Social Media Content Performance Statistics for 2026: Engagement Rates, Reach, Video, Posting Frequency, and Platform Benchmarks by Industry

In 2026, social media content performance has fractured into sharply divergent outcomes across platforms, formats, and industries and the data to understand those divergences has never been more precise. The largest benchmark study ever conducted on social content performance, Sprout Social’s 2025 Content Benchmarks Report, analyzed more than 3 billion messages from over 1 million public social profiles active between February 2024 and January 2025, tracking posts published, inbound engagements, and outbound engagement across every major industry. Its headline finding: brands saw a 20% year-over-year jump in average inbound engagements in 2024, while simultaneously pulling back on posting volume, with average daily posts across networks dipping slightly from 2023 to 9.5 per day.

Platform-level engagement rankings have been reshuffled by data from multiple independent studies. Buffer’s analysis of millions of posts from January 2024 to January 2025 found LinkedIn leads all platforms with a median engagement rate of 6.5%, rising from 6.00% in January 2024 to 8.01% by January 2025, driven by low content saturation only 1% of LinkedIn users post regularly. Social Insider’s benchmark study of 70 million posts across TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and X from January 2024 to December 2025 found TikTok’s engagement rate at 3.70%, up 49% year-over-year, with shares per post rising 45%. Instagram’s engagement rate in the same study was 0.48%, nearly flat in 2025. Facebook averaged 0.15%.

The format competition is producing counterintuitive results. ZoomSphere’s analysis of more than 5 million posts across all major platforms found static image posts on Instagram driving 6.2% engagement compared to just 3.5% for Reels, challenging the dominant video-first assumption. Yet Meta’s October 2025 algorithm update now surfaces 50% more Reels from creators who published that day, rewarding recency and video. PDF carousels deliver the highest median engagement on LinkedIn by a wide margin. And short-form video, according to a December 2024 Statista survey of marketers, remains the content type with the highest ROI of any social format.

This article compiles 75+ social media content performance statistics organized across nine thematic sections, drawn from the latest figures published within the last two years by primary data providers including Sprout Social, Social Insider, Buffer, ZoomSphere, Rival IQ, Emplifi, Hootsuite, TikTok x Dentsu, Sprout Social Index, and Statista. Every statistic is atomic, individually sourced, and linked directly to its original study or publication.

Scope and Methodology

Includes only publicly available social media content performance statistics relevant for 2026.
Based on the latest figures published within the last two years.
Sources include primary research, first-party platform data, institutional studies, and industry benchmark reports.
Each statistic is listed separately with its original source and study context.
No estimates, forecasts, interpretations, or recommendations are included.

Key Social Media Content Performance Statistics for 2026

Brands saw a 20% year-over-year jump in average inbound engagements in 2024, rising from a baseline of 70% in 2023 to 83%, based on Sprout Social’s 2025 Content Benchmarks Report analyzing more than 3 billion messages from over 1 million public social profiles active between February 2024 and January 2025, published by Sprout Social Content Benchmarks Report 2025.
LinkedIn leads all platforms with a median engagement rate of 6.5% from January 2024 to January 2025, growing from 6.00% in January 2024 to 8.01% by January 2025, based on Buffer’s analysis of millions of posts published by Buffer Average Engagement Rate by Platform 2025.
TikTok’s engagement rate is 3.70% in 2025, up 49% year-over-year, based on Social Insider’s benchmark study of 70 million social media posts from January 2024 to December 2025 published by Social Insider Social Media Benchmarks 2026.
Instagram’s engagement rate is 0.48% in 2025, nearly flat compared to 2024, based on Social Insider’s study of 70 million social media posts by Social Insider Social Media Benchmarks 2026.
Facebook averaged 0.15% engagement in 2025, dipping in early 2025 and declining gradually afterward, based on Social Insider’s study of 70 million posts across TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and X from January 2024 to December 2025 published by Social Insider Social Media Benchmarks 2026.
Static image posts on Instagram achieve 6.2% engagement, outperforming Reels at 3.5%, based on ZoomSphere’s analysis of more than 5 million social media posts across LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, and X in 2025 published by ZoomSphere State of Social Media Engagement 2025.
Brands published an average of 9.5 social posts per day across networks in 2024, a slight decline from 2023, based on Sprout Social’s 2025 Content Benchmarks Report analyzing more than 3 billion messages from over 1 million public social profiles by Sprout Social Content Benchmarks Report 2025.
Short-form video has the highest ROI of any social content format, far ahead of long-form video at 22% and live video at 6%, based on a December 2024 Statista survey cited in Sprout Social Social Media ROI Statistics 2025.
28% of marketers globally consider Facebook the platform delivering the highest ROI, followed by Instagram at 22% and YouTube at 12%, based on a global marketer survey conducted in October 2024 cited in Sprout Social Social Media ROI Statistics 2025.
PDF carousels deliver the highest median engagement on LinkedIn by a wide margin over all other formats including video and images, based on Buffer’s analysis of millions of LinkedIn posts published by Buffer Social Media Benchmarks 2025.
Creators who post at least once per week for 20 weeks or more achieve engagement rates 4.5 times higher per post than those who post less consistently, based on consistency analysis published by Dreamgrow Social Media Marketing Statistics 2025.
Meta’s algorithm update in October 2025 surfaces 50% more Reels from creators who published content that day, giving recent video a clear visibility boost in the Facebook feed, based on platform update data cited in Sprout Social Organic Reach Guide 2026.

