{ "schemaVersion": 1, "dataKind": "observed aggregates", "source": "https://www.owlscran.com/creator-benchmarks/editions/2026-09-17", "license": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "citation": "OwlScran Ltd (2026). The OwlScran Creator Index, fixed Q3 2026 edition (17 September 2026). https://www.owlscran.com/creator-benchmarks/editions/2026-09-17 (computed 2026-09-17T12:55:54.690Z).", "note": "Fixed edition. Published aggregates and the accompanying methodology are preserved from the source computation. Missing and suppressed values are not estimates.", "units": { "followers": "follower count, not deduplicated people", "totalFollowers": "sum of qualifying platform follower counts, not deduplicated people", "avgPerformance": "mean views or mean accounts reached per post, as specified by performanceMetric", "engagementRate": "interactions per view; multiply by 100 for interactions per 100 views", "nonFollowerViewShare": "fraction of views; multiply by 100 for percent", "topVideoViewShare": "fraction of views across 20 videos; multiply by 100 for percent", "viewsPerFollower": "mean views per video divided by current platform followers", "saveRate": "saves per view; multiply by 100 for saves per 100 views", "shareRate": "shares per view; multiply by 100 for shares per 100 views" }, "distribution": "n counts contributing accounts for each metric; p25, median and p75 are sample quartiles, not confidence limits. Unavailable and insufficient_data cells have no measured value.", "methodology": [ { "heading": "1. Who is included", "body": "We use creators marked active in the OwlScran creator index who have at least one connected platform account with 2,000 followers or more. The floor applies separately on each platform, to every metric. Smaller accounts are excluded even if the creator qualifies elsewhere. Combined followers add only qualifying accounts. Active is an account status, not a measure of how often someone posts or whether they earn money. Platform metrics come from connected accounts. Each creator contributes at most one account-level value to each platform and metric; the sample size beside a result counts those contributions." }, { "heading": "2. Engagement and post performance", "body": "Account engagement is average engagements divided by average views, multiplied by 100. Account averages use up to 20 eligible videos posted at least seven days ago. Interactions include likes and comments, with saves, shares or a platform interaction total where available. Our engagement methodology [1] explains the calculation. Post performance uses average views on TikTok and YouTube, and average accounts reached on Instagram and Facebook. Reach and views measure different things and should not be ranked against each other." }, { "heading": "3. Views from non-followers", "body": "For each creator, we divide views labelled non-follower by all views returned in the follower-status breakdown, including any unknown category. Instagram uses account Insights; YouTube uses channel Analytics and subscription status at the time of the view [2]. Both request the preceding 30 days at retrieval. We then take the median of these account percentages. Repeat views count, and someone who does not follow an account may have watched it before. This measures distribution beyond followers, not new viewers or follower conversion." }, { "heading": "4. Concentration, views per follower, saves and shares", "body": "These four analyses use exactly the 20 most recent stored videos posted at least seven days before the edition date. We use the latest stored snapshot available at computation for each video. Each snapshot must have been captured at least seven days after publication, with a view count on all 20. Videos marked unavailable by the integration cannot contribute stored counts. If any selected video is unavailable or fails the snapshot rule, the account does not contribute to these analyses; we do not substitute an older video. These are accumulated counts at different ages, not performance measured over a fixed seven-day period. The top-video share is the largest view count divided by their total views. Views per follower is their mean views divided by the platform follower count in the creator index. Save and share rates divide total saves or shares by total views, and require that interaction on every video. Zero-view totals cannot contribute to concentration or interaction rates. Views per follower can be zero. Saves are available through our Instagram integration; shares through Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. Missing values are never backfilled from older snapshots or replaced with zero." }, { "heading": "5. Medians and ranges", "body": "Each creator has equal weight in the published median, regardless of