The essentials
- Definition: organic reach is the number of unique accounts that saw a post without paid distribution, in their feed, in exploration or through a share.
- 2026 orders of magnitude: 3 to 8% of followers per post on a Facebook page, 10 to 30% on Instagram (more for Reels), 5 to 20% on LinkedIn, unrelated to followers on TikTok.
- What makes it vary: the format (short video first), the first interactions, consistency, outbound links (penalised), the time of day.
- The right calculation: the engagement rate is based on reach, not on the number of followers.
Enhanced measurement Organic reach is the number of distinct accounts that saw a post without the company paying for its distribution. It is the basic metric of SMO, the one all the others depend on: without reach, no interaction, no click, no contact. It has been falling for ten years on the older networks and remains high on short video formats. This article gives the precise definition, the figures by network, the causes of variation and the levers.
Reach, impressions, followers: do not confuse them
| Measurement | Definition | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Reach | Unique accounts that saw the post | Size of the audience actually reached |
| Impressions | Total number of displays, the same account possibly counting several times | Exposure frequency (impressions / reach) |
| Followers | Accounts that follow the page | Potential, not real audience: a minority sees each post |
| Organic reach | Reach without paid distribution | Effectiveness of the content and the algorithm |
| Paid reach | Reach obtained through advertising or a boost | Effectiveness of the budget |
| Viral or shared reach | Reach obtained through the shares and interactions of other accounts | Included in organic reach on most platforms |
Organic reach can exceed the number of followers: on Instagram (Reels, exploration) and TikTok (For You page), most of the reach comes from non-followers. The engagement rate must therefore be calculated on reach (interactions / reach), not on followers; see engagement in SMO.
The orders of magnitude in 2026
| Network | Organic reach per post (as a % of followers) | Formats with the most reach | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Facebook (page) | 3 to 8% | Reels, native video, photos of people; outbound links are reduced | Continuous fall since 2014; groups carry more |
| 10 to 30% for posts, often over 100% for Reels thanks to non-followers | Reels, carousels | Stable for Reels, falling for images alone | |
| LinkedIn (company page) | 5 to 20% | Documents (PDF carousels), video, text posts from company leaders | Personal profiles carry 3 to 5 times more than pages |
| TikTok | Not correlated with followers: 200 to 2,000 views for a small account, with no ceiling | Vertical video of 15 to 60 s | The highest for an account starting out |
| YouTube Shorts | Not correlated with followers | Shorts | Strong, with a long life |
| X | 2 to 10% | Short text, images, threads | Variable, depends on paid subscriptions |
These ranges come from the annual studies (Socialinsider, Hootsuite, Metricool, Rival IQ) and from the SME accounts tracked; small accounts have higher rates than large ones. Establish your own benchmark over three months of native statistics before judging a post. How the algorithms work is explained in the social media algorithm.
Why organic reach is falling
- Competition for attention: more content published than there is time available; the algorithm sorts it.
- The business model: platforms sell reach; company pages are the first affected by the reduction.
- The shift to recommendation: feeds show more content from accounts that are not followed (Reels, For You), which reduces the share reserved for subscriptions.
- The penalty on outbound links: a post with a link to an external site gets less distribution on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X.
The levers for increasing it
- The format: short vertical video first, then the carousel; the image alone and text with a link last. Video practices are covered in video best practices.
- The first interactions: the algorithm tests the post on a small sample; the comments and shares in the first hour decide its distribution. Ask a question, reply quickly, get the team involved.
- Consistency: a stable frequency (3 to 5 posts a week) keeps distribution going; see should you post every day.
- The link in a comment or in the bio rather than in the text, or a post with no link followed by a Story with a link.
- Native content: video uploaded directly rather than a YouTube link; a PDF document on LinkedIn rather than a link.
- The people: posts from company leaders and employees carry several times more than those from the page; share them and get them shared.
- Timing: post when your audience is online (native statistics), and space posts at least a few hours apart.
- Targeted paid support: a few euros to push a post that is already working organically to a precise audience; see SMA.
Measuring and tracking
Native statistics give reach per post and per period (Meta Business Suite, LinkedIn Analytics, TikTok Studio). Track each month: average reach per post and per format, the share of non-followers reached, the engagement rate on reach, and total monthly reach related to the number of posts. Reach that falls with stable engagement signals a format or algorithm problem; stable reach with falling engagement, a content problem. The metrics are brought together in the SMO KPIs.
How GreenRed helps
Rather than juggling several tools, GreenRed's social media tracking brings these metrics together in a single dashboard, compares them over time and tells you which actions come first. You can try it free, with no card, from the Pricing.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good organic reach?
It depends on the network and the size of the account: 3 to 8% of followers per post on Facebook, 10 to 30% on Instagram and 5 to 20% on LinkedIn are common values in 2026. On TikTok and for Reels, reach does not depend on followers. Above all, compare your posts with each other, by format.
Why has my organic reach collapsed?
The frequent causes: a change of format (less video), outbound links in the posts, a drop in frequency, a period without quick interactions, or an algorithm update. Compare reach by format over three months and check the audience-online statistics.
Do links in posts reduce reach?
Yes on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X, which favour content that keeps the user on the platform. Put the link in a comment, in the bio or in a Story, or publish the content natively and point to the site afterwards.
Should you pay to make up for the fall in organic reach?
To reach a precise target or a certain volume, yes: a few euros of support on a post that already works organically gives the best return. But organic reach remains free and is built through format and consistency; advertising does not replace content nobody wants to see.