TikTok is a thriving social media platform and an excellent medium for influencer marketing. Marketers around the globe are extensively using TikTok for their campaigns because of its flourishing marketing opportunities.

However, the success of the campaign often depends on the influencer you collaborate with. And it’s no secret that engagement rate is a crucial metric in selecting the ideal influencers. 

But the question often asked is how do you calculate it. More importantly, how can you know whether an engagement rate is good or not? 

Well, that’s what you are here for, right? 

So, let’s explore more about it. 

What is Engagement Rate on TikTok? 

TikTok Engagement rate is a metric that measures the amount of interaction your TikTok content receives from the audience. 

You might be asking yourself why it is that important.

Well, it measures how well your content resonates with your target audience. Better engagement rates can also help improve visibility and the favor of TikTok’s algorithm on your videos. Eventually, it can help generate leads for your campaign.

The engagement rate is influenced by four key metrics- likes, views, comments, and shares. These four factors collectively determine the performance of your content on TikTok. 

Components of TikTok Engagement Rate

To understand the engagement rate, let’s explore the individual components that contribute to it.

• Likes:

When a user on TikTok appreciates your content by tapping the heart icon, you get a like. Videos with higher engagement rates have more likes on TikTok.

• Comments: 

The comments you get on your TikTok videos indicate audience engagement. In other words, viewers tend to leave comments only on posts that spark a conversation or elicit a response. 

• Shares: 

Shares of your posts mean your viewers pass your videos to their followers. It also signifies that your content resonates enough with your audience. Having more shares for your content means better reach.

• Views: 

Views are fundamental in understanding the overall engagement of your content on TikTok. Content people watch and gain traction on TikTok will have a higher view count. 

How To Calculate TikTok Engagement Rate

1. Start by calculating the individual number of likes, shares, and views for your TikTok video.

2. Calculate the Total Engagement Rate for the content as follows.

Total Engagement = Likes + Comments + Shares

3. Finally, you can determine the Total Engagement rate of your content as a percentage with the formula.

Engagement Rate = (Total Engagements / Followers) * 100 

Consider a simple example. Suppose your content has 2,000 likes, 500 comments, 300 shares, and 100,000 followers.

Total Engagements = 2,000 (likes) + 500 (comments) + 300 (shares) = 2,800 engagements

Engagement Rate = (Total Engagements / Followers) * 100

                              = (2,800 / 100,000) * 100 = 2.8% 

According to Mega Digital, TikTok has an average engagement per follower of 5.7%. It is to be noted that the average engagement rate on TikTok significantly exceeds other social media platforms, including Instagram.

Note: It should be noted that the average engagement rate differs from the type of influencers as well.

What is a Good TikTok Engagement Rate?

What does a reasonable engagement rate on TikTok mean? This is what most marketers are curious about when they enter influencer marketing.

A good engagement rate on TikTok is not specific, as it varies according to niche, audience, and content type. In general, if an influencer has an engagement rate of 3 to 5% on TikTok, it can be considered good.

It is a common misconception that influencers with more followers have higher engagement rates. However, that’s not the case. As the follower count grows for an influencer, the engagement rate tends to decrease.

That is why micro-influencers often have higher engagement rates despite having a smaller follower count. They have a small and dedicated following who are actively engaged and are more likely to like, comment, and share the content from the influencer.

To determine if a particular influencer's engagement rate is good, consider these factors:

• Industry Benchmarks:

Each industry or niche on TikTok has its benchmarks, and marketers need to gather data about them. Comparing the influencer's engagement rates with these industry standards can help you understand whether the engagement rate is good.

• Platform Averages: 

For a broad perspective, you can analyze the average engagement rates on TikTok as a whole. An engagement rate of 3 to 5% is good enough for any influencer in your niche if you wish to choose them.

• Competitor Analysis:

Marketers can get valuable insights by comparing the engagement rate of any TikTok influencer with those of competitors who perform well in the niche. 

• Audience Growth:

Consider the audience growth while studying an influencer’s engagement rate. A rapid increase in the influencer's follower count will result in the engagement rate falling accordingly.

5 Tips For Improving Engagement Rate

A low engagement rate is not a constant because you can improve it. Consider these tips when you create your new engagement strategy.

1. Know The Audience:

Creators need to know what resonates with their audiences. Knowing the audience will help you modify the content according to the followers' interests.

2. Content Consistency: 

Posting content on TikTok regularly can help improve engagement rates and build a dedicated audience that continually expects new content from the creator.

3. Engagement Encouragement:

Creative call-to-actions can improve your content engagement. Creators can ask followers to like, comment, and share their posts. Moreover, you can engage the followers through challenges and trends.

4. Collaboration:

Collaborating with fellow content creators introduces your content to more viewers and helps attract users who might find your content interesting. 

5. Trending Music

According to TikTok, popular music on the platform has been helping brands connect with their community engagingly. They further clarify that 67% of TikTok users prefer brands featuring trending songs on the platform.

Benchmarking Your Engagement Rate

Benchmarking refers to comparing the TikTok engagement rates of your content with those of similar creators or industry standards. Ensure that the similar creators you choose for benchmarking belong to your industry or niche.

Benchmarking your engagement rate against industry standards gives you invaluable insights into your performance.

Let’s explore the importance of benchmarking:

• Performance Evaluation:

Benchmarking is essential to objectively assess your performance, giving an overview of where you stand compared to your competitors and industry leaders.

• Goal Setting: 

After understanding what works within your niche, you can set realistic goals. Benchmarking helps you pave the way towards growth and better engagement rates.

• Strategy Adjustment:

Benchmarking doesn’t just emphasize your shortcomings. It also reveals the areas where you excel. So, you can remodel your content strategy and calibrate your approach to drive preferred results. 

Industry Benchmarks

Comparing your TikTok engagement rate with that of industry standards helps you realize how far behind you are. However, not all industries have the same engagement rates on TikTok. 

According to House of Marketers, the average engagement rate of FMCG food on TikTok is 6.92%, making it one of the best-performing industries. Let’s explore insights and data specific to various industries on TikTok:

The industry benchmarks are continuously fluctuating due to trends. So, you should monitor it regularly and reshape your content strategy.

Again, as we discussed earlier, a good engagement rate depends on certain factors, like the type of influencer. So, do your research before benchmarking. 

Final Thoughts

For any brand, finding the right influencer to market their products on TikTok can be challenging. However, knowing the TikTok engagement rate of individual influencers can help you shortlist them.

Manually researching influencers on TikTok and calculating the engagement rate for each one, while a good approach, is time-consuming and tedious.  And with many brands competing to hire influencers, you need a faster and more efficient option. This is where influencer marketing tools like impulze.ai come in handy.

It has a vast influencer database of 250 million, where you can find insights about each influencer. The tool takes away from the marketers the demanding challenge of going through different influencer profiles and calculating their engagement rates.

To learn more about this influencer marketing tool, click here or request a personalized demo.

Another valuable tool for finding the right influencer is the SocialIQ Chrome extension, which instantly offers influencer profile insights. With these tools, calculating the engagement rates of various influencers becomes ever so simple.