Instagram Reels Averaged 11% Engagement Across 20 Branded Campaigns

Instagram Reels averaged 11% engagement in a new analysis of branded social campaigns.

Li Lu and Catherine Wolf at Glossy examined 1,755 posts across 20 campaigns using data collected by Dash Social. The posts appeared on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube between January and September 2026.

Within the Instagram sample, Reels had the highest average engagement rate at 11%. Static posts averaged 7%, and carousels averaged 5%.

Glossy calculated Instagram engagement by dividing engagement by follower count. Views were not included in that rate.

That definition is important. An 11% engagement rate does not mean 11% of Reel viewers engaged with the post. It describes engagement relative to the account’s following among the Instagram posts included in the research.

Sponsored posts reached more viewers than gifted posts

The research also found a substantial difference in average views. Sponsored posts averaged 334,055 views, while gifted posts averaged 48,008.

Glossy suggests that production budgets and paid amplification contributed to the gap. Brands often support sponsored posts with media spending that reaches people outside a creator’s existing audience. Gifted posts typically depend on organic distribution.

The study does not report the paid spend behind each post, so the view difference cannot tell us exactly how much came from the creative, the media budget, or another campaign condition. The 20 campaigns were also selected by Glossy’s editorial team, and the analysis focused on leading posts associated with brand-generated hashtags. These percentages are findings from that sample, not general Instagram benchmarks.

I separate creative performance from paid distribution

I care about this distinction because distribution is part of how I evaluate a creator campaign.

When I make a sponsored Reel, the creative has its own performance. People decide whether to keep watching, share it, save it, leave a comment, or move on.

A brand can also put paid media behind that Reel and expand its reach beyond my existing audience. That additional distribution can be valuable, but it changes how I read the total views.

When the data is available, I want a campaign report or case study to distinguish organic performance from paid-supported performance. A large total view count means something different when the brand purchased part of that reach. The creative still needs to hold the attention of the people who receive it.

That distinction also helps with creator casting. A creator’s previous work can show how they build a story, explain a product, or keep viewers watching. Campaign reporting should also explain the distribution conditions behind the result instead of presenting every view as an organic audience response.

Brand-owned posts supported the strongest campaigns

Glossy also examined how brands combined creator posts with activity on their own social accounts. Most of the highest-ranked campaigns had a substantial number of posts from the brand’s handle alongside creator participation. Many mixed sponsored and gifted content, while the specific combination varied by campaign.

Paid amplification is one campaign input. Brand-owned posts, creator casting, production, product seeding, and regional relevance can affect the result too.

For marketers writing briefs, this is useful context. The creator is making one piece of a larger campaign, and the brief should be clear about the job that piece needs to do. Campaign reporting can then explain how the creative performed and where the brand added distribution.

Thanks to Li Lu and Catherine Wolf for the reporting and to Glossy and Dash Social for the research.