Social media benchmarks: 2026 data + tips

How do you know if 100 likes is good or not?

That’s where social media benchmarks come in. They show you what’s typical for metrics like engagement and growth, so you can understand how your results compare to similar brands.

In this guide, we break down the latest benchmarks for key industries to help you see where you stand right now.

Key takeaways

TikTok has the highest weekly follower growth rate at 197%, making it a strong platform for growing your audience.
Albums perform best on Facebook (2.9%), carousels on Instagram (4.2%), and videos on LinkedIn (3.9%).
Posting more isn’t always better. In many cases, a few well-timed posts per week drive higher engagement than posting daily.
Use social media benchmarks to set smarter goals. They show you what’s realistic, so you’re not aiming too high or too low.
Hootsuite makes benchmarking easy. Find and track industry benchmarks in just a few clicks.

What is a social media benchmark?

A social media benchmark is an industry standard that helps you measure your performance against similar brands.

In other words, it shows what “good” looks like for metrics like engagement, reach, and growth, so you’re not evaluating your results in a vacuum.

Social media benchmarks provide important context for your social media KPIs. While tracking your own social performance over time is valuable, benchmarks help you understand how you stack up against the broader industry and where there’s room to improve.

They also help you set realistic social media goals. Different industries perform differently on social media. For example, entertainment brands often see higher engagement than healthcare organizations.

Knowing what’s typical for your industry helps you set targets that are ambitious, but achievable (without burning out your social team).

#1 Social media tool

Create. Schedule. Publish. Engage. Measure. Win.

Start your free trial

How to find social media benchmarks

Finding reliable social media benchmarks manually can be time-consuming and inconsistent.

Fortunately, Hootsuite Analytics has a built-in social media benchmarking tool that allows you to compare your social performance against industry averages with just a couple of clicks.

To get started, head to Analytics in your Hootsuite dashboard. Under Benchmarking, select Industry, then choose the category that best matches your business.

Selecting an industry in Hootsuite Analytics Industry Benchmarking

From here, you can compare your social media performance against industry averages across key metrics like:

Profile impressions
Reach
Followers
Audience growth rate
Engagement rate
Video plays
Posting frequency
Clicks and shares

You can also customize timeframes and switch between social media platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, X (Twitter), LinkedIn, and TikTok.

Industry benchmarking in Hootsuite Analytics; Two graphs comparing post engagement rate and post like numbers.

Beyond benchmarking, Hootsuite also surfaces recommendations to help you improve performance based on your results.

Industry benchmarking in Hootsuite Analytics: Performance summary with dedicated resources for improvement

And when it’s time to share insights, you can export your reports as a PDF to present to stakeholders.

Bonus!!!

Get a free, customizable competitive analysis template to easily size up the competition and identify opportunities for your brand to pull ahead.

2026 social media benchmarks by industry

Social media benchmarks in education

Best content type to post on Facebook

In the education industry, albums perform best on Facebook at 5.2%.

Best content type to post on Instagram

In the education industry, carousels perform best on Instagram at 5.4%, offering an interactive, visual-forward way for users to consume educational content.

Best content type to post on LinkedIn

In the education industry, photos and videos perform equally well on LinkedIn at 3.0%, providing a visually appealing way to view educational content.

Best content type to post on TikTok

In the education industry, videos perform best on TikTok at 2.3%.

Best content type to post on X (Twitter)

In the education industry, status updates perform best on X (Twitter) at 2.4%.

What is the average follower growth rate in the education industry?

On TikTok, educational institutions saw an average weekly follower growth of 2.28%.

How often should you post on social media in the education industry?

Our research found that the education industry posts on X (Twitter) an average of 10.1 times a week.

Weekly frequency and engagement rates in education on Facebook

On Facebook, educational institutions that posted twice per week saw a higher engagement rate of 2.97%.

Weekly frequency and engagement rates in education on Instagram

In the education industry on Instagram, the highest engagement rate of 4.52% is achieved with a weekly posting frequency of 28 posts.

Weekly frequency and engagement rates in education on LinkedIn

In the education industry on LinkedIn, the highest engagement rate of 2.95% is achieved with a weekly posting frequency of 2-3 posts.

Weekly frequency and engagement rates in education on X (Twitter)

In the education industry on X (Twitter), the highest engagement rate of 2.61% is achieved with a weekly posting frequency of 2 posts.

Weekly frequency and engagement rates in education on TikTok

In the education industry on TikTok, the highest engagement rate of 2.94% is achieved by posting 5 times per week.

For more education-specific benchmarks, including the best times to post, the most engaging content formats, and stats for more major social networks, check out our dedicated post on social media benchmarks for education.