A study of more than 27 million posts from 273,000 Instagram accounts, conducted by Buffer team[1], shows how engagement changes with audience size.
The platform median engagement rate is 4.3 percent. A typical account posts around 17 times per month, gains followers at a rate of 3.3 percent each month, and reaches about 242 people per post.
Under 1,000 followers
Accounts in this range record an engagement rate of 5.2 percent. They post about 13 times per month, grow by 5.1 percent each month, and reach around 33 people with each post. These audiences are usually made up of friends and close supporters, which explains the higher percentage of interaction.
Between 1,000 and 5,000 followers
The average engagement rate falls to 4.6 percent. Posting rises to 16 times per month, while growth slows to 2.5 percent. Median reach increases to 185 per post. Consistency matters more at this stage because content is reaching beyond personal networks.
Between 5,000 and 10,000 followers
Engagement drops again to 4.1 percent. Posting climbs to about 20 times per month, and growth is around 2.6 percent monthly. Median reach per post rises to 507. Reels deliver the widest reach, while carousel posts drive stronger engagement compared with single images.
From 10,000 to 50,000 followers
At this tier, engagement averages 3.7 percent. Each post reaches more than 1,000 people on average. Posting frequency increases to 23 per month. The focus for accounts here is refining content types that work and repeating them to maintain steady growth.
From 50,000 to 100,000 followers
Engagement averages 3.6 percent. Posting moves closer to daily, with an average of 31 per month. Each post reaches about 3,090 users. Growth slows to 1.7 percent per month, showing how expansion becomes harder with larger audiences.
From 100,000 to 500,000 followers
Engagement stands at 3.5 percent, while median reach rises to 7,127. Accounts in this group post 47 times per month, often more than once per day. Many creators use templates or teams to maintain this pace.
From 500,000 to 1 million followers
The posting average jumps to 101 times per month, which is more than three per day. Engagement remains steady at 3.7 percent. Median reach is about 37,400 per post, and monthly growth slows to 1.5 percent. Partnerships and collaborations often become a driver of further reach.
Over 1 million followers
Accounts at this size record a 5 percent engagement rate. Monthly growth slows further to 0.8 percent, but reach climbs to 107,224 per post. The priority becomes maintaining trust and consistent quality rather than chasing faster expansion.
Why engagement changes
Smaller accounts often record higher engagement because their audiences are close-knit. As follower numbers rise, engagement rates fall but total interactions grow larger. A three percent rate on a half-million followers still equals tens of thousands of comments and likes.
What the benchmarks show
Comparisons across follower ranges can be misleading. The most useful benchmarks are those that match an account’s own tier. For small creators, progress means consistent posting. For mid-sized accounts, refining the content mix is key. Larger accounts rely on systems and workflows that allow them to publish at scale.
A single “good” engagement rate does not exist. What counts is how an account performs relative to others of the same size.
Notes: This post was edited/created using GenAI tools.
Read next: Companies Automate With AI While Consumers Use It to Learn and Explore[2]
References
- ^ Buffer team (buffer.com)
- ^ Companies Automate With AI While Consumers Use It to Learn and Explore (www.digitalinformationworld.com)