Engagement is a metric that we analyse as one of the critical indicators of how well our content on social networks resonates with the audience. However, we often do not focus primarily on engagement, but our goal is to reach as many as possible, i.e. the number of people our post will reach. Gone are the days when it was easy to achieve organic reach on Facebook and Instagram, so we rely heavily on promotion, and engagement then comes as a “reward” when we reach our audience.

On the other hand, the situation is a little different on TikTok. Organic reach is still king on this social network, but what “boosts” your content is precisely the number of interactions or reactions. Therefore, to have a real insight into the effect that your content has, you need to take an additional step in analysing the results and calculate what its engagement rate is.

What is Engagement Rate, and how is it calculated?

Engagement rate is a vital metric that quantifies the level of interaction content receives from its audience. This metric provides insight into how well your content resonates with your audience and encourages them to interact. With that said, it’s not just about the number of views – it also includes the number of likes, comments, shares and saves of your content. When you take all these parameters into account, you can accurately calculate the engagement rate. If you don’t like mathematical formulas, unfortunately, there is no shortcut. The formula is as follows:

We can see that the formula is quite similar to other platforms – so we take into account every interaction as well as the total number of views. If you do reports on a monthly basis, you can observe all the videos you have published in that period and, based on that, monitor the performance.

If you want to gain insight into the engagement rate of the entire profile in relation to your followers, you only need to divide the total number of interactions on the profile by the number of followers and multiply by 100.

Analysing the end result differs from other platforms because a good engagement rate on Instagram is nowhere near as good on TikTok. A satisfactory engagement rate is 1-2% on other social networks. On TikTok, this is, in short, bad. A good engagement rate on this social network ranges from 4.5-18%. Now that we have calculated everything in detail and established a good engagement rate, you may be wondering:

Why is engagement rate even important?

In addition to being a quantitative indicator of the success of your content, it also affects other factors that improve the position of your brand on this platform:

– Algorithm’s best friend

The TikTok algorithm is designed to favour content that generates high engagement and therefore increases time spent on the app. The more interactions your content collects, the higher the chances are that it will be placed on the “For you” page, drastically increasing your reach.

– Connecting with the audience

As mentioned, a high engagement rate indicates that your content resonates with your audience, fostering an authentic and lasting connection. The more mutual interaction there is, the more your brand or personality will be perceived as authentic and worthy of long-term attention, which is very valuable on TikTok. This is one of the items that require the most work, which a well-thought-out strategy can significantly facilitate.

– Improved visibility

Think of the engagement rate as your ticket to the main stage. The more interactions, the more chance your video has to go viral, amplifying your message and overall presence across the platform. Viral content is also one of the most effective ways to increase followers, literally “overnight”.

Tactics for increasing the engagement rate

Although strategy should be one of the main guides of your TikTok performance, there are universal tactics that have been proven to be effective in increasing audience engagement. Try to implement in your strategy:

1. Content that encourages creativity

Content is king, and creativity reigns supreme in TikTok. Even if your content encourages the audience to be creative and share or develop their skills, you are one step closer to the goal. Entertaining, but at the same time educational and inspiring content is an integral part of any good content plan for TikTok.

2. Content up to date with trends

Follow trends – challenges, popular sounds and concepts. By participating in popular trends, you leverage existing user interest, increasing the likelihood of engagement.

3. Relatable content

This is content that the audience connects with on a personal level, content that evokes emotions or memories of a specific situation or habit from everyday life. Relatable content generally has the most shares and saves.

4. Optimize video length

While TikTok allows up to 10 minutes of video, the chances of anyone watching the entire video are very slim, so you’re practically sabotaging yourself. Shorter videos often perform better, and their main characteristics are brevity and punch that keeps viewers’ attention throughout, reducing the percentage of the audience who scroll past halfway through the video.

5. Call to action (CTA)

Include clear calls to action to encourage viewers to like, comment or share your video. A well-placed CTA can significantly increase engagement, whether you include it as a print on a video, or as part of a voice-over, and it would be better to combine both so that the effectiveness is as high as possible.

6. Develop a relationship with your audience

Reply to comments and join the conversation. Showing that you value your audience’s input fosters a sense of community and encourages further engagement. TikTok has numerous options – from the classic reply to a comment to a video reply.

7. Consistency of posting schedule

For the TikTok algorithm, regularity is one of the key factors. Post consistently, so your audience gets used to your content and can expect it and therefore interact more actively with it.

8. Stitches and duets

Reacting to content from other creators, or better yet, UGC, opens up new avenues for community engagement. This way, you can reach a wider audience, be part of a trend, or simply build a stronger community.

This is a brief overview of tactics that can lead to an increase in engagement rates, and if you want to take a step back and better understand TikTok as a platform and potentially get new ideas, we recommend that you read this text on our blog.

Don’t be afraid to “flop”

Pro tip: GenZ loves the word “flop,” so if that’s your audience, they’ll be more than happy if you use it. 🙂 In this regard, one of the tips that are not part of the standard “guide” but can contribute to better results is to relax in content creation and not be afraid of failure. A video that didn’t get the desired results is a valuable insight into what your audience doesn’t like, what to avoid, what time to post is best, and what topics interest your audience. Use this result as an excellent opportunity to learn and reflect, the same way you analyse the content that achieved the best results.

If you need support in this process, as well as in creating a strategy and content for TikTok, please feel free to contact us. And if you want to increase our engagement rate, share this text with someone who might find it helpful.