TikTok engagement rate is higher than all social media platforms. This makes an opportunity for anyone who wants to expand their awareness. But do you really understand TikTok’s engagement rate? How to calculate it? Or how to optimize it? In this article, I will explain it in detail and provide you 8 tips to increase the engagement rate organically.
Table of Contents
What is TikTok Engagement Rate?
First, you need to understand what is TikTok engagement. TikTok engagement is defined as any action that a viewer takes on your TikTok, including:
- Liking your video
- Leaving a comment
- Sharing your video
- Bookmarking your video
- Clicking on your TikTok shop link
- Watching more of your videos
- Following your account
Your TikTok engagement rate is a social media metric that calculates the percentage of your video viewers interacting with your video. It is a crucial metric for measuring the effectiveness of your TikTok content and gauging audience interest.
There are 2 common TikTok engagement rate, which is based on views or followers. You can easily understand the definition and measure through the 2 illustrations below.
How to Calculate TikTok Engagement Rate?
The engagement rate is typically calculated by considering the total interactions – likes, comments, shares, and sometimes views – divided by the total number of followers or views, depending on the type of analysis. Here’s how it’s usually calculated:
#1 Engagement Rate by Followers
This method shows how well your content resonates with your followers. The formula is:
By using this calculation, you can measure how much your existing follower base is interacting with your content. A high engagement rate suggests that your audience finds your videos valuable and is motivated to engage with them.
#2 Engagement Rate by Views
If you want to measure the engagement of viewers who actually watched your video, the formula changes slightly:
This approach is particularly useful if your content is reaching a wider audience beyond your followers. It provides a clearer idea of how well your video performs with every person who views it, regardless of whether they follow your account or not.
What is The Average TikTok Engagement Rate?
According to RivalIQ’s social media benchmark report, the median engagement rate per follower is 2.63%. This rate is six times more engaging than the next most engaging channel, Instagram. Compared to other platforms, TikTok’s high engagement rate stems from its algorithm that prioritizes content discovery over follower count, making it easier for engaging videos to go viral and reach large audiences.
Given TikTok’s focus on video content, 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 shares about 1.9 videos per week, which equates to around eight videos per month. The most active brands, particularly those in the top 25%, tend to post at least four videos per week.
TikTok Engagement Rate Benchmark
On TikTok, how much people engage with content can differ based on the industry. For instance, the education field has the highest typical engagement rate per follower at 16.3%, while the food and drink sector has the lowest at 3.1%. Here’s a breakdown:
- Education: 16.3%
- Real estate: 5.2%
- Fashion and beauty: 4.9%
- Food and drink: 3.1%
- Travel and tourism: 2.8%
Moreover, the type of content also affects engagement rates. Product videos usually get more engagement compared to lifestyle videos:
- Product videos: 5.6%
- Lifestyle videos: 5.5%
- Educational videos: 5.4%
- Humorous videos: 5.3%
- Music videos: 5.2%
8 Tips for Inproving TikTok Engagement Rate
Improving your TikTok engagement rate requires more than just posting consistently – it’s about connecting with your audience in creative and strategic ways. Here are seven actionable tips to help you boost your TikTok engagement:
1. Tap into niche communities
Focusing on niche communities on TikTok is an effective way to build a more dedicated and interactive audience. These communities are made up of users who share specific, often highly specialized interests, which can range from beauty tips to DIY crafts, fitness routines, or any other focused topic. Since these groups are passionate about their interests, they are more likely to engage with content that directly addresses their needs or hobbies.
For example, the #BookTok community, with over 400 billion views, has revolutionized the publishing industry, influencing book sales and creating literary trends. The #GamingTok community, with over 43 billion views, showcases gaming enthusiasts, game reviews, and pro-gaming strategies, catering to a passionate audience of gamers.
2. Post consistently
When developing your TikTok content strategy, it’s crucial to plan for regular video releases. While content quality is key, maintaining a consistent posting schedule is almost equally important to ensure your videos continually appear in viewers’ feeds.
To simplify consistent posting, consider batch-recording your content. By creating a week’s worth of videos in one session, you can avoid the daily hassle of setting up your recording equipment, making it easier to stick to your posting schedule.
3. Utilize trending sounds and challenges
If you want to go viral and expand brand awareness, then trending sounds and challenges are a must. Not only help you enhance visibility and connect with a broader audience, with a little bit of creative spin can make your content stand out, making it more memorable and shareable.
So how to know what is trending? We’ve 5 easy ways for you:
- For You Page (FYP): Explore TikTok’s For You Page for a curated selection of videos showcasing trending sounds and challenges. It’s a hotspot for staying updated on the latest TikTok trends.
- Follow Trendsetters: Follow creators known for being trendsetters. They often catch onto new sounds and challenges early, giving you a sneak peek before they become mainstream.
