a successful way to announce and promote the return of a product!

5. Find the posting frequency that works for you

As we mentioned earlier, the median posting frequency across all brands on TikTok is about 1.97 videos per week or about eight per month. While posting frequency on TikTok is growing over time, brands are still posting less here than on other channels.

This could be because creating video content requires more planning and resources than creating carousels or graphics on Instagram. Or it could be because brands are still figuring out the right cadence. Either way, it’s important to experiment with what works for your brand.

Take a look at your industry posting rates and, more specifically, your competitors to figure out how often you should be posting. Start by experimenting with one post per week, then increase or decrease your posting frequency depending on the engagement rates you generate.

6. Use a hook (and get straight to the point)

Short-form video is still TikTok’s bread and butter, but longer content is gaining traction. In fact, one study found that videos between three and ten minutes earned the most views, with clips longer than three minutes generating more than double the views of super-short videos (six to ten seconds).

Still, just because longer videos are performing well doesn’t mean you can take your time getting to the point. No matter how long the video is, the first few seconds still matter the most. According to the research by TikTok, over 63% of all videos with the highest click-through rate highlight their key message or product within the first three seconds. If it’s not immediately clear what your video is about, or there’s nothing visually appealing about it, then users will quickly scroll past it.

A common way to introduce the topic of a video is to use text overlay in the first frame. This can also be used as your cover photo, which helps your video stand out in the thumbnails on your page. After your hook, either a) deliver value quickly or b) promise a reveal. Let’s look at a video from Southern Connecticut State University for an example of this in action.

In the video below, the first frame uses text to introduce the focus of the TikTok: first day of college fits at SCSU. Immediately, the video starts spotlighting friendly faces across campus and their first day outfits. In other words, the TikTok uses a hook that’s instantly attention-grabbing and then delivers on that promise.

With a 25.6% engagement rate by follower, the video saw triple the median engagement for Higher Ed brands on TikTok, while the comments were filled with fellow students pointing out people they recognized.

7. Tap into audio

Trending audio was the main feature that propelled TikTok into popularity, so it’s no surprise that it continues to be a major engagement tool on the platform.

Not only does using trending TikTok sounds help increase your video’s discoverability, but it also makes it more memorable. 68% of TikTok users say they remember a brand better when they use a popular song in one of their videos.

Of course, this goes beyond songs to include any kind of trending audio. For instance, JetBlue joined in on a viral meme that’s centered around an edited audio of the song “So Mi Like It” by Jamaican dancehall artist Spice. The sound is paired with jokes about being “islanders” and, in this case, involved the airline pointing out how JFK airport, one of their main hubs, is on an island.

The video was a fun way to incorporate a viral trend while also creating something its followers will remember. The metrics also prove that the video resonated with followers. With a whopping 491% engagement rate by follower, the brand generated a rate that’s 180x greater than the median rate for travel brands (2.73%) by getting creative and leveraging a popular sound.

8. Track your analytics

At the end of the day, what works for other businesses on TikTok may or may not work for yours. The only way to figure out where to focus your TikTok marketing efforts is to track your analytics.

Compare your metrics to the average all-industry rates or the engagement rates in your specific industry, whether that’s Food and Beverage, Beauty, or Higher Ed. To get the most accurate picture of your performance, it’s best to track your analytics with similar brands.

Tap into live benchmarks for your industry to get real-time insights into top-performing posts and trending conversations. You can also use Rival IQ to create a landscape of competitors in your industry. Within the landscape, you can see which videos are generating the most engagement by view or by follower, and how your videos stack up. You can also see which topics and hashtags are being talked about the most within your industry.

Once you’ve tapped into what your competitors are doing, create, analyze, and measure your videos against this data to really understand what’s working and what’s not.

Wrapping it up

TikTok continues to dominate the social media landscape, proving to be a must-have channel for brands across all industries. While average engagement rates on TikTok have dropped since last year, they remain well above Instagram, Facebook, and X (Twitter), thanks to the platform’s massive reach and highly active user base.

To harness TikTok’s engaged audience for your brand, experiment with the proven engagement methods that the top-performing brands are using. Stay tapped into what other businesses in your industry are doing to drive engagement, but don’t hesitate to try something different to stand out above the pack. Just be sure to regularly track and analyze your performance. That way, you can refine your TikTok strategy and consistently drive higher engagement over time.

This post was originally published in June 2023 and has since been updated.

The post What is a Good Engagement Rate on TikTok? appeared first on Rival IQ.

For marketers, this means that staying on top of what constitutes a good engagement rate on Instagram can feel like a moving target. To ensure you’re in the know about the latest metrics and best practices, we’re looking at how to measure Instagram engagement accurately and what the current benchmark is for a good engagement rate across various industries.

We’ll also spotlight a few standout brands excelling on the platform, providing you with actionable insights to boost your own Instagram engagement rate.

How to measure Instagram engagement

At Rival IQ, we define engagement as measurable interaction on organic and paid social media posts. Instagram metrics include likes, comments, shares, and reactions.

Instagram engagement rate is calculated based on all of these interactions divided by total follower count. Here’s the formula to calculate your brand’s Instagram engagement rate:

Instagram engagement rate = [engagement total] / [total number of followers]

While there are a few different ways to calculate engagement rate, we find that dividing by the number of followers paints a more accurate picture of how your brand’s engagement rate stacks up against similar brands in your industry — regardless of audience size.

What is a good engagement rate on Instagram in 2025?

According to our 2025 Social Media Industry Benchmark Report, the overall median engagement rate on Instagram is 0.36%. This median rate applies to all industries, from food and beverage brands to sports teams and nonprofits.

When it comes to how often you should be posting, we found that, on average, brands across all industries post a little over four times per week.

For top-performing brands, their engagement rates on Instagram are even higher. Our report found that the overall median engagement rate on Instagram for brands in the top 25% is 1.05%. These brands also post at the same frequency at around 4.7 times per week.

So while 0.43% is the overall median engagement rate, 1.02% or higher is considered a good engagement rate on Instagram for brands that want to aim higher.

Overall rate across industries:

• Median engagement rate: 0.36%
• Median posting frequency: 4.5 posts per week

Overall rate for brands in the top 25%:

• Median engagement rate: 1.02%
• Median posting frequency: 4.2 posts per week

Instagram engagement rate by industry

While the median Instagram engagement rate is a great starting point to benchmark your own data, every industry is a little different.

Let’s take a look at some of the industries performing at an above-average rate and see what they’re doing right so you can take note of a few ways to boost your brand’s own Instagram engagement rates.

Higher Education

• Higher Education Median Engagement Rate: 2.1%
• Higher Education Median Posting Frequency: 4.07 posts per week

Schools and universities consistently outperform every industry on social media (check out our latest report if you’re interested in detailed insights on Higher Ed benchmarks).

Higher Ed has the highest Instagram engagement rate across all industries at 2.1%. This rate is 5.8x the all-industry median and nearly twice as high as the second-highest-performing industry, which is Sports Teams at 1.3%.

While this number is impressive, it also means that schools have to get creative if they want to stand out above their fellow educational establishments on Instagram. And one of the most effective formats they’re using? Carousels.

Not only are carousels the most popular post type among Higher Ed brands, they’re also the most engaging. Their photo-album style makes them a perfect way to celebrate milestones and spotlight students. Plus, from an algorithm standpoint, each frame of a carousel can be served to users until they interact with it, making it a powerful driver of engagement.

A great example of an Instagram post with high engagement comes from Pepperdine University, one of the notable Higher Ed brands in our benchmark report.

This carousel post celebrating “college hard launch day” — a UGC-style roundup of real students announcing they were headed to Pepperdine — earned nearly 71K impressions and an engagement rate of 7.06%, or 3.4x higher than the median rate for the higher education industry on Instagram. By leaning into user-generated content, Pepperdine not only tapped into a student trend but also made its content instantly relatable and shareable.

North Dakota State University also made it to our list of notable Higher Ed brands, thanks in part to stellar carousels like this one celebrating the NDSU Class of 2025. The post earned a 6.48% engagement rate by follower, which is more than 3x the average Higher Ed rate for the year.

Similar to Pepperdine’s UGC approach, this post centered on real students, but with professional grad photos. Celebration posts like these drive engagement because they spotlight people directly connected to the community. Not only do the featured students engage, but so do their families, friends, and classmates, amplifying reach and interaction.

Both of these examples display how schools and universities consistently secure a good engagement rate on Instagram by highlighting real people and authentic moments. Whether through UGC or official campus photography, posts that celebrate student life and milestones create a sense of pride and connection — the kind of content that followers can’t help but like, comment on, and share.

Sports Teams

• Sports Teams Median Engagement Rate: 1.3%
• Sports Teams Median Posting Frequency: 19.78 posts per week

Sports teams tend to perform well on Instagram with a median engagement rate of 1.3%. Sports teams also post the most often out of all industries, which makes sense given that the content typically includes real-time game highlights and frequent team updates during the playing season.

Videos are a winning strategy for most Sports Teams on Instagram. Reels and other video formats are the perfect way to relive big plays and give fans a front-row seat to the action. If you want to earn top engagement, we’ve found that videos bring in higher engagement rates than any other post types for Sports Teams, with carousels close behind.

Take the Wallabies, the Australian men’s national rugby union team. A Reel capturing Suaalii’s first Wallabies try earned a whopping 10.5% engagement rate — more than 8x the Sports Teams average — along with 906K impressions and plenty of encouraging comments. Capturing a milestone moment, the post was one that fans were eager to engage with.

While play-by-play updates are a great use for social media, supporting a meaningful cause can also work like a charm. This post from NHL team the Seattle Kraken showcased players and coaches in limited-edition jerseys that were auctioned off through One Roof Foundation to benefit hockey access programs and scholarships for girls, combining team pride with community impact.

The carousel post earned an impressive 13.5% engagement rate by follower, which is more than 10x the Sports Teams average.

Another way that Sports Teams can earn engagement from fans is by tapping into buzzworthy conversations and hashtags. Using hashtags associated with major events is one effective way to boost reach and engagement. As you can see in the chart below, fans also love a quick trip down memory lane, with hashtags like #throwbackthursday and #onthisday being some of the most popular Instagram hashtags for Sports Teams.

Influencers

• Influencer Median Engagement Rate: 0.576%
• Influencer Median Posting Frequency: 4.5 posts per week

Influencers are another industry that earns above-average engagement rates on Instagram. Influencers and creators use the platform to share their creative content, provide product recommendations, and give followers a glimpse into their personal lives. For this group, carousels, photos, and Reels all perform at similar levels, giving influencers flexibility in how they connect with their audiences.

While highly produced Reels and polished photos can help influencers earn likes, comments, and shares, sometimes the most engaging content is also the simplest. One example of this comes from influencer Gerard Adams. The post below received viral levels of engagement with over 5.19 million impressions, 300K likes and comments, and a mind-blowing engagement rate of 54.2%. That’s nearly 94x the median for influencers!

The Reel was simple, featuring a short podcast clip discussing the three types of friends everyone needs. So why did it work? Adams paired a highly relatable topic with a direct call to action, inviting followers to “tag a friend who fits the description” in the caption. The content sparked conversations, shares, and tags because it hit on a universal theme — friendship — while giving viewers a simple way to participate.

This example highlights an important lesson for influencers: Authenticity and interactivity win. If you can create content that feels genuine, taps into shared experiences, and directly encourages engagement, you’re more likely to see results that outperform the norm.

Nonprofits

• Nonprofits Median Engagement Rate: 0.561%
• Nonprofits Median Posting Frequency: 4.18 posts per week

Marketers at nonprofits have the important job of using Instagram to secure donations, engage volunteers, or simply raise awareness about their organization’s mission. And achieving high engagement rates can have a direct impact on those initiatives.

Like many other industries on Instagram, nonprofits found success in using carousels to send a message and earn more engagement. This post by Pancreatic Cancer UK earned the nonprofit an incredible engagement rate of 138%, which is a whopping 246x higher than the average rate for nonprofits on Instagram. The post featured a striking installation of 797 pairs of running shoes laid out to honor the 797 lives lost to pancreatic cancer each month in the UK.

It’s also worth noting that the above was a joint post in partnership with the London Marathon, which has a massive audience of 450K Instagram followers compared to Pancreatic Cancer UK’s 19.8K. That collaboration amplified reach far beyond the nonprofit’s own audience, showing the power of partnering with larger organizations or influencers to extend impact.

Another nonprofit embracing this strategy is the ASPCA, which teamed up with TV personality Ariana Madix to spread awareness about The Rescue Effect, a campaign focused on helping more animals find homes. The carousel post announcing her involvement earned an 18.3% engagement rate by follower — 33x the industry median.

Both examples also highlight a common best practice for this industry: pairing eye-catching visuals with informative captions. For nonprofits, carousel posts work well because they allow space to tell a story. The photos draw people in while the detailed captions provide the context and emotional depth that drives action.

With so many worthy causes vying for attention and fundraising dollars, nonprofits are more pressured than ever to demonstrate their value. But by combining powerful storytelling with strategic partnerships, nonprofits can turn their Instagram presence into a movement.

How to increase Instagram engagement

If you’re feeling inspired to up your Instagram engagement after seeing the examples above, here’s a recap of the tactics these brands used to achieve their great engagement rates.

• Embrace carousels: Carousels have proven to be the most engaging post type for most industries, so don’t be afraid to mix those into your content strategy along with static images and Reels.
• Collaborate to extend reach. Whether it’s a nonprofit teaming up with a major event or a brand partnering with an influencer, collaborations can expose your content to audiences far larger than your own.
• Lean into popular hashtags, holidays, and trends: If you’re feeling stuck coming up with fresh content ideas, turn to trending hashtags and holidays to capture engagement. Using Rival IQ, you can even see which hashtags people are engaging with in your industry.
• Look to the competition: The best way to benchmark your engagement rate is to compare it with similar brands in your industry rather than the all-industry average. Doing this helps put your content and engagement rates into more context.

Want to dive into up-to-date metrics and social content from top brands in your industry? Explore our live social media benchmarks.

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Wrapping it up

To sum it up, the median engagement rate for all industries on Instagram is 0.36%, with brands posting about 4.5 times per week on average. Hitting that median means you’re keeping pace with most industries — but if you truly want to stand out, you’ll need to aim higher.

To achieve a good engagement rate on Instagram, lean into what’s proven to work for your brand while experimenting with different post types. As long as you continue to measure and assess what your audience is engaging with, you’ll be on your way to reaching stellar engagement rates on Instagram in no time.

This post was originally published in July 2022 and has since been updated.

The post What is a Good Engagement Rate on Instagram? appeared first on Rival IQ.

But as the platform continues to evolve, keeping up and cutting through the noise can feel like a moving target. With countless companies on the platform, how do you stand out from the crowd and get more eyes on your brand? How do you boost your reach?

We’ve got some tips for you. Here are 11 strategies to increase your Instagram reach and expand your audience.

What Is Instagram Reach?

First, it’s important to emphasize that Instagram reach refers to the number of unique users who see your post. This is different from impressions, which is the total number of views on a post. A post that was viewed 10 times by one user, for instance, would have generated 10 impressions but only have a reach of one.

For companies concerned with growing their audience and maximizing brand awareness, Instagram reach is an essential metric to track since it lets you know how many different people are seeing your posts.

As long as you have a business or creator account, Instagram will report your reach under Views in your professional dashboard. You can see how many accounts you’ve reached in a specific time period, as well as the reach of a particular post, video, Story, or Reel.

To check out those numbers, simply navigate to your professional dashboard from your profile or click to view the insights on a specific post. Instagram has several guides on how to navigate to Insights on their Help Center.

You can also see your Instagram performance data with an all-in-one social media analytics tool like Rival IQ, which displays not only your Instagram reach but plenty of other essential metrics through detailed and visual reports.

Start analyzing your brand's performance on Instagram with Rival IQ.

