Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms, with over 1 billion monthly active users. For many Instagram users, especially influencers and businesses, likes are an important metric to gauge engagement and measure success.
Average Number of Likes on Instagram
On average, an Instagram post receives 79 likes. However, this number varies greatly depending on factors like number of followers, post type and content, use of hashtags, etc. Instagram posts with higher than average engagement can receive hundreds or even thousands of likes.
Here are some key statistics on average Instagram likes:
- Personal accounts with 500-1,000 followers receive an average of 150 likes per post.
- Micro-influencers with 1,000-10,000 followers average about 400 likes per post.
- Macro-influencers with 100,000-500,000 followers get over 1,500 likes per post.
- Celebrity accounts with over 1 million followers receive over 10,000 likes on their posts.
Posts with above average engagement can get up to 2-4 times more likes than these averages. Things like giveaways, viral challenges, controversial topics, etc. can result in posts going “Instagram viral” with tens of thousands of likes.
Factors That Impact Instagram Likes
There are many factors that impact how many likes an Instagram post can receive. Some key factors include:
- Follower Count – Accounts with more followers tend to get more likes. A 10x growth in followers leads to a 10x growth in likes.
- Engagement Rate – Accounts with higher engagement rates receive more likes per follower. Typical engagement rate is 2-5%.
- Post Type – Photo posts tend to get more engagement than videos, reels and carousels.
- Post Quality – High quality, interesting photos and videos receive more likes than random, low-quality posts.
- Captions – Captions that are engaging, use emojis/questions and include relevant hashtags get more likes.
- Hashtags – Using popular and niche hashtags helps reach more users who can like posts.
- Geotags – Adding location helps reach local audiences who are more likely to engage.
- Filters – Posts with valuable filters and editing tend to look more aesthetically pleasing.
- Timing – Posting when target audiences are most active brings in more likes.
- Influencer Marketing – Getting reposts/shares from influencers exposes posts to new audiences.
- Paid Advertising – Instagram ads and promoted posts can boost post reach and likes.
- External Promotion – Sharing Instagram posts on other platforms drives additional traffic and likes.
How Many Likes for Different Account Types
The number of likes accounts get varies greatly based on their category and audience. Here are some averages:
| Account Type | Average Likes Per Post |
|---|---|
| Personal Account (500 followers) | 150 likes |
| Micro-Influencer (5,000 followers) | 500 likes |
| Macro-Influencer (250,000 followers) | 5,000 likes |
| Celebrity (5M+ followers) | 200,000 likes |
| Brand (50,000 followers) | 1,000 likes |
| Niche Meme Page (150,000 followers) | 15,000 likes |
As you can see, larger accounts with bigger audiences tend to receive more likes. However, engagement rate is also a major factor. A meme page with a highly engaged audience can perform as well as an influencer with 10X more followers.
How to Get More Likes on Instagram
Here are some tips to get more likes on Instagram:
- Post high-quality, valuable content consistently
- Use relevant hashtags, especially low-competition niche tags
- Engage with your audience by replying to comments
- Run contests and giveaways to grow followers
- Collaborate with micro-influencers in your niche
- Optimize your Instagram profile and bio
- Leverage Instagram ads to promote your best content
- Analyze your best-performing post types and do more of that
- Post at optimal times when your audience is most active
- Use Instagram stories to promote your posts
- Encourage your followers to like, comment and tag friends
Average Likes Based on Follower Count
Here is a breakdown of the average likes per post based on an account’s number of followers:
| Followers | Average Likes Per Post |
|---|---|
| 100 followers | 30-50 likes |
| 500 followers | 100-200 likes |
| 1,000 followers | 200-400 likes |
| 10,000 followers | 500-1,000 likes |
| 50,000 followers | 1,000-2,500 likes |
| 100,000 followers | 2,500-5,000 likes |
| 500,000 followers | 5,000-10,000 likes |
| 1 million followers | 10,000-20,000 likes |
These numbers are just averages, actual performance depends on engagement rate and content quality. Some influencers with 1 million followers average 100,000+ likes per post. The takeaway is that more followers equals more potential likes.
How Many Likes for Businesses and Brands
For businesses and brands, likes help measure audience interest and engagement with their products/services. Here are some benchmarks:
- Startups: 100-500 likes per post
- Small business: 500-1,500 likes per post
- Medium business: 1,000-5,000 likes per post
- Large corporation: 5,000-50,000+ likes per post
However, these averages vary greatly based on factors like industry, product type and existing brand awareness. A popular consumer brand will get more likes than a B2B enterprise tech company.
Niche products also tend to have smaller but more targeted audiences. For example, a craft beer brand may only get 2,000 likes but have high engagement, while a mass market CPG brand gets 20,000 likes from a broader base.
Tips for Brands to Get More Likes
- Showcase product visuals and videos
- Highlight user-generated content
- Run giveaways and contests to build followers
- Engage with followers by replying to comments
- Partner with aligned micro-influencers
- Use promotional techniques like contests and giveaways
- Advertise new products and services
- Behind-the-scenes content performs well
Purchase Instagram Likes
Some Instagram users and brands choose to purchase likes from third-party providers to artificially inflate their numbers. This practice is generally not recommended for the following reasons:
- Purchased likes come from bot accounts that are often easy to identify, negatively impacting legitimacy.
- Buying likes can get your account shadowbanned or suspended for violating Instagram’s terms.
- Purchased likes disappear quickly as bot accounts are deleted frequently.
- Fake likes don’t boost real engagement or help build your audience and brand.
The best practice is to grow your account organically by posting great content, engaging with your audience, optimizing hashtags/timing, running contests, collaborating with others and leveraging Instagram ads. These methods help build real followers who like and engage with your brand.
Tracking Your Instagram Likes
It’s important to track your Instagram likes over time to gauge what content resonates best with your audience. Here are some ways to track likes:
- Use Instagram’s built-in Insights to view likes, engagement rate and top posts.
- Use third-party analytics tools like Iconosquare, SocialBlade and Influencer Marketing Hub.
- Track likes over time manually by keeping count as you post.
- Analyze your top-performing posts to identify common themes and tactics.
- Compare likes between different types of content like photos, videos, Stories, etc.
- See when your followers are most active by posting at different times.
- Set goals for likes per post and monitor progress over weeks/months.
Tracking likes provides valuable data to fine-tune your Instagram strategy for maximum engagement and growth.
Typical Engagement Rate on Instagram
Engagement rate is the percentage of followers who like and comment on your posts on average. Benchmark Instagram engagement rate is around 2-5% for most accounts.
Here are some typical engagement rates:
- Personal accounts: 3-8%
- Micro-influencers: 3-7%
- Macro-influencers: 1-3%
- Celebrities: 0.5-2%
- Brands: 1-3%
Niche meme and quotes accounts often have the highest engagement, getting 5-10% on average. Massive celebrity accounts have lower engagement rates since their gigantic follower count is largely passive.
The key is to analyze your own engagement rate and aim to increase it over time. More likes and comments per follower signals an engaged, invested audience.
Conclusion
The number of likes per Instagram post varies widely based on many factors. Typical averages range from 100 likes for personal accounts to over 100,000 likes for celebrity accounts. However, engagement rate based on followers and content quality is a bigger driver than follower count alone.
Organic, consistent posting of high-quality content, optimizing hashtags/timing, engaging with your audience and running promotions are the best ways to get more Instagram likes. While possible, purchasing likes is not recommended and could get your account suspended. Track your likes regularly to fine-tune your Instagram strategy for maximum growth and engagement.
