You posted a video. You shared a carousel. Sent out a newsletter.
It’s likely, people saw it. But did they do anything?
That’s what engagement rate reveals. It shows how many people interacted with your content — not just passively consumed it. In a world flooded with impressions, engagement is a signal of intent, relevance, and resonance.
And in B2B, where relationships matter more than reach, it’s a core content performance metric.
Engagement Rate Definition
Engagement rate is the percentage of people who interact with your content relative to the number of people who viewed or received it.
It typically includes likes, shares, comments, clicks, and saves, depending on the platform or campaign type.
Formula (common version): 📊 Engagement Rate = (Total Engagements / Total Impressions or Reach) × 100
Some marketers calculate based on followers, others on reach or views. The key is consistency in how you define and track it.
Examples of Engagement Rate
1. LinkedIn Thought Leadership Post
"GrowthStack," a fictional analytics company, posts a founder POV on data privacy on LinkedIn. It reaches 15,000 people and garners 150 total engagements (comments, reactions, reposts).
Engagement Rate = (150 / 15,000) × 100 = 1%
That may sound low, but on LinkedIn, 1%+ is actually strong for thought leadership.
2. Email Campaign for a Webinar Invite
"StreamForge," a B2B video platform, sends an invite to 5,000 contacts. 820 open it. 90 click.
Engagement Rate (click-to-open) = (90 / 820) × 100 = 11%
Engagement Rate (click-to-send) = (90 / 5,000) × 100 = 1.8%
Each tells a different story. Click-to-open shows email strength. Click-to-send reveals list quality.
3. Short-Form Video on LinkedIn
"DevOpSync" posts a 40-second explainer with captions. It gets 10,000 views and 400 engagements (likes, comments, saves).
Engagement Rate = (400 / 10,000) × 100 = 4%
Above average, especially for technical content.
4. Whitepaper Landing Page
"FinScope," a fintech SaaS, promotes a whitepaper via LinkedIn ads. The landing page sees 2,000 visits. 300 people download it.
Engagement Rate = (300 / 2,000) × 100 = 15%
High, because the value is clear and friction is low (no long form).
5. SlideShare Deck from Conference Talk
"CloudUnit" uploads a SlideShare recap from their CEO’s keynote. It’s embedded in a blog, shared on social, and emailed. Across all channels, it gets 6,500 views and 250 total interactions.
Engagement Rate = (250 / 6,500) × 100 = 3.8%
Helps them decide whether to invest in future speaking opportunities.
Best Practices to Improve Engagement Rate
Know your platform benchmarks
What’s considered a "good" engagement rate varies. 2% may be great on LinkedIn, but low for email. Always measure against the right baseline.
Focus on content that invites interaction
Ask questions. Encourage feedback. Use polls or CTA-driven content. Passive content = passive response.
Test format and timing
Sometimes it’s not the content, but when and how it’s delivered. Test thumbnails, hooks, subject lines, or post times. Work on you format.
Segment your audience
Your top 10 accounts may engage at higher rates than broad lists. Compare engagement across segments to surface what resonates with key ICPs. Use dynamic content to tailor what each segment sees, improving relevance and click potential.
Repurpose content that already performs
High engagement is a signal. Turn top posts into videos. Expand email topics into blog series. Slice one winning post into three.
Track engagement in context
Engagement alone isn’t success. But as part of a broader set of video metrics, it helps you understand how content is performing across touchpoints.
Why Engagement Rate Matters
- Shows content relevance in real time
- Predicts content that may convert or go viral
- Fuels algorithm visibility on social platforms
- Validates messaging before scaling campaigns
- Identifies advocates and warm leads