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11 Ways To Increase Instagram Reach

Instagram’s algorithm, or its system of rules, classifiers, and processes that determine what posts appear in each person’s feeds, greatly affects your reach. This system is complex, but we do know that it strives to personalize the user experience by showing the most relevant and engaging posts based on each user’s activity.

So, what does that mean for brands looking to grow their reach on Instagram? The more users engage with your posts, the more the algorithm will present your content to relevant audiences. In other words, knowing your audience and delivering engaging content is essential. Try implementing these 11 strategies for increased Instagram reach.

1. Post at the Right Time

While Instagram feeds are no longer organized chronologically, timing is still an essential part of getting seen.

Instagram’s algorithm tends to highlight new posts because they’re considered more relevant. Posting new content when your following is most active also increases the chance that they’ll see your post and interact with it. This jumpstarts a snowball effect where posts that earn high engagement quickly are deemed popular and served to more users by the platform.

The best times to post will depend on your unique audience and industry. Luckily, you can easily find the days and times that your followers are most active using Instagram Insights. Plus, with Instagram’s built-in scheduling tool, you can plan and schedule your posts directly within the app, making it easy to stay consistent and post at optimal times.

To understand more about your industry and your competition’s posting schedule, check out our insights into the best times to post on Instagram for 14 key industries across North America.

2. Experiment With Different Types of Posts

Instagram has come a long way since its inception. Once limited to just static single images, users now have a lot more options in terms of the types of posts they can share, including carousel posts, videos, Reels, Stories, and more.

Try experimenting with these different types of posts to figure out what resonates with your audience the most. Even something as simple as adding music to your feed posts can make a difference. In fact, Instagram recommends it. Photos and carousels with music are now eligible to appear in the Reels tab, allowing you to reach new audiences.

Ask yourself: What kind of content gets the most eyes on your account? Which type of post tends to draw the most engagement? Why do you think that is?

Tools like Rival IQ can help you go deeper by showing which post types are generating the most engagement, not just for your brand but for your competitors too. This kind of insight can reveal patterns you might not have noticed and help you fine-tune your content strategy.

Maybe you’ll find that your followers love to interact with and share the funny Reels you post. Or perhaps they’re big fans of the aesthetically pleasing carousel posts of your products. Find out what works for you and adjust your social content strategy accordingly.

Pro tip: Want to test out new content? Instagram’s Trial Reels feature lets you share a Reel with non-followers first. If it performs well, you can publish it to your followers with a single tap or even set it to publish automatically. Trial Reels won’t appear on your profile or in your followers’ feeds unless you decide to share them later, giving you a low-pressure way to test what works.

3. Get Smart With Hashtags

Hashtags are a great way to have your posts discovered by people outside of your following who may be interested in the kind of content you’re posting.

When it comes to your hashtag strategy, prioritize quality over quantity. Though Instagram does let you put up to 30 hashtags per post and up to 10 hashtags per story, thoughtlessly stuffing your posts with hashtags is rarely an effective approach. Instead, focus on finding hashtags that are relevant to your brand and generate high levels of engagement from your audience. You can try to mix and match different hashtags with various captions to see which one works best.

There are also handy tools that make hashtag research much easier. Rival IQ’s hashtag analytics equip you with the data you need to identify the most engaging terms and track their effectiveness as you use them.

4. Reach multiple communities with Instagram Collabs

One of Instagram’s features — Instagram Collabs — lets you expand your reach by having your posts be exposed to another user’s community of followers. Collaborations in general have long been a popular strategy for reaching a new audience, but this feature makes doing so on Instagram a breeze by eliminating the clutter of duplicate posts.

With Instagram Collabs, a single joint post is shared with each collaborator’s follower base and lives on their profile grids with both accounts tagged at the top. The Collabs post also enjoys combined views, likes, and comments.

As the original author of a post, you can invite up to 20 collaborators and have your post seen by those additional communities of followers. From partnering with other brands to collaborating with influencers or your customers, this feature opens up countless opportunities for increasing your Instagram reach.

5. Encourage engagement with contests and giveaways

Another way your brand can expand its reach on Instagram is by hosting contests and giveaways. Engagement-focused contests can signal to the algorithm that your post is worth serving to others while also boosting your reach by good ol’ word of mouth.

Most effective Instagram contests or giveaways provide an incentive for people to interact with the post by having entries be tied to particular actions, especially those that’ll get more eyes on your brand. Asking your audience to follow your page, tag a friend in the comments, or share the contest to their Story are some popular ways to do this.

Laneige and La La Land’s collaborative giveaway is a perfect example of how these kinds of posts can impact your Instagram performance. With more than 8K comments filled with tagged friends and 17K likes, this post had an engagement rate by follower that was nearly double the average engagement rate of Laneige’s other posts this year (as of this writing).

We also want to point out that Laneige and La La Land smartly utilized Instagram Collabs and made the giveaway a joint post to expand their reach even further. The insight here? Don’t hesitate to combine several reach-boosting strategies to amplify their effect.

6. Use interactive stickers on your Stories and Reels

Instagram’s algorithm is designed to reward engagement. So, what better way to encourage your audience to engage with your posts than by leveraging the platform’s interactive stickers?

Available on both Stories and Reels, these stickers are designed to spark participation from viewers and, as a result, signal to the algorithm that your posts are engaging and should be served more prominently on users’ feeds.

Here are just some of the interactive stickers you can use:

• • Poll Sticker: Ask your followers to pick between two options with a poll they won’t be able to resist answering.
  • Quiz Sticker: Kick it up a notch with multiple-choice questions that test their knowledge or pique their interest.
  • Emoji Slider Sticker: Maybe things aren’t as simple as A or B (or C or D…). Let your followers show you how they feel based on a sliding scale.
  • Add Yours Sticker: This sticker lets viewers add their choice of photos, videos, and even music to their story according to your prompt.
  • Question Sticker: Give your followers free rein to ask questions or answer your prompt through a text box. You can then share and respond to their question in another Story.
  • Hashtag & Location Stickers: Make it easy for curious users to discover more posts related to interesting hashtags or locations by adding these tappable stickers. Bonus: using them also helps your post show up in Search results and on the Explore feed.
  • Frames Sticker: Add a photo “framed” as an instant print photograph. Viewers have to shake their phone or tap the “shake to reveal” button to develop the image inside.
  • Reveal Sticker: Post a blurred-out mystery that followers can only uncover by sending you a DM. Add a hint to tease what’s behind the blur, and only those who message you will get to see what’s hidden.

For your audience, engaging with most of these stickers is often as simple as a quick tap, making it a relatively low-effort yet fun interaction that they’re likely to partake in.

7. Spotlight user-generated content

Posting user-generated content (UGC) is another great way to boost engagement and reach on Instagram. When you share UGC, the original users are likely to return the favor by resharing the post and having their own following engage with it.

Additionally, regularly highlighting user-generated content on your Instagram can encourage others to create similar posts that can be used to promote your brand. We wouldn’t be surprised if a GoPro customer became inspired to post their own epic photos after seeing a GoPro UGC post like the one below.

Moreover, sharing user-generated content can strengthen your brand’s credibility, authenticity, and relatability. Posts from real customers — real people — tend to stand out as trustworthy and interesting amidst generic branded messaging. When people see posts they relate to on a human level, they engage.

8. Interact with your audience as an active Instagram user

It would make little sense for a brand to constantly request engagement just to leave its audience hanging. Communication is a two-way street. As people like, comment on, react to, and share your posts, don’t forget to engage with them right back.

Like or reply to their comments. Interact with those who mention your brand. Reshare relevant posts that would add value to your audience’s experience. In other words, be an active user! Go beyond simply posting by being a prominent and visible presence in your audience’s Instagram experience, and you’ll naturally expand your reach over time.

9. Go Live

Here’s a “hack” to get your profile displayed front and center on your followers’ feeds: go live.

Typically placed at the beginning of the Stories bar and highlighted with a distinct “LIVE” label, live videos are hard to miss. This makes them one of the best ways to get more eyes on your account and boost brand recognition — an effect that occurs even if a follower doesn’t watch the live.

This feature also has the added advantage of automatic post notifications. For users who have this setting enabled, Instagram sends out alerts when an account that they follow goes live. Unlike regular post notifications, where they have to “subscribe” to a particular account, Live notifications can be sent out for any profile that they follow.

Want to maximize your Instagram reach even more? Apply our tip on collaborations here by utilizing Instagram’s Live Rooms feature. Invite other users into your Live to reach their community of followers and partake in conversations for your audience to engage with in real time.

10. Amplify your reach with a boosted post

If you have the budget for it, you can also reach more people by putting some ad spend behind your Instagram efforts.

Referred to as boosted posts, these are Instagram posts that you pay to have shown to more people. They’re different from paid ads in that they’re created from already-published posts and have more customization options when it comes to targeting. This makes them a quick and easy way to have an organic post be seen by more people who are part of a specific audience.

You can head over to our post, How to Boost and Measure a Post on Instagram, for the nitty-gritty of how boosted posts work!

11. Track, analyze, and benchmark your performance

Regardless of which tactics you decide to implement, all efforts to increase Instagram reach must also involve performance and strategy reviews. Your reach should be tracked over time so you can observe trends. It should be assessed in relation to your audience size, as well as in comparison to the industry benchmarks and your competitors’ performance.

Think about it like this. Let’s say that you’ve reached 10,000 users on Instagram this month. Is this number better or worse than it’s been in the past few months? How significant is your reach in comparison to your follower count? Are you outperforming your industry and the competition?

Being able to answer these kinds of questions is essential for assessing whether your social media efforts are working and how close you are to meeting your goals. This is where powerful tools like Rival IQ come into play. With comprehensive reports, competitive insights, and more, we make it easy for you to understand your performance and find ways to be even better.

Wrapping It Up

Instagram has been a powerful tool for connecting with others for over a decade — but it takes more than simply being on the platform to effectively reach your target audience. To truly boost your Instagram reach and grow your follower base, you need to be intentional. That means taking the time to understand your audience, creating content that inspires engagement, and making the most of the platform’s tools and features.

Incorporate these 11 tips into your Instagram strategy, leverage analytics tools to help you make data-driven decisions, and you’ll see your engaged Instagram community grow in no time.

This post was originally published in 2022 and has since been updated.

The post 11 Tips to Increase Instagram Reach appeared first on Rival IQ.

Once again, we’re delivering the key social media benchmarks and insights for 14 top industries: Alcohol, Fashion, Financial Services, Food & Beverage, Health & Beauty, Higher Education, Home Decor, Influencers, Media, Nonprofits, Retail, Sports Teams, Tech & Software, and Travel.

Wondering if you’re posting enough? Posting too much? Or if your content is truly resonating? You’re not alone. That’s why we analyzed more than 4 million posts and 9 billion (!) likes, comments, and shares across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter to bring you the freshest social media benchmark data.

Let’s dive in and start benchmarking!

Social Media Benchmark Key Takeaways

	Engagement took a tumble, especially on Twitter (X) Every platform saw engagement rates fall—Facebook dropped 36%, Instagram 16%, TikTok 34%, but X took the biggest hit at 48%.
	Carousels took the lead on Instagram Carousels outperformed Reels in engagement this year, proving that multi-image posts still resonate with audiences.
	TikTok is king, but its crown is slipping TikTok still leads in engagement but saw declines overall. Higher Ed and Nonprofits bucked the trend, showing that campus and cause-driven content continues to connect.
	Posting frequency shifted TikTok posting ticked up, while Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter saw declines. Media and Sports Teams led the charge, posting more than any other industry.
	Holiday hashtags delivered again Once, again, almost every industry earned top engagement rates from holiday-hashtagged posts.
	Health & Beauty struggled to stand out A saturated market hurt Health & Beauty, which had the lowest engagement across platforms.

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All-Industry Social Media Benchmarks

All-Industry: Facebook

Average Facebook engagement rate per post, all industries

Engagement took a dip this year: the all-industry median fell, along with declines in Sports Teams, Higher Ed, and Influencers. But there were some bright spots—Food & Beverage saw a small gain, while Financial Services held steady.

Average Facebook posts per week, all industries

Brands hit the brakes on Facebook posting this year, with Fashion, Health & Beauty, and Food & Beverage seeing the biggest slowdowns. Media stayed the most active despite a slight dip, while Sports Teams picked up the pace.

Facebook posts per week vs. engagement rate per posts, all industries

Higher Ed and Influencers continue to hit the sweet spot, pairing moderate posting frequency with strong engagement.

Average Instagram engagement rate per post, all industries

Instagram engagement dipped across the board. Retail and Home Decor brands saw sharp declines of nearly 30%.

Average Instagram posts per week, all industries

For the first time in three years, median posting frequency on Instagram decreased slightly. While most industries held steady or scaled back, Influencers bucked the trend, increasing their posting frequency the most by nearly 20%.

Instagram posts per week vs. engagement rate per posts, all industries

Higher Ed was the clear engagement winner on Instagram despite below-median posting frequency, suggesting more isn’t always better on Instagram (though second-place Sports Teams might beg to differ).

Average Twitter engagement rate per tweet, all industries

Twitter engagement continues to slide, with multiple industries—including Fashion, Food & Beverage, and Health & Beauty—dropping to nearly zero. Financial Services and Media held steady, but overall, brands saw a notable decline.

Average Twitter tweets per week, all industries

Tweeting slowed down even more this year, with most industries cutting their posting in half—or stopping altogether. Sports Teams were the rare exception, ramping up their activity.

Twitter tweets per week vs. engagement rate per posts, all industries

Higher Ed and Sports Teams still lead on Twitter, but Media proves once again that more tweets don’t mean more engagement.

Average TikTok engagement rate per video, all industries

TikTok engagement rates continued to fall this year, with industries like Fashion, Food & Beverage, and Sports Teams seeing some of the biggest drops. The silver lining? TikTok still outperforms every other social platform for engagement.

Average TikTok videos per week, all industries

TikTok posting ticked up overall, with Sports Teams, Higher Ed, and Home Decor leading the charge. Media scaled back slightly but stayed the most active.

TikTok posts per week vs. engagement rate per posts, all industries

Higher Ed once again outpaced the competition on TikTok, boasting the highest engagement rates with modest posting activity. This year, Nonprofits claimed second place, edging out Sports Teams.

Engagement rate benchmarks vs time, all industries

TikTok engagement rates dipped again this year but still far surpass Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. While the gap has narrowed slightly, TikTok remains the dominant platform for audience interaction.

Posting frequency benchmarks vs time, all industries

Post frequency increased just a bit on TikTok this year while slowing down on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Twitter posting took the sharpest dive at 33%, suggesting people aren’t as invested in X as they once were.

Alcohol Social Media Benchmarks

Alcohol brands matched or beat median engagement rates across the board this year. Facebook saw the biggest win with a 72.5% engagement boost, even as brands posted 40% less often.

A few ways Alcohol brands can keep up the pace:

• Prioritize high-performing content types—videos on Twitter and carousels on Instagram drove the best engagement this year.
• Lean into hashtags tied to beer and seasonal events. Giveaways on Instagram and beer-themed tags on TikTok were big crowd-pleasers.

Overview of all benchmarks, Alcohol

Notable brands in this year’s report include Better Beer, BrewDog, Fireball, Lagunitas, Shipyard, and STALK&BARREL.

Facebook posts per week and engagement rate by post type, Alcohol

Photo posts still lead the way for Alcohol brands on Facebook. Once again, they deliver the highest engagement rates, outperforming links, videos, and status updates by a wide margin.

Instagram posts per week and engagement rate by post type, Alcohol

Carousels topped engagement for Alcohol brands on Instagram, with Reels and Photos close behind. Turning single-photo posts into carousels could offer an easy win.

Twitter posts per week and engagement rate by tweet type, Alcohol

Photo tweets were the most frequent for Alcohol brands on Twitter, but videos drove the highest engagement. Status and Link tweets were posted so infrequently they round down to zero posts per week, yet still showed measurable engagement—suggesting occasional use can be effective.

