CreatorCalc
Analytics

Cost Per Engagement Calculator

Measure the cost per like, comment, share, or save on influencer and paid social campaigns. Calculate CPE to compare campaign performance and negotiate better rates.

Campaign Details

$

Total investment for this campaign

Total accounts the content reached

Likes + comments + shares + saves

Helps contextualise your results

Engagement Campaign Metrics

Cost Per Engagement (CPE)
$0.4000
Benchmark: $0.10–$0.50 on Instagram
Engagement Rate
5.00%
7.5K engagements from 150.0K impressions
CPM (cost per 1,000 impressions)
$20.00
Cost per 1% Engagement Rate
$600.00

Campaign Efficiency Score

4/10

Below average — CPE exceeds benchmark.

Instagram CPE Benchmark

$0.10–$0.50
Within benchmark range

Note

CPE benchmarks vary by industry, creative quality, and creator audience fit. Engagement metrics differ by platform — a "like" on LinkedIn signals far more intent than a like on TikTok. Always define engagement types clearly in your brief before comparing across campaigns.

How the Formula Works

Formula
CPE = Total Spend / Total Engagements Engagements = Likes + Comments + Shares + Saves Engagement Rate = Engagements / Reach × 100%

Variables

CPECost Per Engagement — total spend divided by number of meaningful interactions
EngagementsAll meaningful interactions: likes, comments, shares, saves, link clicks
ReachNumber of unique accounts that saw the content

Worked Example

Influencer campaign cost $2,000 and generated 8,000 engagements. CPE = $2,000 / 8,000 = $0.25. Instagram benchmark CPE is $0.10–$0.80 depending on niche and engagement type.

CPE Benchmarks by Platform

Instagram average CPE: $0.10–$0.80. TikTok: $0.05–$0.50 (highly variable). YouTube (comment/like): $0.03–$0.15. Facebook: $0.08–$0.40. Pinterest: $0.10–$1.50. CPE varies most by content quality, audience relevance, and whether the action required (save vs. like) is higher or lower friction.

Frequently Asked Questions

A good CPE depends on the type of engagement. Likes are cheap ($0.05–$0.15). Comments are more valuable ($0.50–$2.00). Saves (especially Instagram) indicate purchase intent and can be worth $1–$5 each. When evaluating influencer campaigns, weight saves and shares more than likes.

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