Engagement rate
Metric for creator influence: (likes + comments + shares) / followers per post, usually %. Standard ~1-3% for normal account, >5% considered high, <0.5% indicates fake followers or cold followers.
Good metric because it normalizes for follower count: 1K followers + 100 likes per post = 10% (excellent); 1M followers + 100 likes = 0.01% (suspect). Brands use engagement rate for influencer pricing (lower rate → lower fee). Anti-gaming: engagement pods (private groups that auto-like/comment each other's posts) create artificial rate. Modern alternative: reach rate (impressions/followers), watch time, save rate. TikTok is a save-heavy platform — save is stronger signal than like. Instagram trend: comments quality > quantity.