Top Instagram hashtags by engagement rate, Alcohol

Alcohol brands leaned into giveaways on Instagram, with #giveaway earning over 1.5x the engagement of the next best performer. Seasonal hits like #thanksgiving and #dryjanuary followed closely, while #cocktails stayed a fan favorite.

Top Twitter hashtags by engagement rate, Alcohol

Alcohol followers ate up holiday-themed hashtags on Instagram, with #fathersday leading the charge. Other favorites like #halloween, and #valentinesday also kept audiences engaged, proving that seasonal content continues to resonate year-round.

Top TikTok hashtags by engagement rate, Alcohol

Channel-specific hashtags like #fyp and #foryou still dominated on TikTok, but beer-related tags proved to be the real crowd-pleasers.

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Fashion Social Media Benchmarks

Fashion brands saw engagement dip across platforms this year, particularly with Twitter activity coming to a standstill.

Some suggestions for Fashion brands:

• Invest more in TikTok, which is paying more engagement dividends than other channels right now.
• Double down on Reels and trending hashtags like #fitcheck on TikTok, where video content still drives engagement despite overall declines.

Overview of all benchmarks, Fashion

Notable brands in this year’s report include Armani, Lucky Brand, SKIMS, Marc Jacobs, Uniqlo, and Primark.

Facebook posts per week and engagement rate by post type, Fashion

Photos kept stealing the spotlight for Fashion brands on Facebook.

Instagram posts per week and engagement rate by post type, Fashion

Fashion brands leaned into Reels and Carousels on Instagram, both driving the highest engagement rates this year. Reels saw a slight edge over Carousels, marking a shift in how brands connect with their audiences.

Twitter posts per week and engagement rate by tweet type, Fashion

Fashion brands kept Twitter activity light, with most post types seeing minimal use. Video tweets led in engagement, while status and link posts remained rare and less effective.

Top Instagram hashtags by engagement rate, Fashion

Seasonal favorites like #fathersday and #valentinesday were big hits on Instagram, while go-to fashion tags like #ootd and #streetstyle kept the likes rolling in.

Top Twitter hashtags by engagement rate, Fashion

Fashion brands saw big wins with seasonal hashtags on Twitter.

Top TikTok hashtags by engagement rate, Fashion

#fitcheck was the clear winner for Fashion brands on TikTok, pulling in an engagement rate over 1.5x higher than the next best hashtag

Financial Services Social Media Benchmarks

Twitter was a bright spot for Financial Services, doubling its engagement rate while nearly doubling post frequency.

A few ideas for Financial Services brands:

• Keep the momentum going on Twitter, where both engagement and post frequency have surged for FinServ brands.
• Educational hashtags like #FinTok and #Money were top performers, proving FinServ followers are down to learn.

Overview of all benchmarks, Financial Services

Notable brands in this year’s report include Citi, Crypto.com, Deutsche Bank, MoneyLion, Monzo, and New York Life.

Facebook posts per week and engagement rate by post type, Financial Services

Photos topped the charts for Financial Services brands on Facebook, pulling in the highest engagement rates. Videos weren’t far behind, while status and link posts saw less love.

Instagram posts per week and engagement rate by post type, Financial Services

Carousels took the lead for Financial Services brands on Instagram, pulling in the highest engagement, even though Reels were posted more than twice as often.

Twitter posts per week and engagement rate by tweet type, Financial Services

Photo tweets pulled in the highest engagement for Financial Services brands on Twitter, with videos close behind.

Top Instagram hashtags by engagement rate, Financial Services

Financial Services brands leaned into meaningful moments, with #internationalwomensday leading the way in engagement.

Top Twitter hashtags by engagement rate, Financial Services

Financial Services brands were all about holiday and finance hashtags this year on Twitter.

Top TikTok hashtags by engagement rate, Financial Services

While holiday-themed hashtags ruled Instagram and Twitter, Financial Services brands got straight to business on TikTok with money-focused tags.

Food & Beverage Social Media Benchmarks

Food & Beverage brands served up strong engagement on Instagram and TikTok, outperforming the median engagement rates across industries.

Some ideas for improvement:

• Short-form videos are still the recipe for success. Keep experimenting with Reels and trending TikTok content.
• Holiday and recipe-themed content continues to resonate \u2028year-round, keeping followers engaged and hungry for more.

Overview of all benchmarks, Food & Beverage

Notable brands in this year’s report include Bachan’s, Kidfresh, Liquid Death, Love One Today, Mamma Chia, and Oatly.

Facebook posts per week and engagement rate by post type, Food & Beverage

Photo posts stood out for Food & Beverage brands on Facebook this year hoping to entice followers to connect IRL with mouthwatering snaps of their offerings.

Instagram posts per week and engagement rate by post type, Food & Beverage

Food & Beverage brands cooked up success with Reels this year, shifting focus from traditional videos to short-form content that delivered strong engagement. But it was carousels that stole the spotlight, leading engagement rates despite being posted less frequently.

Twitter posts per week and engagement rate by tweet type, Food & Beverage

Photo tweets served up the highest engagement for Food & Beverage brands on Twitter this year.

Top Instagram hashtags by engagement rate, Food & Beverage

Food & Beverage brands spiced up Instagram with hashtags like #giveaway and #recipes, driving the highest engagement rates.

Top Twitter hashtags by engagement rate, Food & Beverage

Holiday-themed hashtags served up solid engagement for Food & Beverage brands on Twitter this year.

Top TikTok hashtags by engagement rate, Food & Beverage

Food & Beverage brands blended trend-driven hashtags into their TikTok strategy to cook up stronger engagement.

Health & Beauty Social Media Benchmarks

Health & Beauty brands struggled to engage fans and followers compared to their fellow industries, earning the lowest engagement rates far below the all-industry median across all four channels thanks in part to a saturated market.

A few growth ideas:

• Continue favoring TikTok and Instagram while keeping efforts low on Twitter, which doesn’t have much engagement payoff in this industry.
• Keep engaging fans with product releases and the next big trend in beauty.

Overview of all benchmarks, Health & Beauty

Notable brands in this year’s report include Aveeno, Caudalíe, Creed Fragrance, Ranavat, Sol de Janeiro, and Youthforia.

Facebook posts per week and engagement rate by post type, Health & Beauty

Photos took the lead for Health & Beauty brands on Facebook this year, pulling in the highest engagement rates by far. While videos performed decently, links and status updates lagged behind, proving that vibrant visuals are still the key to capturing attention.

Instagram posts per week and engagement rate by post type, Health & Beauty

Photos stole the spotlight for Health & Beauty brands this year, earning the highest engagement rates. But Reels weren’t far behind—and brands posted nearly twice as many Reels as photos.

Twitter posts per week and engagement rate by tweet type, Health & Beauty

Health & Beauty brands tweeted less than ever this year, leaning slightly more on links and status updates, which edged out photos and videos in engagement rates.

Top Instagram hashtags by engagement rate, Health & Beauty

Giveaways and festive vibes ruled for Health & Beauty brands on Instagram this year, with hashtags like #giveaway, #christmas, and #happynewyear leading the charge.

Top Twitter hashtags by engagement rate, Health & Beauty

Giveaways were the clear winners for Health & Beauty brands on Twitter this year, earning significantly more engagement than any other hashtag.

Top TikTok hashtags by engagement rate, Health & Beauty

Product launches stole the show for Health & Beauty brands on TikTok this year, with hashtags like #newlaunch and #newproduct driving top engagement.

Higher Ed Social Media Benchmarks

Colleges and universities saw massive engagement rate boosts, especially on Instagram and TikTok, where they more than quadrupled the median.

For even higher Higher Ed engagement rates:

• Photos and Carousels continue to drive strong engagement, so don’t underestimate its impact alongside video.
• Leverage campus-focused hashtags like #openingweek and #moveinday to tap into student pride and involvement.

Overview of all benchmarks, Higher Ed

Notable brands in this year’s report include North Dakota State University, Pepperdine University, University of Turin, Technological University Dublin, Pratt Institute, and University of Washington.

Facebook posts per week and engagement rate by post type, Higher Ed

Photo posts dominated the engagement charts for Higher Ed this year, with videos and links to content and campus news coming in a distant second.

Instagram posts per week and engagement rate by post type, Higher Ed

Carousel posts soared for schools on Instagram this year, but Reels weren’t far behind as Higher Ed continued to reinvest energy normally spent on videos.

Twitter posts per week and engagement rate by tweet type, Higher Ed

Photos led the way for Higher Ed brands on Twitter this year, earning the highest engagement rates while being posted 3x more than any other tweet type.

Top Instagram hashtags by engagement rate, Higher Ed

Campus life hashtags like #finalsweek, #collegelife, and #graduation struck a chord with Higher Ed audiences on Instagram this year, driving strong engagement.

Top Twitter hashtags by engagement rate, Higher Ed

Colleges and universities were all about holiday-themed hashtags on Twitter this year.

Top TikTok hashtags by engagement rate, Higher Ed

Travel and event-focused hashtags like #travel, #springbreak, and #collegefootball scored big for Higher Ed brands on TikTok this year. By tapping into student adventures and campus pride, schools kept their content relatable and highly engaging.

Home Decor Social Media Benchmarks

Home Decor brands earned engagement rates towards the bottom of the pack on all channels,

Some ideas for increasing engagement:

• Industry-themed hashtags helped followers find Home Decor content, so keep those up.
• Photos and Reels are the way to go on most channels.

Overview of all benchmarks, Home Decor

Notable brands in this year’s report include Anthropologie, Arhaus, CB2, MUJI, Ruggable, and Serena & Lily.

Facebook posts per week and engagement rate by post type, Home Decor

Home Decor brands were way likelier to post a photo on Facebook than any other post type, which is a smart move, since photos grabbed much higher engagement rates.

Instagram posts per week and engagement rate by post type, Home Decor

Home Decor brands left video behind in a big way this year in favor of Reels, which paid off with the highest engagement rates of any post type.

Twitter posts per week and engagement rate by tweet type, Home Decor

Photo tweets earned the highest engagement rates for Home Decor brands on Twitter this year, even though posting overall was pretty sparse.

Top Instagram hashtags by engagement rate, Home Decor

Holiday-themed hashtags like #winter and #valentinesday brought the most engagement for Home Decor brands on Instagram this year, showing that seasonal content really resonates with followers

Top Twitter hashtags by engagement rate, Home Decor

Valentine’s Day tweets outpaced other Home Decor hashtags on Twitter by a mile for Home Decor brands this year.

Top TikTok hashtags by engagement rate, Home Decor

Home Decor brands mixed things up on TikTok this year, pairing seasonal and room-focused hashtags like #easter and #bedroominspo with unexpected favorites like #pasta and #recipe.

Influencers Social Media Benchmarks

Influencers saw strong success on Facebook and Instagram this year. However TikTok was the toughest nut to crack, falling 36% below the median engagement rate.

Ideas to boost that engagement even more:

• Motivational hashtags like #love and #mindset resonated with fans on Instagram.
• Try shaking up your posting frequency and content on TikTok to dominate on this channel as well.

Overview of all benchmarks, Influencers

Notable brands in this year’s report include Bethenny Frankel, Gerard Adams, Kevin O’Leary, Kylie Jenner, Liza Koshy, and Mike Tyson.

Facebook posts per week and engagement rate by post type, Influencers

Photos were the top-performing post type for Influencers on Facebook this year, bringing in the highest engagement rates compared to videos, status updates, and links. Prioritizing visual content paid off for these creators.

Instagram posts per week and engagement rate by post type, Influencers

Carousels led the way for Influencers on Instagram this year with the highest engagement rates, closely followed by photos and Reels.

Twitter posts per week and engagement rate by tweet type, Influencers

Status updates edged out photos as the most engaging tweet type for Influencers this year, even though photos were posted nearly three times as often.

Top Instagram hashtags by engagement rate, Influencers

Positive vibes ruled for Influencers on Instagram this year, with hashtags like #love, #gratitude, and #mindset driving strong engagement. Even branded hashtags like #ad found their place among the top performers, showing that authenticity and promotion can go hand-in-hand.

Top Twitter hashtags by engagement rate, Influencers

Influencers tapped into trending events and nostalgic moments on Twitter this year. Hashtags like #paris2024 and #tbt topped engagement charts.

Top TikTok hashtags by engagement rate, Influencers

TikTok-themed hashtags like #asmr, #foryou, and #viral helped Influencers hop onto the For You Page of fans and followers.

Media Social Media Benchmarks

Media brands dramatically ramped up their posting frequency (no surprise there with the US election coverage) across all four channels this year, especially on Facebook and TikTok, but struggled to maintain engagement rates.

A few ideas to improve engagement rates:

• Visual content like photos and Reels outperformed links, which remained Media brands’ go-to post type.
• Current events and political hashtags like #debate and #election2024 drove strong engagement, especially on TikTok.

Overview of all benchmarks, Media

Notable brands in this year’s report include Antara News, Fox News, El Faro, Crypto Banter, The Mirror, and MSNBC.

Facebook posts per week and engagement rate by post type, Media

Photos rocked top engagement rates for Media brands on Facebook, though these brands were more than 3x as likely to post a link.

Instagram posts per week and engagement rate by post type, Media

Reels earned more than thrice the engagement rates of video posts for Media brands on Instagram this year.

Twitter posts per week and engagement rate by tweet type, Media

Media brands favored link tweets this year, but video tweets pulled in about 2.5x more engagement, signaling an opportunity to shift focus toward richer content.

Top Instagram hashtags by engagement rate, Media

Media brands leaned into entertainment on Instagram this year, with hashtags like #funny, #film, and #viral leading engagement.

Top Twitter hashtags by engagement rate, Media

Media brands leaned into social issues and major global events on Twitter this year. Hashtags like #paris2024,#internationalwomensday, and #donaldtrump topped engagement charts, proving that timely, newsworthy content continues to resonate with followers.

Top TikTok hashtags by engagement rate, Media

Election chatter was a big win for Media brands on TikTok this year, with hashtags like #election2024 and #debate driving solid engagement alongside trending celeb moments.

Nonprofits Social Media Benchmarks

Nonprofits saw above-median engagement rates across all social channels this year and earned the silver on TikTok.

Suggestions for Nonprofits:

• Event-themed hashtags helped followers find your content.
• Keep investing in post types that resonate on each channel.

Overview of all benchmarks, Nonprofits

Notable brands in this year’s report include Amnesty International, ASPCA, HAYTAP, Innocence Project, Oxfam, and Pancreatic Cancer UK.

Facebook posts per week and engagement rate by post type, Nonprofits

Photos earned top engagement rates for Nonprofits this year, who shared this post type 3x more often than any other.

Instagram posts per week and engagement rate by post type, Nonprofits

Carousels outdid other posts types for Nonprofits on Instagram this year, who might want to increase their investment in that post type to capture more of their audience’s attention.

Twitter posts per week and engagement rate by tweet type, Nonprofits

Videos earned top engagement rates for Nonprofits this year on Twitter, but the extra work that goes into producing a video meant photo and link tweets were more common for these organizations.

Top Instagram hashtags by engagement rate, Nonprofits

Hashtags tied to social issues and global events drove strong engagement for Nonprofits on Instagram this year. From #paris2024 to #humanrights, followers were eager to connect with causes that matter.

Top Twitter hashtags by engagement rate, Nonprofits

Hashtags tied to awareness days and social causes dominated engagement for Nonprofits on Twitter this year.

Top TikTok hashtags by engagement rate, Nonprofits

Nonprofits saw strong TikTok engagement with hashtags tied to both social causes and timely events.

Retail Social Media Benchmarks

Retail brands struggled on social media this year, with engagement rates dropping across all channels—most notably on Instagram, where rates fell by over 50% despite more frequent posting.

Some ideas for improving social performance this year:

• Stick with photo posts to help boost engagement, and have some fun experimenting with videos, especially Reels and TikToks.
• Get creative with hashtags like #officelife, and #unboxing to connect with followers in a more playful, everyday way—not just during the holidays!

