Influencer engagement rate calculator

Worked example with sample numbers

A creator has 50,000 followers. Their last 12 posts show 18,000 likes and 600 comments in total: 18,600 interactions, or 1,550 per post. Engagement rate by followers = 1,550 ÷ 50,000 × 100 = 3.1%.

That's the only rate you can work out from outside the account. Reach, views, saves and shares sit in the creator's own insights, so the calculator leaves those boxes empty.

Getting a fair number from public data

Take the most recent 12 posts and skip pinned posts, which are usually older hits. Leave out giveaways and paid partnerships, or work them out separately: prizes and ads can pull in likes from people who aren't the creator's real audience.

Look at the spread as well as the average. One post with ten times the usual likes can lift the average a lot. If the rate falls a long way when you drop that post, the typical post is what you're really paying for.

Comments tell you more than likes. Read a few. Real replies about the content are a better sign than strings of emoji or the same short phrase repeated.

Ask for the private numbers

Before you sign anything, ask the creator for a screenshot of their insights for the same posts: reach, views, saves and shares. Put those into the calculator to get the rate by reach. A creator's own media kit often has these figures too. Compare like with like: a rate by reach will always be higher than a rate by followers for the same posts, because fewer people see a post than follow the account.