their views or followers. The band runs from the 25th to the 75th percentile: the middle half of account values. It describes variation between creators, not a confidence interval or a forecast for the next post. Percentiles use linear interpolation, the type-7 method documented by R [3]. We do not remove large values just because they are unusual." }, { "heading": "6. Missing values and publication threshold", "body": "Engagement cells include finite rates of zero or more; view-share cells include percentages from 0% to 100%. Missing values are excluded, not replaced with zero. Follower and post-performance distributions currently include only positive values. We withhold a result below the minimum sample shown on this page. That is a publication rule, not proof of representativeness, statistical precision or guaranteed anonymity. This edition introduces the 2,000-follower floor and includes measured zero engagement rates; earlier editions used a different cohort and excluded zero engagement." }, { "heading": "7. Dates and limitations", "body": "Account refreshes are scheduled nightly and the page is cached for up to a day. The edition date is the computation date, not a shared observation period or the last successful sync of every metric. A failed split refresh can leave the previous value in place. This is a self-selected sample of OwlScran users. We do not control for niche, country, account size, content format or paid distribution. Available interactions differ by platform, so differences cannot establish that one platform performs better. The 20-video analyses favour accounts with a longer stored history. Videos differ in age, so older videos have had more time to accumulate views. Views and interactions can update at different speeds. The follower count is current, not the count when each video was posted. Changes between editions can reflect changes in the sample as well as performance." } ], "measurementExplanations": { "engagementRate": { "meaning": "How many interactions content receives relative to its views.", "example": "An account averaging 500 interactions and 10,000 views per video has a 5% engagement rate: five interactions for every 100 views.", "use": "Compare it with your own rate counting the same interactions and dividing by views too. One person can interact more than once, so 5% does not mean 5% of viewers engaged.", "formula": "Average interactions ÷ average views × 100", "method": "Account averages use up to 20 eligible videos posted at least seven days ago. Available interactions differ by platform and can include likes, comments, shares, saves or a platform total. Missing fields can have different coverage in these averages. We take the median of the available account rates, including measured zero rates." }, "followers": { "meaning": "The size of the accounts contributing to the index. This helps you judge how similar the sample is to your own account.", "example": "An account with 10,000 followers on Instagram and 5,000 on TikTok contributes 15,000 to the combined count. Some people may follow both accounts.", "use": "Follower count describes an audience, but it does not tell you how many people saw a post. The combined count is not a count of distinct people.", "formula": "Platform follower count; combined count = sum across qualifying platforms", "method": "Each platform account must have at least 2,000 followers. Smaller accounts do not contribute to the combined count. We report the median across creators, so one very large account does not pull it up in the way it would pull up an average. The chart uses a logarithmic scale: equal steps show equal multiples, rather than equal numbers of followers." }, "avgPerformance": { "meaning": "How much viewing or reach the included accounts receive per video, based on their recorded averages.", "example": "If a TikTok account has 200,000 views across 20 videos with view counts, its average is 10,000 views per video.", "use": "This gives context for the scale of your results. Instagram and Facebook show accounts reached; TikTok and YouTube show views. Those measure different things, so the chart cannot rank platforms.", "formula": "Average views or accounts reached per video, then the median across accounts", "method": "These averages use up to 20 videos posted at least seven days ago, with available counts. Only positive recorded averages enter this distribution. Reach counts distinct accounts for each post; views can include repeat viewing. Videos have different ages and formats. The logarithmic scale shows equal multiples at equal distances." }, "nonFollowerViewShare": { "meaning": "How much of an account’s viewing comes from people who do not follow it. On YouTube, this means people who were not subscribed when they watched.", "example": "If 8,000 of 