Overview of all benchmarks, Retail

Notable brands in this year’s report include Aldi, Buy Buy Baby, Hydro Flask, Macys, Walmart, and World Market.

Facebook posts per week and engagement rate by post type, Retail

Retail brands found success with photos on Facebook this year, earning the highest engagement rates across post types. While videos and links saw moderate engagement, photos clearly resonated most and brands leaned into this by posting them 3x more frequently.

Instagram posts per week and engagement rate by post type, Retail

Reels led the way for Retail brands on Instagram this year, earning the highest engagement rates among post types.

Twitter posts per week and engagement rate by tweet type, Retail

Photos earned the highest engagement rates for Retail brands on Twitter this year, but videos and links weren’t far behind. Despite this, Retail brands hardly posted videos, links, or status updates, suggesting an opportunity to diversify content.

Top Instagram hashtags by engagement rate, Retail

Retail brands leaned into contest-themed hashtags on Instagram this year, with #competition, #win, and #giveaway topping the charts for engagement.

Top Twitter hashtags by engagement rate, Retail

Retail brands got festive on Twitter this year, but it was #taylorswift, #happynewyear, and #fathersday that stole the spotlight, beating out classic shopping events like #blackfriday.

Top TikTok hashtags by engagement rate, Retail

Retail brands leaned into lifestyle content on TikTok this year, with hashtags like #officelife, #selfcare, and #outfitideas earning top engagement. Turns out, followers love a little behind-the-scenes peek while they shop!

Sports Teams Social Media Benchmarks

Once again, Sports Teams saw top engagement rates on Facebook and Twitter and were runners-up on Instagram. More posting doesn’t always equal more engagements, but it certainly did for Sports Teams this year.

Some ways to improve engagement rates even more:

• Keep the content coming—frequent posting is clearly winning over fans.
• Play into fans’ love of nostalgia with throwback hashtags like #onthisday and #tbt.

Overview of all benchmarks, Sports Teams

Notable brands in this year’s report include Arsenal, Boston Celtics, Carolina Panthers, Seattle Kraken, Scuderia Ferrari, and Wallabies.

Facebook posts per week and engagement rate by post type, Sports Teams

Photo posts helped Sports Teams earn nearly 5x the median engagement rate on Facebook, putting these brands comfortably in first place.

Instagram posts per week and engagement rate by post type, Sports Teams

Video posts stole the show for Sports Teams on Instagram this year, pulling ahead of the more frequently posted Reels, Carousels, and Photos.

Twitter posts per week and engagement rate by tweet type, Sports Teams

Photos were the MVPs for Sports Teams on Twitter this year, but videos were a strong runner-up with higher engagement despite fewer posts.

Top Instagram hashtags by engagement rate, Sports Teams

Sports Teams went all-in on major events and memorable moments on Instagram this year, with hashtags like #paris2024 and #throwbackthursday leading the pack.

Top Twitter hashtags by engagement rate, Sports Teams

Sports teams kept the nostalgia alive on Twitter this year with throwback hashtags like #onthisday and #tbt, helping fans relive memorable moments.

Top TikTok hashtags by engagement rate, Sports Teams

Sports teams brought the fun to TikTok this year, mixing playful hashtags like #prank, #funny, and #mascot with pop culture hits like #taylorswift.

Tech & Software Social Media Benchmarks

Engagement rates dipped for Tech & Software brands across all channels this year. Posting slowed down too, except on Twitter, where a small engagement boost showed some promise.

Here are two ideas for improving engagement rates:

• Carousels outshined other post types on Instagram, even though they were posted less often—time to give them a whirl!
• Hashtags like #marketing and playful picks like #foryou and #funny kept things lively. Mixing in more of these could help reignite follower interest.

Overview of all benchmarks, Tech & Software

Notable brands in this year’s report include AWS, GitHub, HubSpot, NVIDIA, Slack, and Xbox.

Facebook posts per week and engagement rate by post type, Tech & Software

Photos grabbed great engagement rates on Facebook for Tech & Software brands and were posted most frequently.

Instagram posts per week and engagement rate by post type, Tech & Software

Carousels and Reels battled for the top spot on Instagram for Tech & Software brands this year, with Carousels edging ahead slightly in engagement rates. Despite this, brands posted Carousels less frequently than Reels, suggesting an opportunity to boost engagement by increasing Carousel content.

Twitter posts per week and engagement rate by tweet type, Tech & Software

Photo tweets were the go-to for Tech & Software brands on Twitter this year, leading in both engagement rate and posting frequency.

Top Instagram hashtags by engagement rate, Tech & Software

Tech & Software brands had #marketing on lock this year, pulling in nearly 4x more engagement than industry-focused hashtags like #tech and #gaming on Instagram.

Top Twitter hashtags by engagement rate, Tech & Software

Tech & Software brands were all about the deals this year, with #blackfriday leading engagement by a wide margin on Twitter.

Top TikTok hashtags by engagement rate, Tech & Software

Tech & Software brands leaned into playful, trending hashtags like #foryou and #funny on TikTok this year, proving even techies love a good laugh.

Travel Social Media Benchmarks

Travel brands earned above-media engagement rates on Facebook and TikTok while running in the middle of the pack on Instagram and Twitter.

A few suggestions to grow engagement:

• Luxury and destination hashtags performed especially well for Travel brands this year.
• Posting frequency was below-median across the board, so experiment with an uptick here to see if you can increase your current engagement rates without sacrificing content quality.

Overview of all benchmarks, Travel

Notable brands in this year’s report include Alaska Airlines, Four Seasons, La Quinta, Mandalay Bay, Ryan Air, and Sol by Melia.

Facebook posts per week and engagement rate by post type, Travel

Photos led the way for Travel brands on Facebook this year, earning 1.5x the engagement of other post types and posted more frequently than videos, links, or status updates.

Instagram posts per week and engagement rate by post type, Travel

For the third year in a row, Reels outperformed other post types for Travel brands.

Twitter posts per week and engagement rate by tweet type, Travel

No surprise that it’s all about the visuals for Travel brands on Twitter, with video and photo tweets performing about twice as well as link and status tweets.

Top Instagram hashtags by engagement rate, Travel

Holiday cheer ruled Travel hashtags on Instagram this year, with #merrychristmas, #christmas, and #festiveseason topping the charts.

Top Twitter hashtags by engagement rate, Travel

Holiday hashtags took off for Travel brands on Twitter this year! #fathersday led the pack with over 4x the engagement of the next top hashtag, #merrychristmas.

Top TikTok hashtags by engagement rate, Travel

Travel brands had TikTok followers dreaming big this year with hashtags like #luxurytravel and #travelgoals, which led the pack by more than 1% over the next top hashtag.

Methodology

To spot trends and identify benchmarks, we used Rival IQ to analyze engagement rates, posting frequency, post types, and hashtags on the top three social channels for brands: Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

We define engagement as measurable interaction on social media posts, including likes, comments, favorites, retweets, shares, and reactions. Engagement rate is calculated based on all these interactions divided by total follower count.
Within this report, we provide a representative sample of organic and paid posts from national and international companies in each industry by selecting 150 companies at random from each industry in our database of over 200,000 companies. Companies selected had active presences on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter as of January 2023, and had Facebook fan counts between 25,000 and 1,000,000 and minimum Instagram and Twitter followers of 1,000 as of the same date.

We used median performance from the companies selected for each industry to compile the data for this report.

Why do we benchmark?

Social media success is about so much more than getting the most comments or likes: it’s about increasing engagement while also growing or maintaining the percentage of your audience that engages as you expand your audience.

To us, engagement rate per post is the metric because it controls for post volume and audience size and helps marketers understand how they’re doing in relation to their competitors.

Why can’t you gauge success on likes alone? Because audience size is hugely important: 1,000 likes makes a huge difference to a brand with 2,000 followers, but is a drop in the bucket to a brand with 100,000 followers.

Live Social Media Benchmarks

Ready to start benchmarking your social media performance? Check out our Live Benchmark landscapes, where we feature live social media metrics from a sample of companies from each industry represented in this study. These landscapes feature hashtag performance, top post types, and so much more on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter.

(Oh, and if you’re a Rival IQ customer or in a trial, you can add those stats directly into your Rival IQ account for even more comparisons.)

Or, run a free Head-to-Head report against your biggest rival to see how you measure up to both your competition and against industry benchmarks represented in this study.

Wrapping It Up

Another year, another wild ride in the world of social media. Engagement rates shifted, platforms evolved, and brands had to work harder than ever to keep their audiences interested.

TikTok is still the engagement powerhouse, Instagram continues to be a staple, and despite constant speculation, Facebook is still holding its own. Twitter (X) remains unpredictable, but the brands that stuck around found ways to spark conversations and make waves. Short-form video still reigns supreme, but carousels refuse to back down. And let’s be honest—organic reach isn’t getting any easier, making every like, comment, and share more valuable than ever.

So what’s next? Smart brands will double down on what works, experiment with what doesn’t (yet), and stay flexible as social media continues to keep us on our toes. What trends do you think will define 2025? We’re listening on Twitter (X) and Instagram!

Start analyzing how your brand stacks up with a free Rival IQ trial.

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For businesses, competitor benchmarking is how you get a clear picture of where you stand compared to your rivals. It’s all about taking a good look at your competition and using that knowledge to set realistic goals, refine your strategies, and ultimately outperform them.

Whether you’re looking to boost your social media engagement, enhance your customer experience, or streamline operations, competitive benchmarking is your roadmap to getting ahead. Let’s break down what competitor benchmarking is, how it can fuel your success, and the steps to making this process work for you.

What Is Competitor Benchmarking?

In simple terms, competitor benchmarking is the process of comparing your business’s performance against key competitors within your industry. Unlike general market research or a simple SWOT analysis, though, competitor benchmarking zeroes in on specific, measurable data points.

Competitor benchmarking might involve comparing things like:

• Social media engagement: How do your competitors’ likes, shares, and comments stack up against yours? Find out what is a good engagement rate on social media and see how you compare
• Website performance: How does your search engine ranking compare? What’s the average bounce rate for your industry, and how does your site measure up?
• Customer satisfaction: How does your NPS score compare to your competitors’?

Ultimately, this kind of analysis enables you to evaluate your business against industry best practices and set realistic performance goals grounded in real-world data.

The Advantages of Competitor Benchmarking

Analyzing and comparing the numbers is a core part of competitor benchmarking — but the benefits of this practice run deeper. Here are a few advantages of benchmarking:

Set Smarter Goals

It’s natural to set ambitious goals, but without context, how do you know if they’re achievable? Benchmarking gives you the data to set goals that make sense. For instance, if you know the industry average email open rate is 20% and you’re currently at 15%, you can aim to hit or exceed that benchmark within a specific timeframe. Without this knowledge, you might be setting goals that are too high — or too low.

Spot Strengths and Weaknesses

By comparing your performance metrics to your competitors, you can identify areas where you shine and where you’re falling behind.

Say you find out a competitor’s social media posts are performing better than yours through benchmarking. From there, you can then dig into their social media engagement strategies. What are they doing differently? Are they posting more frequently? Are they posting mostly video content? Benchmarking leads you towards these details, so you can fine-tune your strategy and stay competitive.

Social media competitive analysis tools like Rival IQ make this process easy. We offer competitive context to all your metrics, letting you see how you stack up with data visualizations and straightforward explanations. As an example, check out how Alaska Airlines is doing on Instagram below.

Let’s focus on engagement rate by follower. The company’s doing better than average but, at 6th place, there’s definitely room for improvement. With a few clicks in Rival IQ, Alaska Airlines can quickly determine that Hawaiian Airlines is one of the top airlines on social media right now and study the brand’s strategy to see what they’re doing that stands out.

From exciting sweepstakes to engaging prompts, Hawaiian Airlines’ feed is full of lessons. And who better to learn from than the best?

Make Informed Decisions

Another big advantage of competitor benchmarking is that it empowers you to make data-driven decisions. Instead of relying on gut feeling or vague assumptions, you have concrete data to back up your strategies.

Maybe you’re thinking about launching a new brand’s first social media influencer campaign. Using influencer analytics tools and analyzing how other companies in the industry approach influencer marketing can validate your idea and refine your execution.

What’s the average engagement rate of their influencer posts, and how does that compare to the overall industry standard? If influencer campaigns garner less engagement, is there something you can do differently to get better results? Or does it seem like your audience simply doesn’t respond well to influencers? Asking and answering these questions can help you make better decisions about your influencer marketing strategy.

Quick tip: Optimize the research process by using Rival IQ’s Discover Tool to streamline the process of finding and evaluating new influencers and brand advocates.

Mitigate Risks

Competitor benchmarking also acts as a safeguard against costly mistakes. You can imagine how failing to benchmark can put you at risk of overspending on ineffective strategies. After all, if you pour money into a channel without proper research, there’s a chance you’ll waste valuable resources.

For example, what if your target audience consistently shows lower engagement with influencer campaigns across your industry, as evidenced by competitor numbers? That’s a potential red flag, signaling that this approach may not align with their preferences. On the other hand, if one or two competitors dominate with high-performing influencer campaigns, jumping in without further research and a unique angle could leave you overshadowed.

Benchmarking helps you make smarter decisions about where to allocate your budget and efforts. Whether it’s doubling down on proven tactics or steering clear of ineffective ones, you reduce the risk of wasting resources while positioning yourself for better results.

Avoid Stagnation

Without benchmarking, it’s easy to fall into a “good enough” mindset. But with clear data on what others are achieving, you’ll be motivated to keep pushing boundaries. Staying ahead of the curve requires constant improvement, and benchmarking ensures that you’re measuring yourself not just against your past successes but also against the best in your industry.

In short, competitor benchmarking doesn’t just reveal where you stand — it gives you the tools to chart a path forward. Whether it’s identifying opportunities for success or patching up weak spots in your strategy, this process can make all the difference.

Competitor Benchmarking: A Five-Step Guide

Now that we’ve covered why competitor benchmarking is so essential, let’s get into how to get started.

1. Identify Competitors

Start by pinpointing your direct and indirect competitors. Direct competitors target the same audience with similar products or services, while indirect competitors satisfy the same needs but with a different solution. So, the athletic brands Nike and Adidas would be direct competitors while Nike and Crocs could arguably be indirect competitors.

While you probably already know who your competitors are, consider leveraging social listening to identify the companies that come up during relevant online conversations. Take the topic “ice cream.” A quick search with our social listening tool and you can see that Haagen-Dazs, Chicken Republic, McDonald’s, Ben & Jerry’s, and Dairyland are some of the brands most discussed with that keyword in the last 30 days.

2. Choose Metrics

Once you’ve identified your competitors, the next step is selecting what metrics to benchmark. Your metrics should align with your business goals and lead to actionable insights.

Try to be as specific as you can. If your goal is to improve engagement on social media, determine exactly how that will be measured. After all, engagement metrics slightly differ based on the platform. For instance, “engagement rate by view” is an important TikTok metric but it’s not an Instagram metric because of differences in how each channel operates and reports data.

3. Gather and Analyze Data

Once your competitors and metrics are selected, it’s time to collect and analyze data. You can do this manually or use tools to make the process more efficient and accurate. Here are some categories of tools that can help, depending on the type of data you’re analyzing:

• Social Media Benchmarking: This, of course, is our bread and butter! Rival IQ was designed for competitive benchmarking, letting you see exactly how you stack up against competitors with easy-to-understand visualizations and helpful comments. You can build multiple landscapes of brands and compare all kinds of metrics across different social channels.
• SEO and Website Performance: Platforms like Semrush and SE Ranking can provide insights into your and your competitors’ website traffic (organic vs. paid), keyword rankings, domain authority, and more.
• Content: How does your content — your articles, videos, listicles — compare? Tools like BuzzSumo can show you what’s working for the competition, including average shares, content format, and length.
• Email: See industry email trends and comparative benchmarks with platforms like Mailcharts and Owletter. Getting analytics on things like how often they send emails to their average promotion rate can help you optimize your own strategy.