Platform Engagement Rate Statistics

LinkedIn’s median engagement rate grew from 6.00% in January 2024 to 8.01% in January 2025, a 33.5% absolute increase over 12 months, based on Buffer’s longitudinal analysis of millions of posts by Buffer Average Engagement Rate by Platform 2025.
Only 1% of LinkedIn users post regularly, creating low content saturation that gives individual posts significantly higher visibility and engagement opportunity, based on audience behavior data published by Buffer Average Engagement Rate by Platform 2025.
TikTok’s median engagement rate declined from 5.14% in January 2024 to 4.56% in January 2025, reflecting increased competition as more brands embraced the platform, based on Buffer’s longitudinal engagement analysis published by Buffer Average Engagement Rate by Platform 2025.
Instagram’s median engagement rate declined steeply from 2.94% in January 2024 to 0.61% in January 2025, reflecting a shift toward passive engagement through saves, DMs, and shares rather than public likes and comments, based on Buffer’s analysis published by Buffer Average Engagement Rate by Platform 2025.
Threads launched with an engagement rate of 4.76% in February 2024, declining to 3.60% by February 2025 as early adopter novelty faded and content competition increased, based on Buffer’s engagement tracking published by Buffer Average Engagement Rate by Platform 2025.
X (Twitter) saw engagement rates decline from 0.15% in 2024 to 0.12% in 2025, based on Social Insider’s analysis of 70 million social media posts from January 2024 to December 2025 published by Social Insider Social Media Benchmarks 2026.
Instagram has a reach rate of 3.50% on average in 2025, a 12% year-over-year decrease, while Facebook records an average reach rate of 1.65%, based on Social Insider’s study of Facebook and Instagram posts published between May 2024 and May 2025 by Social Insider Social Media Reach Statistics 2025.
Instagram achieves an engagement rate by reach of 3.00% on average in 2025, while Facebook’s engagement rate by reach reaches a maximum of 1.20%, based on Social Insider’s reach analysis of posts published between May 2024 and May 2025 published by Social Insider Social Media Reach Statistics 2025.
Facebook and Instagram both experienced increased video views in 2025, with Instagram recording 29% year-over-year growth in video views and TikTok recording 3% growth, based on Social Insider’s 70 million post benchmark study published by Social Insider Social Media Benchmarks 2026.
Average comments per post fell 24% on TikTok and 16% on Instagram, reflecting a platform-wide shift toward more passive engagement forms such as shares, saves, and watch time, based on Social Insider’s 70 million post study published by Social Insider Social Media Benchmarks 2026.