- Discover Tab: Navigate to the Discover tab, where you’ll find organized categories like “Trending“, “Challenges” and “Sounds” – a hub for discovering what’s hot on TikTok.
- Search bar: Leverage the TikTok search bar to find specific sounds and challenges. Search by name or hashtag to locate content that aligns with your interests.
- TikTok Creative Center: Tap into TikTok’s Creative Center for insights into trending content. It provides data on popular sounds and challenges, along with tips on creating your viral content.
4. Partner with influencers
Partnerships with influencers can help you engage with their audience in a meaningful and authentic way. When people find your content interesting and valuable, they tend to watch it for a longer time. This signals TikTok’s algorithm to show it to a wider audience, ultimately boosting your engagement rate. This increased engagement is key to the success and results of your campaign. Follow these tips to choose the right influencer to collaborate with:
- Select influencers strategically: Explore TikTok’s search bar, find niche hashtags, and check suggested accounts to discover influencers. Look for their engagement rates, audience demographics, content quality, and brand alignment.
- Craft a campaign brief: After partnering with an influencer, create a brief outlining campaign goals, target audience, messaging, call to action, delivery guidelines, and compensation.
- Analyze campaign performance: Monitor views, likes, comments, and shares with TikTok’s analytics tools. Employ third-party tools for supplementary metrics such as website traffic and sales.
5. Post at the right times
Even if you consistently share quality content, posting at the wrong times means your audience might miss it. Posting strategically can significantly boost your engagement rate. By posting when your audience is most active, you improve your content’s chances of being seen. TikTok’s algorithm favors videos with immediate engagement, so releasing content during peak hours can help boost visibility.
To determine the best times to post, use TikTok’s analytics tool to review when your followers are most active. Common peak times often include early mornings, afternoons, and evenings, but this can vary depending on your specific audience’s habits and time zones. Regularly adjusting your posting schedule based on this data can maximize reach and engagement.
>>> Read more: When is the best time to post on TikTok in 2024? [Updated]
6. Leverage Stitch and Duet features
Stitch and Duet represent two exclusive features found solely on TikTok. These exceptionally captivating tools play a significant role in enhancing engagement rates on the platform, and they’re remarkably user-friendly.
- Stitch feature: This feature allows creators to integrate parts of others’ videos into their own. Encourage audience participation by posing questions in your videos, prompting users to create stitched videos.
- Duet feature: Add your content to another user’s video, creating a side-by-side playback. Ideal for reaction videos, imitations, and skits. Duet chains, where multiple users create a Duet together, have been gaining popularity. Explore these chains by searching for #DuetChain on TikTok.
7. Engage with other users
According to TikTok’s suggestion, engagement with other users is crucial for building connections. Actively participate by commenting, liking, and joining popular trends. This not only helps in creating a more personal connection with your followers but also exposes your account to a larger audience. Building relationships within the TikTok community is key to overall success.
7.1. Use the Q&A feature
Introduced in March 2021, TikTok’s Q&A feature allows creators to add a dedicated question and answer section to their profiles. Users submit questions through a submission box, and creators respond with engaging videos. This feature provides a unique way to create highly relevant content for followers and boost overall engagement. Make sure to respond to as many questions as possible to enhance audience interaction. Here’s how to use it:
- Go to your TikTok profile and access Creator Tools.
- Click on Q&A to add or answer questions.
- Engage with your audience by responding to their queries through video replies.
Tip: Responding to as many questions as possible enhances engagement.
7.2. Reply to comments with video content
TikTok allows video replies to comments, adding a personal and surprising touch to interactions. Engaging with the audience through video replies is an excellent way to show appreciation and make followers feel seen. This feature opens up opportunities for humor and can significantly enhance the overall TikTok experience.
8. Run TikTok ads
Running TikTok ads is an excellent way to expand your reach, grow your audience, and boost overall engagement. There are several types of TikTok ads available, from brand takeovers to sponsored hashtags. However, one of the most effective for increasing engagement is the in-feed ad.
In-feed ads function like regular TikTok videos, but they are paid promotions. Users can interact with them by visiting your profile, liking, commenting, and more.
For example, Zapier ran an in-feed ad that highlighted a useful feature of its tool, drawing in viewers with engaging content. The ad includes all the typical elements of a TikTok post—video, caption, and hashtags.
Wrap-up
Understanding your TikTok engagement rate is crucial for effective audience connection. While this article covers all you need to know about TikTok engagement, success in your campaign goes beyond just a high engagement rate.
Enhancing the quality of your video content is a key factor in boosting your TikTok engagement rate. For actionable insights and inspiration to elevate your TikTok content, explore our article – “Unfold the top 11 TikTok Video Ideas to captivate your audience“. Find the secrets to creating compelling videos that resonate with your viewers and contribute to a more impactful TikTok presence!