All in all, tools like these are invaluable, saving you time, money, and effort by streamlining data collection and simplifying competitor comparisons.

4. Uncover Gaps and Opportunities

After collecting the data, the next step is to analyze it for gaps and opportunities. Look for areas where your competitors outperform you, and identify opportunities where you can outpace them.

For instance, if a competitor’s website has significantly more traffic, see what content is driving that traffic. Look for opportunities to capitalize on weaknesses, such as an underserved audience segment or a topic they aren’t covering in their blog posts.

5. Implement Changes and Benchmark Regularly

Put your findings into action! Update strategies, adjust campaigns, or refine your product based on insights. After implementation, continue to track your progress regularly. Set up monthly or quarterly benchmarking reviews to assess whether the changes have had the desired impact and adjust your strategy accordingly.

Wrapping It Up

Competitor benchmarking is more than just keeping tabs on your rivals — it’s about uncovering the details that drive smarter decisions and stronger results. By tracking the right metrics and using tools like Rival IQ, you can find opportunities to outpace the competition. Ready to take the lead? Start benchmarking today and see the difference it makes for your business.

The post Competitor Benchmarking: What It Is and Why It’s Important appeared first on Rival IQ.

With moms and dads doing extensive research online for parenting tips, product recommendations, and reviews, it’s no wonder baby brands are stepping up their social game. But with so many brands vying for attention, which ones are knocking it out of the park?

Let’s take a closer look at the top baby product brands on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. First up? A brand of baby sleepwear that’s both cute and gentle for sensitive skin.

The Best Baby Product Brands on Social

Best Baby Products Brand on Facebook: Little Sleepies

When it comes to engaging a community of parents on Facebook, Little Sleepies has mastered the art. Known for their soft and adorable pajamas, this brand’s engagement numbers are also top-notch. With an engagement rate by page fan of 0.2%, Little Sleepies’ rate is nearly five times higher than the median rate for the retail sector (0.041%).

So, what’s their secret to keeping fans so engaged? Little Sleepies regularly uses Facebook to generate excitement for its new collections, many of which are inspired by customer requests. One of their biggest hits? The Bluey collection. The below post earned an incredible 4.02% engagement rate — that’s 98 times higher than the average retail brand!

By listening to their customers and delivering on their demands, they’ve transformed product drops into highly anticipated events. And they don’t stop there — the brand even created a VIP Facebook Group that gets early access to these collections, further fueling engagement.

Most of Little Sleepies’ top posts are centered around these limited-edition drops, featuring characters in high demand like Winnie the Pooh, The Little Mermaid, and The Lion King. By making social media the platform for exclusive reveals, the brand has turned Facebook users into eager shoppers. The comments are often flooded with parents raving about the upcoming releases, hoping to snag the prints before they sell out.

Each new drop is an event, and Facebook has become the place to stir up excitement not just through the brand’s posts but also through the buzz created by the fans themselves. The takeaway? When you engage your audience, listen to their requests, and build a sense of community, you create brand advocates who can’t wait to see what you’re releasing next.

Honorable Mention: Tubby Todd

Another baby care brand making waves on Facebook is Tubby Todd. Known for its gentle baby skincare products, Tubby Todd has an impressive overall engagement rate of 0.18% — well above the retail median. So, what’s driving this success? One word: giveaways.

A whopping 23 out of Tubby Todd’s top 25 posts with the highest engagement were giveaways, proving this strategy is a major hit with its audience. Giveaways are a tried-and-true way to boost engagement, increase brand visibility, and grow a community of loyal followers. They not only create a sense of fun and anticipation but also encourage people to share posts, tag friends, and interact with the brand in hopes of winning something special.

Best Baby Products Brand on Instagram: Frida

With 60% of time spent on Instagram dedicated to video content, it’s no surprise that brands need to up their game when it comes to creating video. Clearly, Frida knows this. The brand, which specializes in innovative parenting solutions, has fully embraced Instagram Reels, using the format to showcase how its products work.

Just take a look at their post featuring the Push Pop Feeder, which earned a 93.5% engagement rate by follower — that’s 413 times higher than the retail industry’s median Instagram engagement rate of 0.226%!

Reels are clearly a winning strategy for Frida, with 17 out of its top 25 posts being Reels and all of its top 10 most engaging posts falling into this category. Why? Because the brand knows that parents don’t just want to see a product, they want to understand how it works.

Frida uses Instagram Reels to demonstrate its solutions in action, showing exactly why their products are so great. On top of that, the brand also offers a breakdown of how each product works and its benefits in the captions, making sure there’s no room for confusion.

With an engagement rate by follower of 0.99% — 4.38 times higher than the retail sector’s median on Instagram — Frida proves that video-first content, combined with helpful captions, is a winning formula. The lesson here? Think about your products. If they aren’t instantly intuitive, showing them in action through video can be the key to building customer trust and excitement.

Honorable Mention: Solly Baby

With an engagement rate by follower of 0.56%, more than double the median for retail brands on Instagram, Solly Baby stands out with its emotional, text-based carousels. These posts, often filled with affirmations and heartfelt messages, tap into the emotional journey of motherhood.

For example, its affirmation post for postpartum mothers resonated deeply with their audience, earning 27.9K total engagements for an engagement rate of 5.16% — nearly 23 times higher than the median. The comments were filled with gratitude from new mothers who resonated with the message.

Solly Baby has found a way to create a deeper, more meaningful connection with its community, showing that sometimes, it’s not flashy visuals but thoughtful words that make the biggest impact. This strategy proves that understanding your audience’s emotions and offering content that speaks to their experiences can foster brand loyalty and engagement on a whole new level.

Best Baby Products Brand on TikTok: Graco

Graco is an iconic baby brand known for its reliable strollers, car seats, and high chairs. While Graco isn’t posting on TikTok as often as you might expect — less than once a week, compared to the retail median of 2.85 videos per week — the brand’s content performs well when it does.

With an average engagement rate by follower of 58.7%, Graco’s TikTok videos are performing miles above the retail median engagement rate by follower on TikTok, which sits at just 1.8%. The brand’s approach? User-generated content (UGC).

​​Graco regularly posts TikToks that were created by other users, ranging from big creators, like @babiesruscanada, to micro-influencers. For instance, this video, credited to @lifewithrobbye, earned an incredible 12.7K engagements, translating to a whopping 702% engagement rate.

The beauty of UGC lies in its authenticity. Parents are more likely to trust real experiences from fellow parents than traditional marketing. By showcasing real-life usage and genuine praise from customers, Graco creates a community of fans who feel valued and heard. This not only enhances brand reputation but also drives engagement, proving that sometimes the best marketing comes straight from your own customers.

Honorable Mention: Pampers

With a 10.1% engagement rate, Pampers excels on TikTok. One of the brand’s standout strategies is its creative partnerships, which it promotes with the hashtag #PampersPartners. Most creators they collaborate with are parents or parenting influencers, making their content highly relatable to Pampers’ target audience. But the iconic diaper brand also knows how to think outside the box.

Take, for instance, a TikTok by Grace Wells, who amassed over two million followers by making “epic commercials for random objects.” A behind-the-scenes look at her ASMR commercial for Pampers wipes racked up an incredible 159% engagement rate by follower, massively outperforming industry benchmarks.

Not only does Pampers feature these influencer-created videos on their own TikTok, but most creators also post the content on their own accounts, extending the brand’s reach to an even wider audience. This double exposure taps into both Pampers’ following and the creator’s loyal fan base, making it a win-win for everyone involved.

Methodology

To identify the top baby brands on social media, we analyzed the engagement rates of popular companies in the baby product industry and compared them to the average engagement rate for the retail sector, as reported in our 2024 Social Media Industry Benchmark Report. Brands that exceeded that median engagement rate were ranked to determine the top performers. The period looked at spanned from October 1, 2023, to September 30, 2024.

The Wrap Up

As we’ve seen, the top baby product brands on social media aren’t just posting cute baby pics — they’re building excitement, showcasing their innovations, and offering a space for parents to connect. Whether through giveaways on Facebook, engaging demos on Instagram, or influencer marketing on TikTok, these brands are setting the bar for connecting with modern parents.

The good news is there’s plenty of room for you to join them. Take inspiration from these top brands, experiment with different approaches, and keep an eye on your social analytics to see what’s resonating with your audience. With the right tactics, your brand can grow your presence and boost engagement on social.

The post Top Baby Product Brands On Social Media appeared first on Rival IQ.

And as any marketer knows, the key to understanding whether or not your Facebook marketing efforts are paying off is to have a reliable way to measure your content’s performance — this is where a benchmark engagement rate comes in. But in a world where paid content rules and generating organic reach to cut through the noise is more challenging than ever, what’s considered a good engagement rate on Facebook these days?

Below, let’s go over what a good Facebook engagement rate is, how marketers can calculate engagement rate for their brand, and a few examples from the top-performing industries on Facebook so you can optimize your upcoming content and increase Facebook engagement.

How to Calculate Your Facebook Engagement Rate

Before we dive into what a good engagement rate on Facebook is in 2024, it’s important to point out what exactly counts as engagement. At Rival IQ, we define engagement as measurable interaction on social media posts. Facebook engagement includes likes, comments, favorites, shares, and reactions.

Facebook engagement rate is calculated based on all of these interactions divided by total follower count.

This formula will give you the Facebook engagement rate per post. To us, the engagement rate per post is the most accurate metric to help marketers understand how they’re doing in relation to their competitors. Engagement rate per post takes into account post volume and audience size, so it reveals what content is resonating with your audience regardless of how many followers you have.

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What is a Good Engagement Rate on Facebook?

According to our 2024 Social Media Industry Benchmark Report, the median engagement rate for Facebook is 0.063%. Out of the top 25% of brands across all industries — the brands performing best on social media — the median engagement rate is 0.19%. Using those numbers as your baseline, it’s clear to see what number you need to reach to have a good engagement rate on Facebook and what your objective should be if you want to perform above the average rate.

Another factor that goes into engagement rate on Facebook is the posting frequency. When it comes to how often to post on Facebook, the median for brands across all industries is 4.69 times per week while brands in the top 25% for engagement post 4.6 times per week.

Overall rate across industries:

• Median engagement rate: 0.063%
• Median posting frequency: 4.69 posts per week

Overall rate for brands in the top 25%:

• Median engagement rate: 0.19%
• Median posting frequency: 4.6 posts per week

Facebook Engagement Rate by Industry

While it’s a good idea to reference the average engagement rate across all industries, every industry has its own unique set of metrics. Comparing your engagement rate to similar brands helps provide better insight into how your brand is performing in relation to the industry.

Let’s take a look at the breakdown of a few industries along with examples of brands that are not only receiving high engagement within their own industry, but have posts with higher engagement than the overall median engagement rate.

Sports Teams

• Sports Teams Median Engagement Rate: 0.295%
• Sports Teams Median Posting Frequency: 24.29 Facebook posts per week

Sports Teams are the top performers on Facebook across all industries with an engagement rate of 0.295%, which is nearly five times higher than the median engagement rate. Sports Teams also have the highest posting frequency after Media brands, posting just over 24 Facebook posts per week.

Posting often is clearly working for these athletic brands, which makes sense when you consider their fan base seeks out real-time game updates, team announcements, and more.

The Carolina Hurricanes are a top-performing team on Facebook with an average engagement rate of 0.66% from posts within the past year. Posting about 26 times a week, the hockey team is slightly more active than the average sports team.

One of the Hurricanes’ top-performing posts was the photo below — a well-designed graphic that featured a team celebration and the score of a recent win.

While the post is fairly straightforward, it effectively taps into the community spirit of sports lovers, boosting engagement by acting as a central point for fans to celebrate and discuss the game. Case in point, the photo earned a killer engagement rate of 6.10%, more than 20 times higher than the average rate for Sports Teams.

The Hurricanes’ Facebook strategy has a major emphasis on posting photos, with the format being its most common and most engaging post type. It makes sense. Sports teams, as a whole, see the most success with photos on Facebook, as our data below shows.

Influencers

• Influencers Median Engagement Rate: 0.164%
• Influencers Median Posting Frequency: 3.86 Facebook posts per week

Influencers are also top performers on Facebook with an average engagement rate of 0.164%, earning 2.6 times the median engagement rate on Facebook across industries. For influencers, Photos are the most engaging and most frequently shared post type.

One example of a highly engaging Photo post comes from influencer Marly Bird. Bird is a knitwear and crochet designer (and teacher) who shares tutorials, creations, and knitting knowledge with her engaged audience across Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

On Facebook, she regularly posts photos of pieces she’s made, patterns that people can try out, and educational blog posts from her website. But what really makes her stand out is her personable approach to engaging with her audience.

In the Facebook post below, Bird asks a simple question: “What time and day is it when you see this post?” The photo emphasizes the caption, featuring the words “When?” and a Bitmoji of Bird. With an engagement rate of 2.27%, this post was nearly 14 times more engaging than the average influencer post and 36 times more than the average across industries.

The post’s high engagement is a testament to the community that Bird has built on Facebook. By asking her audience questions about themselves, she not only invites genuine interaction but also strengthens her bond with her community of followers.

And though photo posts are the most popular post type on the platform, they aren’t limited to single-image posts. Sharing multiple photos in an album also performs well on Facebook. For example, Marly Bird posted multiple photos in her post below, documenting her trip to Eugene, Oregon. The pictures featured herself, as well as the knitting project she planned to work on during the flight.

This post aligned with her personable approach. It gave her followers a glimpse into her life, while also adding value through a relevant blog post that she shared about whether knitting needles/crochet hooks are allowed on planes.

The result? The post earned Bird an engagement rate of 1.32%. That’s eight times higher than the average rate for influencers on Facebook and about 21 times better than the all-industry engagement rate.

There are a couple of key takeaways from both of these posts. For starters, after being active on the platform for years and years, influencers clearly have a handle on Facebook. They understand their audience and know what they want to see. For Bird, it’s genuine efforts to engage with the community along with a relatable look into the life of a knitter and crocheter.

The second takeaway for influencers is that they don’t need to share an overly-produced version of themselves or their brand in order to generate good engagement rates. Simple photos — with or without a CTA — are more than enough to engage their audience.

Higher Education

• Higher Education Median Engagement Rate: 0.158%
• Higher Education Median Posting Frequency: 6.16 Facebook posts per week

Schools and universities are active and engaging across all social media channels, and Facebook is no exception. The average Facebook engagement rate for schools and universities is 2.5 times as high as the all-industry rate and the posting frequency is a bit higher, too. We’ve also found that — you guessed it — photos are the most engaging and most frequently used post types for schools.

The University of Iowa is one of the top-performing schools on Facebook, according to our latest Higher Education Social Media Engagement Report. One of the school’s most successful Facebook posts this year received an incredible engagement rate of 20.4% which is over 129 times greater than the average Facebook engagement rate for schools and universities and nearly 324 times higher than the all-industry average.

NCAA wins are *always* engaging, so it’s no surprise that this photo announcing the women’s basketball team going to the national championships earned killer engagement rates for the school.

While this post received high engagement because it’s centered around exciting news, there are still takeaways for any marketer. Whether or not you’re creating Facebook content for a university or sports team, take advantage of exciting milestones and moments your community wants to celebrate with you. And when you do, do so in a timely manner so you don’t miss the moment and can lean into the momentum of the news.

Morehouse College is another top college with an impressive engagement rate on Facebook. Morehouse’s posts this past year earned an average engagement rate of 0.77%, which is about five times greater than the overall rate on Facebook for higher education institutions.

One of the school’s most engaging Facebook posts broke out of the typical mold for the types of Facebook posts that usually earn schools high engagements like campus glamour shots or sports highlights. The post announced the exciting debut of Morehouse College freshman Saxton Moore Jr.’s first book, “Born Driven,” an uplifting story about the first African-American NASCAR champion Wendell Scott.

Generating 576K impressions and achieving a 10.8% engagement rate, the post was nearly 69 times more engaging than the average Facebook post by schools. The news clearly resonated with Morehouse’s audience — the comment section buzzed with excitement and pride and the post was shared more than 900 times.