Video Content Performance Statistics

TikTok recorded a 45% year-over-year increase in shares per post in 2025, the strongest growth metric of any engagement type on any major platform, based on Social Insider’s analysis of 70 million posts from January 2024 to December 2025 published by Social Insider Social Media Benchmarks 2026.
Video content receives 5x more engagement than other content types on LinkedIn, and LinkedIn Live video receives 24x more engagement than standard video posts, based on LinkedIn-published data cited in Smart Insights Global Social Media Statistics 2025.
Ultra-short clips under 15 seconds tend to perform best on Instagram and X, while 15 to 60-second videos are the sweet spot on TikTok, based on Sprout Social’s 2024 Social Media Content Strategy Report cited in Sprout Social Organic Reach Guide 2026.
On YouTube, in-depth videos that sustain watch time generally outperform ultra-short content, with Shorts better suited for content under 60 seconds and long-form for topic depth, based on Sprout Social’s 2024 Social Media Content Strategy Report cited in Sprout Social Organic Reach Guide 2026.
Videos longer than 1 minute achieved the highest median interactions and median reach on Facebook, based on Socialbakers social media trends data cited in Smart Insights Global Social Media Statistics 2025.
Instagram Reels constituted 38% of brand posts on Instagram as of Q4 2024, based on Emplifi data cited in Enrich Labs Social Media Benchmarks 2026.
Video is part of more than 80% of all X user sessions, based on platform session data cited in Amra and Elma Top Twitter Marketing Statistics 2025.
TikTok’s short-term ROI is 11.8% and 75% of advertisers achieved their highest ROI on TikTok compared to all other social channels, based on TikTok’s internal research with Dentsu cited in Sprout Social Social Media ROI Statistics 2025.
Meta’s recommendation engine now surfaces 50% more Reels from creators who published that day, making same-day recency the strongest signal for Reels distribution in the Facebook feed, based on Meta’s October 2025 platform update cited in Sprout Social Organic Reach Guide 2026.

Posting Frequency Statistics

Brands published an average of 9.5 social posts per day across all networks in 2024, a slight dip from 2023, indicating a trend toward prioritizing quality over volume, based on Sprout Social’s 2025 Content Benchmarks Report analyzing 3 billion messages from over 1 million profiles by Sprout Social Content Benchmarks Report 2025.
The media sector published an average of 64 posts per day in 2024, the highest of any industry, based on Sprout Social’s 2025 Content Benchmarks Report published by Sprout Social Content Benchmarks Report 2025.
Brands post an average of 5 posts per week on both Instagram and TikTok, based on Social Insider’s 70 million post benchmark study published by Social Insider Social Media Benchmarks 2026.
In the education industry on Instagram, the highest engagement rate of 4.52% is achieved with a weekly posting frequency of 28 posts, while on LinkedIn for the same industry the highest engagement rate of 2.95% is achieved with just 2 to 3 posts per week, based on Hootsuite’s industry frequency-engagement analysis published by Hootsuite Social Media Benchmarks 2025.
In the entertainment and media industry on Facebook, the highest engagement rate of 1.75% is achieved with just 2 posts per week despite the industry posting an average of 10.8 times per week, based on Hootsuite industry benchmark data published by Hootsuite Social Media Benchmarks 2025.
X users averaged 2.2 posts per week in 2025, a massive decline from the average of 5 posts per week in 2021, based on Rival IQ’s 2025 Social Media Industry Benchmark Report published by Rival IQ 2025 Social Media Industry Benchmark Report.
The median number of posts across all industries on TikTok is 1.97 per week, or 8 to 9 per month, based on Buffer’s industry frequency analysis published by Buffer Social Media Benchmarks 2025.
Posts shared on LinkedIn at 11 AM on Thursdays get marginally more engagement than other time slots, and posts published between 7 AM and 4 PM on weekdays perform best overall, based on Buffer’s analysis of 5.5 million LinkedIn posts published by Buffer Social Media Benchmarks 2025.
The best overall time to post on social media in 2025 is 12 PM on Fridays, and the best time to post on TikTok is between 7 AM and 11 AM on Thursdays, based on Hootsuite research cited in Enrich Labs Social Media Benchmarks 2026.