10,000 views are labelled non-follower, the share is 80%.", "use": "It shows how far viewing extends beyond followers. Those people may have watched before, and the split does not reveal whether they came from search, recommendations, shares or paid promotion.", "formula": "Views labelled non-follower ÷ all views in the follower-status breakdown × 100", "method": "Instagram and YouTube request the preceding 30 days when the account is refreshed. The denominator includes any unknown category returned by the platform. We calculate each account’s percentage, then take the median. Repeat views count. TikTok and Facebook do not supply this split through our integrations; refresh dates can differ between accounts." }, "topVideoViewShare": { "meaning": "How much one video contributes to an account’s viewing across 20 videos. A larger share means viewing is more concentrated in that one video.", "example": "If the biggest video has 50,000 views and the 20 videos have 100,000 in total, that one video accounts for 50%. An even split would be 5% per video.", "use": "It helps you see how strongly one result affects the total. It does not tell you whether that result was viral, or how likely another one is.", "formula": "Largest video view count ÷ total views across the 20 videos × 100", "method": "We select the 20 most recent stored videos posted at least seven days ago. All 20 need a view count captured at least seven days after publication. We use the latest stored snapshot for each video, without substituting older videos when data is missing or a selected video is marked unavailable. We take the median account share. These are accumulated views at different ages, not a fixed seven-day measurement. A zero-view total cannot produce a share." }, "viewsPerFollower": { "meaning": "Average views per video expressed as a multiple of the account’s follower count.", "example": "An account with 10,000 followers and an average of 20,000 views per video has a ratio of 2×.", "use": "It puts viewing in context alongside audience size. Views can come from non-followers and repeat watching, so 2× does not mean every follower watched twice.", "formula": "(Total views across 20 videos ÷ 20) ÷ current platform followers", "method": "We select the 20 most recent stored videos posted at least seven days ago. Each must have a view count in its latest snapshot, captured at least seven days after publication. We calculate a ratio for each account, then take the median. The follower count comes from the creator index, not from the date each video was posted. A measured zero is included. This comparison does not isolate the effect of account size or predict future views." }, "saveRate": { "meaning": "How often videos are saved relative to how many views they receive.", "example": "A total of 200 saves and 100,000 views across 20 videos gives a save rate of 0.2%: two saves for every 1,000 views.", "use": "It lets you compare saving activity alongside viewing. A save records an action; it does not prove that someone returned to the video or intended to buy something.", "formula": "Total saves across 20 videos ÷ total views across those videos × 100", "method": "The 20 most recent eligible stored videos must all have both counts in their latest snapshot, captured at least seven days after publication. Missing counts or a video marked unavailable exclude the account from this rate. We calculate each account’s rate, then take the median, giving each account equal weight. Zero saves are included; a zero-view total cannot produce a rate. Our Instagram integration supplies saves; the other integrations do not." }, "shareRate": { "meaning": "How often videos are shared relative to how many views they receive.", "example": "A total of 500 shares and 100,000 views across 20 videos gives a share rate of 0.5%: five shares for every 1,000 views.", "use": "It helps you compare how much sharing accompanies viewing. It does not tell you why someone shared a video, how many people received it or whether they watched.", "formula": "Total shares across 20 videos ÷ total views across those videos × 100", "method": "The 20 most recent eligible stored videos must all have both counts in their latest snapshot, captured at least seven days after publication. Missing counts or a video marked unavailable exclude the account from this rate. We take the median of the account rates. Zero shares are included; a zero-view total cannot produce a rate. Instagram, TikTok and YouTube supply shares; our Facebook integration does not. YouTube includes Shorts and longer videos. Its shares come from Analytics and views from public statistics, which can update at different speeds." } }, "references": [ { "id": 1, "text": "OwlScran. How we calculate engagement rate. Formulas, eligible videos and available