Alcohol

• Alcohol Median Engagement Rate: 0.105%
• Alcohol Median Posting Frequency: 2.56 Facebook posts per week

Alcohol brands round out the top four industries with good engagement rates on Facebook. The median engagement rate for alcohol brands is about 1.67 times higher than the all-industry rate. The posting frequency is lower than the average at just under three times per week compared to the all-industry average of nearly five times per week.

Schell’s Brewery is one Alcohol brand that stands out on Facebook. Its posts from within the past year scored an average engagement rate of 0.53%, which is five times greater than the median rate for Alcohol brands. Schell’s also posts on Facebook at nearly double the rate of the average alcohol brand, sharing a little over four times per week.

One of its most engaging posts on Facebook is a photo album that served as a recap for the massive event that is Schell’s Brewery Oktoberfest. The “photo dump” included over 70 photos and highlighted the impressive numbers the event achieved.

Schell’s shared a ton of promos for this event for months leading up to it, including a social media engagement contest that offered fans the chance to win Oktoberfest merch (and successfully earned a 7.44% engagement rate!).

And even though the photo album post didn’t come with the promise of some sweet swag, it also achieved a noteworthy engagement rate of 3.16%, which is a whopping 30 times higher than the average rate for alcohol brands and 50 times greater than the median engagement rate on Facebook.

It’s evident that the event is a big deal to them and their community, so it makes sense to share a recap in photo form. Whether its followers attended the event or not, an engaging photo album makes it possible for them to relive the fun or have something to look forward to the next year. Plus, sharing tons of event photos creates shareable content that will get connected back to you if someone were to share a photo of themselves from the album.

If you’ve been picking up on the pattern of what works well for brands on Facebook, it should come as no surprise that Photos were the most engaging and most used post type among Alcohol brands. This album that Schell’s shared aligns with the rest of the landscape’s success with using photos to engage with their audiences.

Aside from tapping into what’s working well for other similar brands and brands across industries, another takeaway is to create for your audience. Facebook content doesn’t need to be as polished or entertaining as other channels. In fact, your followers may view it as a source of information or to get updates on things like events or product launches. Lean into what’s working well and create content that meets your audience’s wants and needs.

The Wrap-Up

While 0.063% is considered a good engagement rate on Facebook, it should be viewed as a general baseline for your social media strategy. Different industries have their own median engagement rate to measure up against, so consider using social media benchmarking tools to determine how your brand stacks up against your competition before comparing it to the median rate across industries. This can help you set more realistic and achievable goals.

As evidenced by these brands, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer to achieving a good engagement rate on Facebook. Take note of what these top-performing posts are doing right, and experiment with how you can incorporate these best practices into your Facebook strategy. By continually testing and refining your approach, you’ll be able to discover what resonates best with your audience.

This post was originally published in December 2021 and has since been updated.

The post What is a Good Engagement Rate on Facebook? appeared first on Rival IQ.

However, in July 2023, the platform experienced significant changes under new ownership and, as a result, brand activity has been impacted. According to our 2024 Social Media Industry Benchmark Report, posting frequency has declined by 20% across all industries. What does this mean for Twitter engagement rate? The median engagement rate has declined compared to last year, from 0.035% to 0.029%.

Despite the ups and downs the platform has gone through over the past year or so, data-driven marketers know that there’s still value in the channel. But in order to measure your performance, figure out what your audience interacts with, and see how you stack up against the competition, you have to know what a good engagement rate on Twitter is.

Below, let’s dive into how you can measure your brand’s Twitter engagement rate as well as get some inspiration from brands across all industries that are performing well in 2024.

How to Calculate Twitter Engagement Rate

There are several ways to calculate your Twitter engagement rate. It all depends on which metrics you measure. At Rival IQ, we define engagement as measurable interaction on social media posts. This includes likes, comments, favorites, retweets, shares, and reactions.

Twitter engagement rate is calculated based on all these interactions divided by the total follower count. Here’s what that formula looks like in practice:

Twitter engagement rate = [Likes + retweets + replies] / [total number of followers]

Engagement rate per post is a slightly different metric than engagement total alone, but we find that it’s more accurate. Why? Engagement rate per follower takes into account your follower count and posting frequency which can help brands of all sizes see how their content is performing in relation to the competition — even if competitors have larger audience sizes.

What is a Good Engagement Rate on Twitter?

Now that we’ve gone over how to calculate engagement rate, let’s dive into what a good engagement rate on Twitter really is these days.

According to our 2024 Social Media Industry Benchmark Report, the overall median engagement rate on Twitter is 0.029%. This is the rate for brands across all industries, from sports teams to nonprofits. On average, these brands are also posting about 3.31 times per week.

For those who want to aim for an engagement rate beyond the average, take note of how the overall top 25% of brands are performing. The top brands, regardless of industry, have an average engagement rate of 0.08% and post about 4.2 times per week. Here’s the breakdown:

Overall rate across industries: 

• Median engagement rate: 0.029%
• Median posting frequency: 3.31x per week

Overall rate for brands in the top 25%:

• Median engagement rate: 0.08%
• Median posting frequency: 4.2x per week

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Twitter Engagement Rate by Industry

The overall median engagement rate for Twitter is a great benchmark to use, but every industry performs differently on the platform. If you want to get a more accurate perspective on how similar brands are performing on Twitter, compare your engagement rate to your industry average.

Let’s take a look at a few different industries to see what the best-performing brands are doing well and which Twitter best practices are worth following.

Sports Teams

• Sports Teams Median Engagement Rate: 0.07%
• Sports Teams Median Posting Frequency: 41.46 posts per week

Behind only media brands, Sports Teams are the second most active industry on Twitter at over 41 posts per week. And while frequent posting doesn’t always equate to higher engagement, it works for this industry. The Twitter engagement rate for Sports Teams is 2.4 times greater than the overall median across industries.

One reason Sports Teams post more often than other brands is that the essence of the industry revolves around real-time game updates and announcements during the playing season. These updates are necessary as they keep fans engaged and in the loop even if they aren’t able to watch the action live.

In an industry that puts its fans at the center, Sports Teams’ tweets are clearly community-driven. This is evident in the tweet below by Seattle Reign FC, which covered soccer icon Megan Rapinoe’s retirement. Featuring a celebratory graphic, the tweet quickly became a beacon for fans to show their support, love, and gratitude for the beloved player.

With more than 6K engagements in the form of likes, retweets, and replies, this tweet earned an engagement rate of 6.33% — a whopping 90 times higher than the industry median and more than 218 times greater than the median engagement for all industries.

While this level of engagement may be specific to the scenario, there are still takeaways for any Sports Team to make note of. Sports Teams can keep their Twitter active and their fans engaged all year round by regularly sharing player updates, highlights from the previous season, or teasers for the forthcoming season — anything that fans want to see more of.

Higher Education

• Higher Education Median Engagement Rate: 0.05%
• Higher Education Median Posting Frequency: 6.7 posts per week

The Higher Education industry continues to show up on Twitter and outperform most industries. It makes sense that schools and universities are so active on the platform since that’s where a lot of their audience — college-aged users — spends their time. In fact, Gen Z users are the slowest to leave the platform (given all of the changes under new leadership) compared to other generations due to the fact that they continue to see Twitter as a source of entertainment.

Similar to Sports Teams, schools post more frequently and earn a higher engagement rate than the average industry. Top-performing schools and universities use Twitter to share exciting student achievements, celebrate sports wins, and tap into “Twitter humor” by participating in relevant memes and trends.

One example of a top-performing Higher Education post is from The University of Iowa. The tweet below earned an engagement rate of 4.3% which is 86 times greater than the average rate for schools and universities and more than 148 times higher than the median Twitter engagement rate across industries.

The tweet is a perfect example of how timely posts that are part of a larger conversation (this one was shared right after Iowa won the women’s NCAA Elite Eight game) are great at inspiring engagement. Sports wins and achievements, in particular, are always worth celebrating as they evoke pride from students and alumni alike.

Another top-performing tweet from the University of Iowa brought at-home fans into the mix. Celebrating WNBA player Caitlin Clark’s legacy, the tweet featured a wholesome compilation of fans — young and old — who were inspired by Clark.

This tweet earned a 5.39% engagement rate, which is an impressive 107 times higher than the average rate for schools and universities. One reason for this tweet’s success could be due to the fact that it was a video. According to Rival IQ’s post type analysis, Video was the most engaging post type on Twitter for schools in our Higher Ed landscape.

If you’re aiming to achieve impressive engagement rates on Twitter like Higher Ed does, take advantage of timely events and experiment with different post types. You can use Rival IQ to see what the most engaging types of posts are for brands like yours, as shown above, to lean into what works for your competitors.

Nonprofits

• Nonprofits Median Engagement Rate: 0.04%
• Nonprofits Median Posting Frequency: 6.97 posts per week

Nonprofits earn an above-average engagement rate of 0.04% and post more frequently than most other industries, sharing nearly seven tweets per week.

A nonprofit that stands out on Twitter (and is the top-performing nonprofit across social media channels) is Bat Conservation International. The organization is on a mission to end bat extinction worldwide and regularly shares bat facts and memes on Twitter as a way to communicate that message.

Because social media is a community-driven space, one popular way to bring attention to causes is by connecting it to a holiday that people can rally around and celebrate. Bat Conservation International did this with its “Bat Appreciation Day” tweet, which earned the organization an engagement rate of 14.2%, which is a mindblowing 355 times higher than the median rate for nonprofits on Twitter.

BCI also takes a playful approach to Twitter content. Take the tweet below, for instance. The tweet featured a light-hearted meme that reflected the nonprofit’s love for bats, making for a fun and entertaining post that captured the attention of hundreds of users and earned an impressive engagement rate of 4.8%, 120 times greater than the median engagement rate for nonprofits.

No matter how broad or niche your nonprofit’s mission is, there’s always an opportunity to connect with people about your cause. Twitter can be a great platform to reach a wide audience, so experiment with different post types and styles when spreading your message.

Alcohol

• Alcohol Median Engagement Rate: 0.04%
• Alcohol Median Posting Frequency: 1.02 posts per week

Though they tend to post less than the average brand in other industries, Alcohol is another industry that earns a good engagement rate on Twitter. The median engagement rate for Alcohol brands is 0.04% and these brands post about once per week.

Given the nature of the industry, alcohol brands have a lot of leeway to be fun, celebratory, and entertaining on social media, and especially on Twitter. One way brands do this is by sharing witty jokes and entertaining images. According to our 2024 Social Media Benchmark Report, status updates (text-only tweets) and photos were the most engaging post types for Alcohol brands on Twitter.

One brand example of a successful Status Update comes from White Claw. Considering the fact that Twitter is a conversation-driven platform, tweets that encourage users to reply perform particularly well. The one below, which earned 15x the median engagement rate for alcohol brands, is a prime example of how witty humor and a strategic prompt can get followers to engage — no video or photo needed.

In some cases, simply asking for engagement pays off. Prompting your followers to reply to a tweet can be a simple yet effective way to generate engagement.

In other cases, visuals are a much-welcomed addition. Night Shift Brewery’s tweet about the release of its Captain 37: The Patrice Pilsner featured a crisp image of the beer that complemented its announcement and sparked excitement about the new product. Replies were filled with curious questions and, with Twitter being the ideal platform for efficient interactions, the brand quickly responded with answers.

All in all, the tweet earned a 1.02% engagement rate which is 25 times better than the median rate for Alcohol brands and 35 times higher than the all-industry rate. Clearly, Twitter is still a great space for making major announcements and engaging with your brand’s community.

Key Takeaways for Twitter Engagement

If you want to accurately measure and improve your brand’s Twitter performance, marketers must know how to calculate Twitter engagement rate and have a benchmark to compare it with.

To sum it up, the overall median engagement rate on Twitter is 0.029% and the median posting frequency is 3.31 times per week. These are the numbers to aim for if you want to compete with the majority of brands.

If you want to boost your Twitter engagement rate, here are a few best practices to follow as demonstrated by some of the top-performing brands we covered:

• Be timely and participate in relevant conversations by tapping into trending topics and hashtags.
• Mix up your post types between Photos and Status Updates to see what your followers engage with most.
• Entertain and educate your followers using memes and threads.
• Twitter is a place for two-way conversations — reply back to your followers to keep the comments active.

As the Twitter (X) landscape continues to evolve, so will the average engagement rate for brands. As long as you continue to measure your performance, compare it with the competition, and adjust accordingly, your brand has an opportunity to break through the noise and create content that keeps your audience engaged for the long run.

This post was originally published in March 2022 and has since been updated.

The post What is a Good Engagement Rate on Twitter? appeared first on Rival IQ.

Sure, the buzz is exciting but, as businesses, we need to dig deeper. Understanding the ROI of our social media efforts is essential for strategic decision-making and maximizing our brand’s potential. But where to start? We’re breaking down how to measure and maximize your social media ROI. Let’s get to it.

What Is Social Media ROI?

Social media ROI, or return on investment, is a crucial metric for assessing the effectiveness of your social media efforts. Put simply, it measures the return a company gains from the resources it invests in social media marketing. This return can come in various forms, including increased brand awareness, engagement, website traffic, lead generation, and, ultimately, conversions and sales.

Admittedly, measuring social media ROI has its difficulties. Challenges like attributing conversions to specific social media activities or quantifying the impact of engagement complicate the process. However, with the right tools and strategies, it’s definitely achievable. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you navigate this process.

How To Calculate the ROI of Your Social Media Efforts

1. Define Your Goals

Before diving into ROI calculations, it’s crucial to establish clear goals. What do you hope to achieve through social media? Are you aiming to increase website traffic, generate leads, boost sales, or enhance brand awareness? Each goal requires a different set of metrics to measure success. By clarifying your objectives, you’ll have a clear roadmap for tracking ROI.

2. Identify and Track Relevant Metrics

The next step is to identify and track the relevant metrics that align with your goals. Here are some key metrics to consider:

• Engagement metrics. Likes, comments, and shares indicate how well your content resonates with your audience. High engagement rates typically indicate a strong connection, which can translate into brand loyalty and increased sales.
• Website traffic. Click-through rates and referral traffic reveal how effectively your social media efforts drive visitors to your website. Increased website traffic can lead to higher conversions and ultimately contribute to revenue growth.
• Lead generation. Form submissions, email sign-ups, and other lead generation metrics let you know whether your social media campaigns are capturing potential customers’ interest and moving them through the sales funnel.
• Conversions. Track which sales, downloads, and other desired actions are directly tied to your social media activity. This is the most straightforward way to determine the impact your social strategy has on your revenue and business goals.

While this step often consumes the most time and effort, it’s crucial for accurately calculating the ROI of your social media efforts. Using analytics tools in this stage can be a huge help since they streamline the process of collecting, reporting, and analyzing your data.

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3. Assign Monetary Values

Once you’ve collected data on key metrics, it’s time to assign monetary values to these metrics based on their impact on your bottom line. While some metrics like sales and downloads have direct monetary value, others may require a bit more creativity to quantify.

For example, you can calculate the value of website visitors based on their likelihood of converting into a paying customer. Consider factors such as conversion rates, average order value, and customer lifetime value to assign meaningful values to your social media metrics.

4. Calculate Total Revenue Generated

Once you’ve assigned monetary values to your metrics, it’s time to calculate the total revenue generated from your social media activities. To do this, sum up the revenue directly attributable to social media activities. This may include revenue from social media-driven sales, leads converted into customers, or any other measurable impact on revenue generation.

5. Calculate Total Investment Costs

Next, it’s time to calculate the costs of your social media efforts. Calculate the total investment incurred in your social media marketing efforts, including resources, time, and advertising spend. Don’t forget to consider factors such as employee salaries, agency fees, content creation costs, and ad campaign budgets.

6. Calculate ROI

Now that you have all the necessary data, it’s time to crunch the numbers. Subtract your costs from your revenue. The resulting difference represents the net gain or loss from your social media efforts.