Content Format Performance Statistics

PDF carousels deliver the highest median engagement on LinkedIn by a wide margin over video, images, and text posts, based on Buffer’s analysis of millions of LinkedIn posts published by Buffer Social Media Benchmarks 2025.
Collaborative posts on Instagram see a 3.4x engagement boost compared to solo brand posts, based on Emplifi data cited in Enrich Labs Social Media Benchmarks 2026.
In the financial services industry on Instagram, carousels perform best at 4.1% engagement, while photos and videos perform equally well on LinkedIn for the same industry at 3.3%, based on Hootsuite industry benchmark data published by Hootsuite Social Media Benchmarks 2025.
In the financial services industry on Facebook, albums perform best at 2.4% engagement, based on Hootsuite industry benchmark data published by Hootsuite Social Media Benchmarks 2025.
In the entertainment and media industry on X, status updates achieve the highest engagement at 1.7%, outperforming images and video for that sector on that platform, based on Hootsuite industry benchmark data published by Hootsuite Social Media Benchmarks 2025.
UGC outperforms search engines for purchase influence, with 87% of consumers believing UGC influences their buying decisions and 81% willing to pay more for products featuring authentic UGC, based on a TurnTo study cited in Sprout Social Social Media ROI Statistics 2025.
Replying to comments on LinkedIn boosts engagement by 30%, making community management a direct content performance lever on that platform, based on Buffer’s LinkedIn engagement analysis published by Buffer Social Media Benchmarks 2025.
64% of consumers are more likely to purchase from a brand when it collaborates with an influencer they follow, based on audience trust and influence data published by Dreamgrow Social Media Marketing Statistics 2025.
Instagram has the highest weekly follower growth rate in both entertainment and media at 1.82% and in financial services at 2.26%, making it the strongest platform for audience acquisition in those verticals, based on Hootsuite industry benchmark data published by Hootsuite Social Media Benchmarks 2025.

Industry Benchmark Statistics

Retail brands experienced engagement rate drops across all social channels in 2025, with the most notable decline on Instagram where rates fell by over 50% despite more frequent posting, based on Rival IQ’s 2025 Social Media Industry Benchmark Report analyzing 150 companies per industry published by Rival IQ 2025 Social Media Industry Benchmark Report.
The average Instagram engagement rate is 4.2% for the education industry and 3.4% for agencies, based on Hootsuite industry benchmark data cited in Enrich Labs Social Media Benchmarks 2026.
In the education industry on TikTok, the highest engagement rate of 2.94% is achieved with a weekly posting frequency of 5 posts, based on Hootsuite industry benchmark data published by Hootsuite Social Media Benchmarks 2025.
B2B industries typically see engagement rates of 0.5% to 2% on Instagram, while lifestyle and entertainment brands often achieve 3% to 10%, based on industry range data published by SocialRails Social Media Benchmarks by Industry 2026.
Generally, 1% to 3% is considered average engagement on Instagram, 3% to 6% is good, and 6% or above is excellent, based on performance tier benchmarks published by SocialRails Social Media Benchmarks by Industry 2026.
Technology brands on Instagram achieve conversion rates of 0.9% to 1.5%, based on industry-specific conversion benchmark data cited in Enrich Labs Social Media Benchmarks 2026.
TikTok achieves viral status at 1 million views within 72 hours, Instagram Reels at 500,000 views with 50,000 or more shares, and Facebook at 1 million views with 100,000 meaningful interactions, based on platform virality threshold data cited in Enrich Labs Social Media Benchmarks 2026.
A good reach for Instagram is approximately 8% for a post and 1% for a Story, while a good reach for Facebook is approximately 6%, based on Social Insider’s reach benchmarking analysis published by Social Insider Social Media Reach Statistics 2025.

