What Is A Good Instagram Engagement Rate? Data from 27 Million+ Instagram Posts

One of the most common questions creators ask or get asked: “Is my engagement rate good?”

The truth is, it depends on how many followers you have. A 5% engagement rate means something very different for an account with 500 followers compared to one with half a million.

That’s why we analyzed more than 27 million Instagram posts from 273,000 accounts to see how engagement rates shift as creators grow. The result is a clear picture of what “good” looks like at every stage — from less than 1,000 followers all the way up to 1 million or more.

In this article, we’ll break down the average engagement rate by follower tier and share what the numbers actually mean in practice.

⚡If you want to explore more metrics like reach, posting frequency, and growth rate, check out our Instagram benchmarks page.

🔢 The average Instagram engagement rate

Before we get into follower tiers, here’s what the average account looks like on Instagram today. These numbers give you a quick benchmark for the “typical” account.

• Median engagement rate: 4.3%
• Average posting frequency: 17 posts per month (~4 posts per week)
• Average follower growth rate: 3.3% per month
• Median reach per post: 242

From here, the real insight comes from seeing how those averages shift depending on follower size.

🧮 Learn how we calculate engagement rates in What is Engagement Rate?

🪜 Tier-by-tier breakdown of engagement rates

Here are the engagement rates to expect at each follower tier on Instagram from nano to mega accounts.

0 to 1K followers: Build the habit of consistency

• Engagement rate: 5.2%
• Posting frequency: 13 posts per month or ~3 posts per week
• Growth rate: 5.1% per month
• Median reach per post: 33

Engagement rates are high at this stage because the people following you are likely friends, peers, or early supporters. But the real unlock isn’t in the numbers — it’s in creating a rhythm that sets you up for sustainable growth.

So if you’re just starting out, your focus should be less on community management and more on building the discipline to post regularly. Our research has found that more posts equal more growth. Specifically, posting between 3 and 5 times weekly can more than double follower growth rate, compared to posting one or two times weekly.

🟢 Do this: Focus on building the habit of posting. Pick a manageable cadence (around three posts per week is the average here) and treat it as practice. Use this stage to experiment with formats, captions, and ideas without the pressure of performance.

📖 Learn more about the impact of posting frequency on your growth in How Often Should You Post on Instagram in 2025? What Data From 2 Million Posts Tells Us

1k to 5K followers: Start scaling consistency

• Engagement rate: 4.6%
• Posting frequency: 16 posts per month or ~4 posts per week
• Growth rate: 2.5% per month
• Median reach per post: 185

Once you’ve built the habit of posting, this stage is about scaling that consistency. You’re starting to reach beyond your immediate circle, and a drop in engagement rate is natural as your audience diversifies.

What matters most here is showing up often enough for new followers to recognize and remember you. One of the major gains at this follower tier is that the more you post, the more reach you’ll receive on each post.

🟢 Do this: Aim for around four posts a week (the average in this tier) and start paying closer attention to what formats or topics spark the most reach. Small optimizations at this stage compound quickly into steady growth.

5k to 10K followers: Optimize your content mix

• Engagement rate: 4.1%
• Posting frequency: 20 posts per month or ~5 posts per week
• Growth rate: 2.6% per month
• Median reach per post: 507

At this stage, you’ve moved past the early-experiment phase and into real momentum. Engagement rates dip slightly, but your reach is climbing — each post now lands in front of hundreds of people. Consistency is expected, but what separates steady growth from real traction is what you post.

Reels ge