An engagement rate spreadsheet you can build in ten minutes

You do not need a paid tool to calculate engagement rate. Four columns and two formulas do it, and a spreadsheet has an advantage no online calculator offers: you see the denominator, so you never compare two numbers that do not compare.

Table structure

One row per video. Four columns entered by hand:

Then three formula columns. Assuming the first data row is row 2 and the follower count sits in cell $H$1:

E2  (interactions)        = B2 + C2 + D2
F2  (by views, %)         = IF(A2>0, E2/A2*100, "")
G2  (by followers, %)     = IF($H$1>0, E2/$H$1*100, "")

Fill down. Then three summary cells:

Median views              = MEDIAN(A2:A61)
Median rate by views      = MEDIAN(F2:F61)
Absolute interactions     = MEDIAN(A2:A61) * MEDIAN(F2:F61) / 100

Use MEDIAN rather than AVERAGE: one viral video pulls a mean up and makes the number meaningless. See why median.

How to read the three summary cells

Median views is what you buy when booking, not the follower count.

Median rate by views is the number comparable to public benchmarks — see what counts as good.

Absolute interactions is the number comparable between a small channel and a large one. Divide it by the price of one post for cost per interaction, and that is the deciding number.

One more column worth adding

Add a posting-date column. It tells you whether these 45 videos span six weeks or nearly a year, which is the precondition for comparing two channels. See posting frequency.

When a spreadsheet is not enough

A spreadsheet is fine for one or two channels. For ten channels, opening 450 videos and typing four numbers each is about three hours, and one mistyped digit ruins a row.

Channel report — 5 credits — reads the 60 most recent videos and returns exactly the numbers above, already calculated on both denominators. Ten channels is 50 credits. That is when paying beats typing, not before.

Every figure is an estimate from public data the platform displays.

Frequently asked questions

Should I include a video posted today? No. A new video has not accumulated views and will drag the figure down. Drop the newest few.

Do saves count as interactions? In the common formula, yes. If you cannot get save counts, state in your report that your formula covers only likes, comments and shares.

Does this work for Instagram or YouTube? The formula does, but the benchmarks do not — each platform runs at a different level. See reading a YouTube channel and reading an Instagram profile.