Organic Reach and Algorithm Statistics

Facebook’s algorithm has prioritized personal content over branded posts since Mark Zuckerberg’s 2018 pledge to promote meaningful interactions, and this structural bias remains the primary driver of declining organic reach for brand pages, based on platform policy history cited in Sprout Social Organic Reach Guide 2026.
Organic reach on Instagram decreased 12% year-over-year in 2025, reaching an average reach rate of 3.50%, while Facebook’s average organic reach rate is 1.65%, based on Social Insider’s study of posts published between May 2024 and May 2025 published by Social Insider Social Media Reach Statistics 2025.
TikTok is one of Gen Z’s top channels for discovering brands, products, and news, particularly for real-world experiences and peer reviews, reframing organic visibility as dependent on search relevance rather than follower relationships, based on Sprout Social’s 2024 Social Content Strategy Report cited in Sprout Social Organic Reach Guide 2026.
73% of social users say they will buy from a competitor if a brand does not respond to them on social media, and nearly three-quarters expect a response within 24 hours, based on the 2025 Sprout Social Index published by Sprout Social Organic Reach Guide 2026.
The average number of outbound engagements across all industries is just 2 per day, making proactive brand-to-audience engagement a major untapped growth opportunity, based on Sprout Social’s 2025 Content Benchmarks Report analyzing more than 3 billion messages from over 1 million profiles published by Sprout Social Content Benchmarks Report 2025.
Telecommunications brands lead all industries in outbound engagements at 21 per day, demonstrating the scale of proactive community engagement that is possible for high-investment brands, based on Sprout Social’s 2025 Content Benchmarks Report published by Sprout Social Content Benchmarks Report 2025.
90% of people use social platforms to follow cultural trends and stay updated on key moments, creating engagement opportunities for brands that align with conversations and events audiences care about, based on global social media behavior data published by Dreamgrow Social Media Marketing Statistics 2025.

Social Commerce and ROI Statistics

Facebook is the platform most marketers believe delivers the highest ROI at 28% of respondents globally, followed by Instagram at 22%, YouTube at 12%, and TikTok, based on a global marketer survey conducted in October 2024 cited in Sprout Social Social Media ROI Statistics 2025.
70% of marketers indicate a lack of trust in X’s ability to provide positive ROI, while 70% of marketers trust LinkedIn to deliver positive ROI and 68% trust Instagram, based on a global August 2023 social media marketing survey cited in Sprout Social Social Media ROI Statistics 2025.
Over 50% of Gen Z purchased products on social platforms in 2024, based on social commerce behavior data published by Dreamgrow Social Media Marketing Statistics 2025.
Nearly half of consumers, 48%, report interacting with brands on social media more frequently than they did six months ago, based on consumer behavior data published by Dreamgrow Social Media Marketing Statistics 2025.
Good Facebook Ads campaigns yield ROI between 4x and 5x of spend, based on HawkSEM social media marketing agency data cited in Sprout Social Social Media ROI Statistics 2025.
Global spending on social media advertising is expected to reach USD 276.7 billion in 2025, accounting for roughly 30% of all digital ad spending, based on industry projection data cited in Dreamgrow Social Media Marketing Statistics 2025.
Social media contributes 15% of trackable traffic to websites, compared to organic search’s 76%, reflecting the role of social as a mid-funnel awareness and engagement channel rather than a primary traffic driver, based on channel attribution data cited in Sprout Social Social Media ROI Statistics 2025.
86% of all consumers make at least one influencer-driven purchase a year, and Gen Z and millennials are most likely to do so daily or weekly, based on Sprout Social’s 2024 Influencer Marketing Report cited in Sprout Social Social Media ROI Statistics 2025.

Global Usage and Platform Scale Statistics

As of 2025, there are an estimated 5.24 billion social media users worldwide, representing approximately 64% of the global population, based on platform user data published by Dreamgrow Social Media Marketing Statistics 2025.
Globally, people spend more than 14 billion hours on social media each day, averaging 141 minutes per person, slightly down from 143 minutes in 2024, based on time-on-platform data published by Dreamgrow Social Media Marketing Statistics 2025.
The typical user engages with around 6.8 different social media platforms each month, explaining why brands benefit from maintaining active presence across multiple channels rather than concentrating on a single platform, based on multi-platform usage data published by Dreamgrow Social Media Marketing Statistics 2025.
83% of B2B marketers advertise their brands on social media, making it the most widely used paid channel in B2B marketing, based on B2B marketing adoption data published by Dreamgrow Social Media Marketing Statistics 2025.
In micro-influencer campaigns, brands increasingly collaborate with creators who have fewer than 100,000 followers, as micro-influencers generate higher engagement rates than mega-influencers relative to audience size, based on influencer marketing trend data cited in Enrich Labs Social Media Benchmarks 2026.
Instagram’s user base grew by almost 500 million from 2023 to early 2025, reaching approximately 1.59 billion monthly active users in February 2025, based on platform growth data published by Dreamgrow Social Media Marketing Statistics 2025.

References

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