interactions.", "href": "/blog/how-we-calculate-engagement-rate", "linkLabel": "Read the calculation method" }, { "id": 2, "text": "YouTube Analytics API. Subscribed status: whether the viewer was subscribed when the view occurred.", "href": "https://developers.google.com/youtube/analytics/dimensions#subscribedStatus", "linkLabel": "Check the platform definition" }, { "id": 3, "text": "R documentation. Sample quantiles, including the type-7 interpolation used here.", "href": "https://stat.ethz.ch/R-manual/R-devel/library/stats/html/quantile.html", "linkLabel": "Check the percentile method" } ], "data": { "generatedAt": "2026-09-17T12:55:54.690Z", "cohortSize": 83, "minCohort": 30, "totalFollowers": { "status": "ok", "distribution": { "n": 83, "p25": 19066.5, "median": 43272, "p75": 129618.5 } }, "platforms": { "instagram": { "performanceMetric": "avgReach", "followers": { "status": "ok", "distribution": { "n": 62, "p25": 14998, "median": 31634.5, "p75": 77791.75 } }, "engagementRate": { "status": "ok", "distribution": { "n": 52, "p25": 0.047269392075955007, "median": 0.0647180985171043, "p75": 0.09258140807678648 } }, "avgPerformance": { "status": "ok", "distribution": { "n": 52, "p25": 4514.25, "median": 29252.5, "p75": 76579 } }, "nonFollowerViewShare": { "status": "ok", "distribution": { "n": 49, "p25": 0.6905227582106367, "median": 0.7831316410861865, "p75": 0.902366739764629 } }, "viewsPerFollower": { "status": "ok", "distribution": { "n": 40, "p25": 0.2839739267251068, "median": 0.6657189747008838, "p75": 1.265545399958229 } }, "topVideoViewShare": { "status": "ok", "distribution": { "n": 40, "p25": 0.1943064676330921, "median": 0.2422330261933806, "p75": 0.41329072010545725 } }, "saveRate": { "status": "ok", "distribution": { "n": 35, "p25": 0.0024585618165054975, "median": 0.005416098038404808, "p75": 0.008997312818843993 } }, "shareRate": { "status": "ok", "distribution": { "n": 40, "p25": 0.003095041471212925, "median": 0.004603804659342693, "p75": 0.0118705533362588 } } }, "tiktok": { "performanceMetric": "avgViews", "followers": { "status": "ok", "distribution": { "n": 59, "p25": 10885.5, "median": 22542, "p75": 74459 } }, "engagementRate": { "status": "ok", "distribution": { "n": 59, "p25": 0.06006763574316792, "median": 0.08422882758331762, "p75": 0.10176305618610104 } }, "avgPerformance": { "status": "ok", "distribution": { "n": 59, "p25": 3186, "median": 17101, "p75": 127789 } }, "nonFollowerViewShare": { "status": "unavailable", "n": 0 }, "viewsPerFollower": { "status": "ok", "distribution": { "n": 37, "p25": 0.14290068683905569, "median": 0.36679256825949913, "p75": 1.1221702486304257 } }, "topVideoViewShare": { "status": "ok", "distribution": { "n": 37, "p25": 0.18345603772325897, "median": 0.33856253265981534, "p75": 0.4607933413071617 } }, "saveRate": { "status": "unavailable", "n": 0 }, "shareRate": { "status": "ok", "distribution": { "n": 37, "p25": 0.001317279219648145, "median": 0.0030161013410050577, "p75": 0.005422811229409947 } } }, "youtube": { "performanceMetric": "avgViews", "followers": { "status": "insufficient_data", "n": 26 }, "engagementRate": { "status": "insufficient_data", "n": 26 }, "avgPerformance": { "status": "insufficient_data", "n": 26 }, "nonFollowerViewShare": { "status": "insufficient_data", "n": 22 }, "viewsPerFollower": { "status": "insufficient_data", "n": 16 }, "topVideoViewShare": { "status": "insufficient_data", "n": 16 }, "saveRate": { "status": "unavailable", "n": 0 }, "shareRate": { "status": "insufficient_data", "n": 14 } }, "facebook": { "performanceMetric": "avgReach", "followers": { "status": "insufficient_data", "n": 1 }, "engagementRate": { "status": "insufficient_data", "n": 1 }, "avgPerformance": { "status": "insufficient_data", "n": 1 }, "nonFollowerViewShare": { "status": "unavailable", "n": 0 }, "viewsPerFollower": { "status": "insufficient_data", "n": 1 }, "topVideoViewShare": { "status": "insufficient_data", "n": 1 }, "saveRate": { "status": "unavailable", "n": 0 }, "shareRate": { "status": "unavailable", "n": 0 } } } }, "archive": { "editionDate": "2026-09-17", "publicationQuarter": "Q3 2026", "publicationCadence": "quarterly", "methodologyAsOfComputation": "2026-09-17T12:55:54.690Z", "sourceUrl": "https://www.owlscran.com/creator-benchmarks", "sourceComputation": "2026-09-17T12:55:54.690Z", "sourceExportSha256": "ef231c8f52d0de037a4a9802657bb92289252789bd15c0031ec03a99d53affc7", "sourceExportUrl": "https://www.owlscran.com/research/creator-index/2026-09-17.source.json", "sourceHashEncoding": "SHA-256 of the UTF-8 decoded JSON download exactly as captured, before parsing or reformatting", "capturedSourceNote": "This download preserves the displayed computation. The source URL changes; OwlScran does not currently host an archive of past computations." } }