The below formula helps standardize ROI calculations by expressing it as a percentage, allowing for easy comparison across campaigns and channels:

ROI = ((Revenue − Cost) / Cost) x 100

A positive ROI indicates that your social media activities are yielding returns greater than the costs incurred, while a negative ROI suggests that current strategies need to be reassessed.

7. Analyze and Repeat

After calculating ROI, analyze the results to gain insights into the effectiveness of your social media strategy. Identify areas for improvement and refine your approach accordingly. Finally, be sure to regularly revisit this process as your ROI will change over time as strategies, consumer behavior, and market trends shift.

Four Ideas for Improving Your Social Media ROI

Calculating your ROI is only the beginning. If you want to improve the ROI of your social media efforts, here are some actionable strategies that can help you achieve this goal effectively.

Align Your Content Strategy With Business Goals

Whether it’s driving brand awareness, increasing website traffic, generating leads, or boosting sales, your social media presence should contribute to the overarching mission.

Take MVMT’s Instagram, for instance. A quick scroll through its profile and it’s clear that the brand is laser-focused on driving its audience towards making a purchase. Nearly every post showcases its products, as well as a straightforward call-to-action bar — “View shop” — at the bottom. Even its captions have a sales focus, often announcing its latest promotion.

By crafting content that resonates with your audience and directs them towards specific actions, you can ensure that your social media efforts contribute directly to your bottom line. Just remember to regularly revisit your business goals and adjust your content strategy accordingly to stay on track.

Dedicated Accounts for Different Audiences

Understanding your audience is key to delivering content that resonates with them. Consider segmenting your audience into distinct groups based on demographics, interests, etc., and creating dedicated accounts to appeal to each.

It could be as simple as one extra account, as MVMT did on Instagram with its “For Her” profile. Or it could be as extensive as Netflix’s long list of location-specific TikTok accounts.

Creating dedicated accounts for different audience segments allows brands to tailor their content and messaging to better resonate with each group. This targeted approach can lead to increased ROI as it ensures that each audience receives more relevant communication, driving higher levels of interaction and conversion.

Leverage User-Generated Content

Another great strategy to enhance your online presence and boost ROI is user-generated content (UGC), or content created and shared by consumers. Incorporating UGC into your social strategy not only saves you time and resources but also offers social proof, showing prospective customers the real, positive experiences of existing users.

GoPro is well-known for its UGC campaigns, with its “Photo of the Day” challenge actively encouraging customers to go out into the world and create stellar content with its cameras.

The outcome? Plenty of user-generated content that GoPro can readily share on social, sparing the brand the effort of creating content from scratch. Plus, by including product details in the captions, GoPro strategically promotes the benefits of its products to a wider audience.

Regularly Monitor, Analyze, and Adapt

Finally, it’s essential to continuously review your performance, analyze key metrics, and adapt your strategy accordingly.

Regularly monitor your social media metrics to gauge the effectiveness of your efforts. Use social analytics platforms, such as Rival IQ, to track and analyze key metrics such as engagement, reach, and audience growth across multiple social channels. Find out which channels and what kinds of posts are generating the most engagement and tailor your investment accordingly.

In addition to social analytics, general analytics tools like Google Analytics provide deeper insights into website traffic, conversions, and the correlation between social media efforts and website performance. Meanwhile, CRM systems like Salesforce can be used to track customer interactions, lead generation, and conversion rates attributed to your social strategy.

All in all, by regularly reviewing your analytics data and identifying trends and patterns, you can gain valuable insights into what’s working and what’s not. This allows you to make informed decisions and optimize your strategy for maximum ROI.

The Wrap Up

For businesses, using social media should be about more than just likes and shares — it should be about driving tangible results. By understanding the impact of your social media strategy on your bottom line, you can make smarter decisions, allocate resources more effectively, and have social media become a powerful driver of your growth and success.

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The post How To Measure and Maximize Social Media ROI appeared first on Rival IQ.

In this guide, we’ll break down the steps of a social media audience analysis, arm you with the tools you need, and unleash some insider tips to help you get it right. Ready to level up your social media game? Let’s do this.

Why Audience Analysis Matters

Understanding your audience isn’t just a nice-to-have — it’s crucial for crafting social media content that hits the mark. By diving deep into audience analysis, you uncover the insights you’ll need to guide your content strategy.

How? Well, first off, knowing your audience helps you create tailored content that resonates. Nailing down your audience helps you craft content that speaks directly to their interests, pain points, and aspirations. Whether it’s funny memes, helpful how-tos, or inspiring stories, tailoring your content ensures it keeps your audience engaged.

Similarly, audience analysis also plays a crucial role in making sure you’re not wasting your advertising budget. By pinpointing who your ideal customers are, you can target your ads more effectively and get your message in front of the right people.

And of course, when you speak your audience’s language, address their pains, and cater to their preferences, you’re building more than just followers — you’re cultivating brand loyalty.

Types of Social Media Audience Analysis

To conduct the ultimate social media audience analysis, you’ll need to look at different facets of your audience. Let’s break it down into four main types: demographic, psychographic, behavioral, and competitive analysis.

Demographic Analysis

This type focuses on the basic characteristics of your audience, laying the foundation for understanding who your audience is at a surface level. Think age, gender, location, and other demographic factors that can help you tailor your content and messaging.

Inter Miami, for example, uses both English and Spanish in its social posts. While based in Florida, this top sports team clearly knows the demographics of its audience, which includes a significant amount of Spanish-speaking soccer (or fútbol) fans.

Psychographic Analysis

Unlike demographics, psychographics go deeper into the interests, hobbies, and lifestyle choices of your audience. Knowing what they truly care about allows you to create content that truly speaks to them.

Patagonia’s social strategy reflects this well. With environmental activism as one of its core tenets, the brand seeks to connect with others who care about the same issues. Knowing that this kind of audience values businesses that take a public stand, its social feeds are filled with content spotlighting important initiatives, solidifying its place as one of the top sustainable brands on social media.

Behavioral Analysis

This type examines how your audience interacts with your content, engagement patterns, and online behaviors. What role does social media play in their customer journey? Understanding your audience’s behaviors helps you refine your social media strategy and optimize your content for the greatest impact.

For instance, Hard Rock Hotels has caught onto the rise of users using social media as a search engine. As explained in our run-down of the top hotel brands on social media, Hard Rock Hotels smartly includes common search terms such as “pet-friendly hotel” in its posts to maximize its reach.

Competitive Analysis

As the name suggests, competitive analysis involves evaluating your competitors’ audience strategies, identifying gaps, and uncovering opportunities in the market. By learning from your competitors’ successes and failures, you can refine your own strategy and stay ahead of the curve.

Ultimately, while each type of analysis offers valuable insights on its own, taking a holistic approach that combines all four types gives you a complete picture of your audience: who they are, what they love, how they behave, and how your rivals are interacting with them.

Your Step-by-Step Guide to Social Media Audience Analysis

1. Define Your Objectives

Before conducting your social media audience analysis, first define your objectives. What do you want to achieve? Are you looking to increase brand awareness, drive website traffic, or improve customer engagement?

By setting clear goals, you give your analysis purpose and direction. Plus, it ensures you’re not just collecting data for the sake of it but rather to inform actionable insights and strategies.

2. Identify Relevant Social Media Platforms

To effectively collect and analyze audience data, you’ll have to select which platforms to look at. Consider your goals and what you know about your target audience as you narrow it down.

Say you’re a B2B brand focusing on engaging decision-makers and professionals. LinkedIn is definitely a platform to include in your analysis. On the other hand, if you’re a fashion brand looking to connect with visually-driven millennials, platforms like Instagram or Pinterest might be more suitable.

Taking a look at Viking Cruises, it’s clear that they’ve honed in on the platforms that matter most to their main audience of older (often retired) adults. As reported in our coverage of the top travel brands on social, the cruise line prioritizes Facebook — a favorite among their target demographic — and omitted the comparatively newer platform TikTok from its strategy.

3. Choose the Right Tools

Many social media platforms have built-in analytics that offer insights into your audience. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and LinkedIn all have these tools, providing data such as demographic information, engagement metrics, and even the peak times your audience is online. These tools are a great starting point, providing valuable info from the source.

If you want to step up your game, consider using third-party tools. Most social media analytics tools consolidate all your data in one place, which streamlines your analysis process. Plus, some platforms specialize in providing additional insights.

For instance, Rival IQ excels in competitive analysis, going beyond native tools’ capabilities by reporting information about competitors and allowing for in-depth benchmarking. Our dashboard makes it easy to see your performance stats, how your numbers compare to other brands, and even the top posts of each of your competitors.

Meanwhile, social listening tools make it possible for you to “eavesdrop” on your audience’s conversations about your brand, industry, competitors, and more. This not only tells you about their opinions and preferences but also gives you insight into how they use social. And, we can’t leave out web analytics tools like Google Analytics, which can help you understand how your social media channels are driving traffic to your site.

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4. Collect Data

Once you’ve got your goals, platforms, and tools, it’s time to roll up your sleeves and dive into the data.

First up, let’s talk about the kinds of data we’re looking for. The data discussed earlier is a good place to start, though feel free to adjust based on your goals: demographics (age, gender, location), psychographics (interests, hobbies, attitudes), behavioral data (engagement patterns, content trends, online behavior), and competitor performance.

Now, where do we find all this data? The tools we discussed earlier! Native tools can give you insights into your following on a specific platform, while competitive analysis and social listening tools can offer more details about your competition, trends, and audience behavior.

5. Analyze Data and Draw Insights

Once you’ve collected the data, it’s time to analyze it for meaningful insights. Here are a few ideas to help you get started:

• Identify trends and patterns. Look for recurring themes or behaviors in your audience data. Are there peak times when your audience is active? Are there certain keywords or hashtags frequently associated with your brand? Are certain demographics more engaged with your content?
• Discover audience preferences via engagement metrics. Pay attention to the types of content your audience engages with the most. Do they prefer videos, images, or text-based posts? Are they more interested in industry news or entertaining memes?
• Compare across networks. If you’re active on multiple social networks, compare the performance of your content across them. This can help you adjust your approach for each platform.
• Analyze competitor activity. Keep an eye on what your competitors are doing by analyzing their engagement strategies and content themes.
• Identify opportunities and challenges. Take note of any gaps or areas where your audience’s needs aren’t being fully met. Are there topics or themes that seem to be missing from your or your competition’s content strategy?

Essentially, you want to focus on pulling insights that can meaningfully inform your content strategy moving forward — which brings us to our next and final step.

6. Streamline Your Content Strategy

Now that you have a solid understanding of your audience, you can finally take what you’ve learned and use it to optimize your content strategy.

Tailor your content to match the identified trends and preferences of your audience. For instance, if your data shows that your audience loves videos over static images, consider ramping up your video production. Also, post during the peak times when your audience is most active to maximize visibility and engagement. Similarly, if you’re on multiple platforms, adjust your approach to match the findings on each.

Don’t forget to fill in the gaps you identified. Are there unexplored themes or topics that align with your brand but are missing from your strategy? Take this opportunity to incorporate the kind of content that your audience is already loving from others or has expressed an interest in.

Finally, consider audience segmentation as you streamline your strategy. Your audience is likely not a uniform bunch. Tailor specific content for different segments within your audience, recognizing and catering to their different preferences and interests. This strategic approach can help boost engagement and foster a deeper connection with your audience.

Remember, audience analysis is an ongoing process. Keep monitoring and refining your approach based on new data and changing audience trends. By staying agile and responsive, you’ll be better equipped to meet your audience’s expectations and keep them engaged.

Wrapping It Up

So, there you have it — the step-by-step to conducting a thorough social media audience analysis. To keep your social media game strong, make audience analysis a regular part of your routine. Your audience’s preferences, behaviors, and interests can evolve over time, so staying in the know is key. With ongoing analysis, you’ll continue to tailor your content, engage your followers, and ultimately, drive those results.

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To navigate TikTok successfully, understanding and embracing the latest trends is a must. This isn’t about hopping on the bandwagon — it’s about understanding the global community, adapting to its language, and seizing the right opportunities to connect with your audience.

Whether you’re a seasoned TikToker or just starting out, knowing the current trends can make or break your performance on this dynamic platform. So, buckle up as we unveil the top TikTok trends for 2024, giving you the insights you need to keep your content game strong.

1. Niche Communities and Subcultures

What started as a platform for sharing dance moves and lip-syncing has evolved into a diverse ecosystem of niche communities, each with its own unique culture. From #BeautyTok to #TechTok, TikTok has been revolutionary in bringing together like-minded individuals who share a passion or interest.

In 2024, we can expect to see niche communities on TikTok not only thrive but evolve into even smaller subcultures. For instance, within the popular #BookTok community, we’re witnessing fascinating splits into more specialized groups, often divided by authors, genres, and so on. See how “booktok” searches branch out into more specific queries.

For those looking to tap into these niche audiences, authenticity is key. Users appreciate genuine content that aligns with their interests. Don’t be afraid to get specific — the more niche, the better. Utilize trending hashtags, collaborate with fellow enthusiasts, and engage with your community to build a genuine connection.

2. Short-Form Educational Content

Need to learn a new skill or understand a complex concept? Just look it up on TikTok. In many ways, TikTok is no longer just a social app but a search engine in itself, with users turning to the platform for answers and information. As a result, we’re seeing the rise of TikTok creators who specialize in informational and digestible content that keeps viewers coming back for more.

Easily accessible with a personalized search algorithm, the app makes it easy for users to discover and learn something new every day. For instance, @jeeves_ny is an account dedicated to “answering any and all of your cleaning questions,” with many of its TikToks directly addressing a question you might type into Google, such as “How to remove mascara stains.”

Brands on TikTok could take a similar approach. What’s your company’s expertise? Are there questions that you’re uniquely qualified to answer? Just as @jeeves_ny provides valuable insights into cleaning, you can leverage your products and services to answer questions and address pain points relevant to your target audience.

Tips for creating informative content on TikTok? Keep it snappy and inject your personality into it. Break down information into bite-sized chunks, use captions effectively, and don’t forget to make it visually appealing. As the social media platform continues to evolve into a major source of information, there’s never been a better time to share your knowledge, one TikTok video at a time.

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3. Interconnectedness of TikTok and Pop Culture

In the not-so-distant past, TikTok felt like its own universe, where trends were mostly contained within the app. Today, though, we’re witnessing the deepening connection between the platform and mainstream pop culture. TikTok trends are now deeply linked to happenings in music, film, television, sports, and beyond. And this relationship will only grow stronger.

A great recent example of this interconnectedness is the resurgence of an early 2000s song due to the release of a new film and the TikTok effect. The 2001 track, “Murder on the Dancefloor,” was featured in the 2023 movie “Saltburn” and quickly gained traction on TikTok as people recreated the dance scene it was used for. Soon, it became a popular sound to use and listen to on its own, with the track eventually charting on the Billboard Hot 100 — the first-ever entry for the artist — 22 years after its release.

The example really highlights how events outside the platform, such as including an old song in a movie, can ripple through TikTok and trigger cultural shifts beyond the app. This sort of symbiotic relationship between TikTok and broader pop culture has led to a dynamic space where trends now seamlessly jump from one realm to another.

The takeaway? Now more than ever, brands need to take a holistic approach to TikTok, recognizing its integration with wider culture. Your social media strategy shouldn’t exist in an isolated “TikTok” silo. Keep an eye on what’s happening beyond the app. Think about things that your brand is doing “in the real world.” When you spot a potential crossover, seize the moment!

4. Social Impact and Activism

From climate change awareness to advocating for racial justice, TikTok is home to countless impactful social impact campaigns. And with 2024 being a historic election year, we can expect a surge in content focusing on social and political causes — a surge that TikTok has addressed.

Examples like the #BlackLivesMatter movement and environmental initiatives highlight how TikTok has been used to amplify voices and create a ripple effect. Additionally, the platform’s growing role as a major news source — 47% of users say they get news from the app — makes it likely that content centered around social impact and activism will make an even greater mark on TikTok this year.

