Facebook’s engagement rate: why it’s important and how to calculate it

Why it’s important

• Gives us an idea of what content most resonates with our fans

• Influences organic/paid reach

Common calculation misconceptions

• (Likes + comments + shares + clicks)/total fans

– Why it’s wrong:

• Fans ≠ Reach

• People don’t have to be fans to see your page’s content

Common calculation misconceptions

• (Likes + comments + shares + clicks)/total reach

– Why it’s wrong:

• May account for a user who engaged with a piece of content in multiple ways more than they should be accounted for.

Example

Common calculation misconceptions

Common calculation misconceptions

• If I liked, commented on and shared this post and used this method to calculate the post’s engagement rate (for just me), the engagement rate would be 300%.

The correct calculation

• Engagement rate = Lifetime engaged users / Lifetime post total reach

Where to find these metrics

• Facebook’s post-level export

• First tab: Key metrics

• Lifetime Engaged Users: Column N

• Lifetime Post Total Reach: Column H

Where to find these metrics

Average Engagement Rate: calculation misconception

• The average engagement rate is equal to the average of all of your post’s engagement rates.

• Why this is wrong:

– The total reach each post receives is different, so each post must be weighted accordingly.

How to calculate average engagement rate

Random Example

• There are apples falling from a tree, and John and Andy have to catch them! – John:

• Total apples caught: 5

• Total apples that fell for John: 10

• Success rate: 50%

– Andy: • Total apples caught: 5

• Total apples that fell for Andy: 20

• Success rate: 25%

Example (cont’d.)

• Between the two of us, what was our success rate?

Answer: 37.5%

Example (cont’d.)

• Correct answer: 33.33%

• Why?

– Total apples caught: 10

– Total apples that fell: 30

– Total apples caught/total apples that fell = 33.33%

In Facebook lingo:

• Avg. Engagement Rate = Sum Lifetime Engaged Users / Sum Lifetime Post Total Reach

• Easy way to think about this: Out of the total number of people who saw your posts, how many people engaged with them?

The end.