What is engagement?

Engagement is any interaction people have with your social media content, such as likes, comments, shares, saves, clicks, replies and reposts.

Engagement shows that your content is connecting with people. A post that gets comments, shares and saves is doing more than just appearing in feeds: it is starting conversations and earning attention. Many networks also use engagement as a signal when deciding which posts to show to more people.

What counts as engagement differs by network. Instagram tracks likes, comments, shares and saves; LinkedIn includes reactions and reposts; TikTok and YouTube add watch time and video completions. Some forms, such as comments and shares, usually suggest more interest than a quick like.

Encourage engagement by asking questions, sharing opinions, posting helpful content worth saving and replying to every comment. Avoid tricks like begging for likes, which can annoy people and break network rules. Track engagement over time to learn which topics and formats your audience prefers.

Example

A pottery studio posts a photo of two glaze options and asks followers to vote in the comments, which leads to a lively discussion.