{"id":1844,"date":"2026-02-26T00:04:31","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T00:04:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/emplifistg.wpenginepowered.com\/resource\/social-media-benchmarks\/"},"modified":"2026-03-06T09:30:25","modified_gmt":"2026-03-06T09:30:25","slug":"social-media-benchmarks","status":"publish","type":"resource_posts","link":"https:\/\/emplifi.io\/resources\/social-media-benchmarks\/","title":{"rendered":"Blog: Social media benchmarks and trends"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"featured_media":20801,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"page-templates\/resource-blog.php","resource_topics_tax":[52,51],"resource_types_tax":[48],"resource_industries_tax":[],"resource_visibility_tax":[],"class_list":["post-1844","resource_posts","type-resource_posts","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","resource_topics_tax-analytics-and-reporting","resource_topics_tax-social-media-management","resource_types_tax-blogs"],"acf":{"page_cta_group":{"show_section":true,"use_global_cta":true,"section_subhead":"","section_headline":"","section_text_left":"","section_text_right":"","section_button":""},"awards_group":{"show_section":true,"use_global_awards_text":true,"section_subhead":"","section_headline":"","section_text":"","use_global_awards":true,"awards":false},"resource_description":"Understand how your social media strategy is performing by diving into the latest organic and paid social media benchmarks, and gain insights to help guide your strategy this year.","hero_headline":"The social media benchmarks to guide your strategy 2026","content_builder":[{"acf_fc_layout":"wysiwyg","wysiwyg_background_color":"white","wysiwyg":"

Social media is entering 2026 with sharper divides between platforms than ever before. Audience growth, engagement behaviors, and paid performance are no longer moving in sync, forcing brands to rethink where and how they show up for customers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

TikTok continues to accelerate, Instagram engagement dynamics are shifting, Meta platforms retain scale and stability, and X shows more tactical value than growth potential.<\/span><\/p>\n

In this blog, based on the <\/span>Social media benchmarks 2026<\/b> <\/a>report, we highlight key trends in platform growth, engagement, content performance, and paid investment to help you sharpen your strategy for the year ahead.<\/span><\/p>\n

Platform growth & momentum: Who\u2019s gaining ground<\/h2>\n

TikTok leads in brand follower growth. Median follower counts for brands on TikTok increased by over 200% year over year<\/strong>, driven by discovery-first content and algorithmic amplification.<\/span><\/p>\n

Facebook and Instagram remain essential for scale<\/strong>, with Instagram delivering steady mid-single-digit follower growth and Facebook showing flat follower trends, reinforcing both platforms\u2019 roles as reliable reach drivers rather than primary growth accelerators.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

LinkedIn continues targeted, double-digit growth while YouTube shows moderate, consistent increases. X, by contrast, saw flat to slightly negative follower growth.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Chart<\/p>\n

What this means for your strategy<\/strong><\/p>\n