This development is worth engaging with, especially for brands aiming to resonate with younger demographics like Millennials, Gen Z, and even Gen Alpha. These generations prioritize brands that align with their values and the causes they care about. By actively engaging in social impact campaigns and advocating for important issues, brands can establish a strong connection with these generations.

Advocating for issues with a distinctive perspective can enhance the message’s impact and visibility. For example, Alaina Wood (@thegarbagequeen) has amassed nearly 400K followers with her weekly “Good Climate News” series, where she highlights positive developments in the battle against climate change.

Her content doesn’t just distinguish herself from the “doom-and-gloom” tone that tends to tinge conversations around climate change; it inspires hope and motivates viewers’ to continue their efforts. Brands can similarly align their advocacy with a distinctive angle or niche perspective, which can not only capture attention but also contribute to a more nuanced and multifaceted discourse.

Ultimately, for brands looking to connect with younger demographics on TikTok, actively engaging in social impact campaigns can be a strategic move that not only enhances brand perception but also contributes to meaningful change and progress. Whether it’s climate action, social justice, or community support, your TikTok can be a force for good.

5. Ephemeral Content and Stories

Ephemeral content, or short-lived posts that disappear after a set period, is expected to rise in popularity on TikTok. Much like Snapchat and Instagram Stories, TikTok Stories allow users to share content that disappears after 24 hours. It’s a staple format for brands and creators looking to engage their followers with a sense of urgency and exclusivity.

To make the most of this feature, keep it authentic. Share behind-the-scenes glimpses, candid moments, or quick updates. Also, embrace the FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) factor by teasing upcoming content or exclusive offers. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different styles, content, and formats in order to hone in on what resonates most with your followers.

Here’s an example of what a TikTok Story schedule might look like, as suggested by creator @juliabroome:

6. Live Streaming

In the past year, the importance of live streaming has only grown, turning into a must-try feature in 2024 for those looking to boost engagement.

Live streaming is more than just a trend; it’s a dynamic way to connect. It allows creators to forge a deeper connection with their followers in real time, as its interactive nature allows viewers to engage with creators, asking questions, making requests, and sending virtual gifts.

From behind-the-scenes glimpses to interactive Q&A sessions, successful live-streamed content is as diverse as it gets. Take @yaboysavage_, who gained over 100K followers in less than a year by live streaming his video game sessions. These live moments offer an authentic and unfiltered connection that resonates with viewers, making them feel like they’re part of the experience.

To livestream on TikTok effectively, engage with your audience in real time. Ask for their input, respond to comments, and create a sense of community. Consider scheduled live sessions, such as “Fan Friday” or “Ask Me Anything,” to encourage participation. You can even collaborate with TikTok LIVE and creators to host a LIVE event, like the American Heart Association did below.

Additionally, be sure to incorporate interactive elements. Polls, duets, and shoutouts during live sessions keep viewers actively participating. The key is to make your audience feel seen and heard, encouraging a connection that goes beyond the screen.

7. E-Commerce

In addition to being a massive social platform, TikTok has also evolved to become a thriving marketplace for creators and brands alike. The app’s latest approach to monetization and e-commerce is set to make waves, with the company seeking to grow its US e-commerce business to as much as $17.5 billion this year.

Much of this growth is driven by TikTok Shop, which has taken the TikTok experience to a whole new level. Now, users can seamlessly transition from watching engaging content to making a purchase without leaving the app. It’s like window shopping, but on your phone, and with the option to click “buy” right then and there. See how simple the buying process is below.

Going hand in hand with the above feature, sponsored posts from creators are gaining visibility. These posts seamlessly blend in with other posts, feeling more like genuine content and less like in-your-face ads. In 2024, we can expect more and more brands to leverage the creativity of TikTok’s content creators to showcase their products in innovative ways and reach a massive audience.

Overall, crafting compelling sponsored content and setting up shop on TikTok can unlock a direct line to a highly engaged audience. Think limited-time promotions, exclusive deals, and interactive campaigns that encourage users to not just scroll, but shop. As the app continues to blur the lines between entertainment and commerce, brands have a golden opportunity to connect with users in ways that go beyond the traditional ad experience.

Analyzing Your Success

While staying on top of trends is crucial, the real impact is seen when you dive into the nitty-gritty of your own performance. Analyzing your success on TikTok isn’t just about celebrating your victories; it’s about fine-tuning your content strategy for even greater results.

First things first, check out the analytics tools available to you. Dive into insights on views, likes, shares, and comments. TikTok provides an analytics dashboard that reports all kinds of metrics to help you analyze your performance. Keep an eye on engagement rates, follower growth, and other crucial metrics for your specific content.

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On top of TikTok’s native analytics, third-party tools can add extra strength to your analysis game. For instance, Rival IQ provides in-depth data on both your brand’s and your competition’s TikTok performance. This allows for deeper social posts analysis and competitive analysis, resulting in comprehensive insights you can use to shape your strategy.

From there, it’s all about refining your strategy. The trends you jumped on might have worked wonders or maybe they fell flat. Use the data to refine your approach, experiment with new trends, and keep your audience hooked.

The Wrap Up

TikTok is a dynamic platform that thrives on creativity and innovation — and staying on top of trends is the key to keeping your content fresh and engaging. The TikTok trends we’ve uncovered are just the tip of the iceberg, with the real magic happening when you put your unique spin on them.

Whether it’s embracing TikTok’s social commerce features or hopping on TikTok LIVE, the possibilities are endless. Embrace change, keep an eye on emerging themes, and adapt to the pulse of the platform. As the app continues to evolve, so do the opportunities for brands just like yours.

The post Top TikTok Trends for 2024 appeared first on Rival IQ.

TikTok analytics encompasses all of the metrics and data about your content, audience, performance, and even industry trends. For brands that want to make an impression and reach their target audiences on TikTok, it’s important to not only track and measure key metrics but also use this data to create actionable strategies and get the most out of the social media platform.

Below, let’s dive into why you need to review your TikTok analytics regularly, which metrics to track, and how to measure your performance using TikTok analytics tools.

Why it’s Important to Measure Your Performance on TikTok

Marketers know how important it is to monitor and track how your brand is performing on every social channel. But keeping an eye on your analytics goes far beyond counting how many followers and likes your videos get.

When you track the right metrics and understand how you’re performing in relation to other brands on TikTok (by referencing TikTok Benchmark Report, for starters), you can get much more out of the platform.

Here are the benefits you gain when you monitor and measure your TikTok analytics.

Data-driven insight

If you follow the SMART goals framework (which stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound), then tracking your TikTok data is essential for the “M” or “measurable” part.

Whether your goal is to increase your engagement rate by 5% or double your audience size in the next three months, your specific goals need to be measurable if you want to achieve them.

Quantifiable metrics like engagement rate and number of video views let you know how your videos are performing on the platform and with your specific audience. When you know what is and isn’t working, you’ll better understand if you’re on track to meet your goals or what you need to adjust to achieve them.

Competitive context

It’s important to understand what the overall landscape looks like for brands on TikTok, but every industry is different. Nonprofits perform differently than Sports Teams who also have different engagement rates and goals than Beauty brands, for example.

This is why it’s important to benchmark your data against similar brands. Industry-specific data helps you understand how similar brands are performing on TikTok and puts your brand into a competitive context.

When you can see what your competitors are doing successfully on TikTok, you can experiment with similar tactics. Conversely, you may notice a gap in your industry and can stay ahead of the curve by trying it out before your competitors do.

Connect with your target audience

Ask any marketer who’s had one of their videos go viral on TikTok: seeing your views and engagement metrics spike can give you a jolt of excitement. But when the dust settles, how many of those engagements actually turned into quality followers?

You may have a goal of reaching more people or increasing your followers, but those goals are only successful if you reach the right audience. To do that, you have to know which metrics to track. TikTok metrics like engagement rate by follower, for instance, help you understand which videos are resonating with your audience.

The better you understand your target audience and what they like, the more you can tailor your TikTok content strategy to them.

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Understanding Your TikTok Analytics: Key Metrics to Track

TikTok analytics includes several helpful metrics, many of which are different from the other platforms. While we’ve covered a full list of the top TikTok metrics to track, here’s a refresher:

• Engagement rate by view
• Engagement rate by follower
• Engagement total
• Hashtags per video
• Monthly follower growth rate
• Videos with mentions
• Videos per week
• Views per follower

Let’s go over a few of these metrics in more detail and break down some examples of brands with impressive performance.

Engagement rate by view

Engagement rate by view is one of the most telling metrics for how attention-grabbing your content is. When you take a video’s total engagements and divide that by the number of views, you can see what percentage of viewers stopped to not only watch your video but like, comment, or share it. The average brand on TikTok earns an engagement rate by view of 4.15%.

This metric is important to track if you want to measure how interesting your videos are and whether or not they’re helping boost your visibility, awareness, and interest.

A low engagement rate by view tells you that while people may have seen your video pop up on their FYP, the content of the video didn’t resonate with them. This could mean that you’re not reaching the right audience or that your videos aren’t encouraging engagement from your target audience.

A high engagement rate by view lets you know that the people who saw your video were either entertained, informed, or persuaded by the content.

ACLU, for example, consistently generates a high engagement rate by view on TikTok thanks to its informative videos. The civil liberties nonprofit informs, educates, and encourages action in its videos which has no doubt contributed to earning an average engagement rate by view of 13.7%. This is twice as high as the average for nonprofits on TikTok and three times greater than the overall average.

Engagement rate by follower

Reaching thousands or even millions of people on TikTok is great, but ultimately, if your own followers aren’t engaging with your content then it’s all for naught.

If you want to see how your audience feels about your videos, take a look at your engagement rate by follower. This metric indicates how engaging your content is to your followers. To give you a benchmark to measure against, the average engagement rate by follower on TikTok is 5.7%.

Engagement rate by follower is a helpful metric because it puts your videos into context with your audience size. You might have a smaller audience compared to other brands on TikTok, so comparing your engagement rates with theirs wouldn’t be fair.

Take Bat Conservation International, for example. The top-performing nonprofit has a much smaller audience than its fellow nonprofits on TikTok with about 24,000 compared to the competitor average of 163,000.

However, the bat conservancy nonprofit isn’t missing out on engagement. The nonprofit regularly earns an engagement rate by follower that’s much greater than the average. The video below, for example, generated an engagement rate by follower of 18.1%, which is three times higher than the overall average.

Videos per week

Another important metric to measure when diving into your TikTok analytics is videos per week. Tracking your posting frequency, as well as how often your competitors are posting, and comparing it with your engagement levels helps you understand how active you should be.

Overall, brands tend to post less often on TikTok than on other channels like Instagram. The average brand posts 1.75 times per week, which is about eight videos per month. However, every industry is different, so it’s important to measure this metric against similar brands in your industry to truly understand what frequency you should be aiming for.

Sports Teams, for instance, are known to be more active across social channels compared to other industries — especially during their playing season. On TikTok, we found that Sports Teams post about twice per week.

Orlando City Soccer Club is even more active than the average Sports Team, posting about four times per week — and sometimes more. The five videos below were all shared within a seven-day time period during its season.

Posting more often can lead to higher engagement totals since you’re creating more opportunities for people to engage with your content. On the flip side, a few engaging videos per month may be enough for your audience. Every industry and individual brand sees different results which is why this is a key metric to analyze.

Hashtags per video

Another important metric to keep an eye on is your brand’s use of hashtags. Not only do hashtags increase your discoverability on the platform, but you can also analyze which specific hashtags generate the most engagement for your brand.

Hockey team Carolina Hurricanes includes hashtags in 100% of its TikTok videos. The team uses industry-specific hashtags like #HockeyTok and #nhl which is a strategic way to get in front of more hockey fans. They also have an average engagement rate by follower of 8.17% and an 8.56% engagement rate by view, so it’s safe to say they’re reaching and engaging with the right audience.

One way to see which hashtags are trending is by scrolling through TikTok or checking out the “For your inspiration” tab (more on that below). Or you can take it a step further by using a third-party tool like Rival IQ’s hashtag analytics.

Our analytics tool helps you discover popular topics and engaging hashtags within your industry so you can see which conversations are driving engagement for your competitors and participate if it’s relevant to your brand.

How to Use TikTok’s Built-In Analytics Tools

TikTok’s built-in Creator tools are a quick and easy way to check in on your videos’ performance in just a few taps. You can navigate to these insights from each video you share or head to the “Creator tools” section from your profile. Social media marketers shouldn’t rely on TikTok’s insights alone, but the data offers a helpful overview of video metrics like average watch time and retention rate.

TikTok’s native tools are organized by analytics, monetization, and inspiration. For businesses, you’ll find most of the metrics you’re looking for under Analytics. This includes traffic sources, audience demographics, and viewer types (returning vs. new).

The “For your inspiration” tab can also be helpful to stay in the loop. In this section, you’ll not only see which sounds or stickers are currently trending but also the videos your followers viewed. This helps you understand what your audience likes and engages with.

3 Tools to Track TikTok Analytics

TikTok’s native analytics are helpful in a pinch whether you’re a one-person social team on a budget or just want a quick glimpse at how your latest video is performing.

But if you want to gather more specific insights about your brand’s performance on TikTok, consider using a social media analytics tool to track your data. Here are a few worthwhile tools to add to your social tech stack (and if you’re looking for more, here’s our full list of recommended TikTok analytics tools).

1. Rival IQ

Rival IQ’s social media analytics tool provides a comprehensive, in-depth look at your TikTok performance — as well as your data from Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Facebook — all in one dashboard.

In addition to seeing detailed analytics like engagement rate by view and follower for individual videos, you can also zoom out and see how your videos are performing over a set period. For example, below is a TikTok analysis for the Red Cross’s top videos. In addition to showcasing the nonprofit’s top videos over a three-month period, our tool also highlights key metrics like which hashtags the Red Cross used that were the most engaging.

Another key benefit of using Rival IQ for your TikTok analytics is the competitive analysis tools. It’s no secret that you compare your brand’s social posts to your competitors. But instead of visiting their TikTok to check out their videos and engagement, you can analyze their performance from the same dashboard as your own using Rival IQ.

You can create customizable landscapes that rank your brand’s metrics with the companies you want to compare with. Choose which competitors you want to monitor and the metrics you want to analyze — such as follower count, engagement rate, or views — and instantly get a visual view of where your brand stands in comparison. You can also set up notifications to get real-time updates.

If there’s a particular brand you want to compare your TikTok performance with, you can also run a head-to-head report to see exactly how you stack up.

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2. TrendTok

TikTok trends pop up seemingly overnight. If you’re looking for an easy way to stay on top of the latest sounds and topics, TrendTok may be the tool for you. TrendTok is similar to TikTok’s native “For your inspiration” tab in that it identifies which sounds and songs are trending in your region, niche, or among similar creators.

The app uses AI to curate suggestions for your profile so you can stay ahead of the curve and create videos that reflect your brand and audience.

3. Iconosquare

Iconosquare is a social media management and analytics tool that is best for social teams that want to schedule, manage, and analyze their TikTok videos in one place. On the analytics side of things, Iconosquare offers over 100 metrics to track, from follower growth to historical data.

In addition to seeing key TikTok metrics in your dashboard, you can also create detailed, customizable reports so you and your team can see a visual representation of your brand’s performance.

Wrapping it Up

Your TikTok data can tell you a lot about your brand’s videos, audience, and industry. To get the most out of your data, you have to know which metrics are important to your goals and how to analyze them.

To sum it up, some of the top metrics we recommend monitoring when reviewing your TikTok analytics include engagement rate by view and by follower, videos per week, and hashtags per video.

You can also understand your performance better if it’s in a competitive context, so don’t forget to measure your TikTok metrics to your direct competitors. By making a TikTok analytics review a regular part of your social strategy, you’ll be on your way to reaching your brand’s TikTok goals in no time.

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