Average engagement on Instagram posts from businesses spiked in the spring and summer of 2020 and then returned roughly to its prior levels, according to recent research from Social Insider and Sked Social.

The report was based on data from an analysis of 102,700,573 Instagram carousel, video, and image posts shared by 62,895 business profiles between January 2019 and December 2020.

The average engagement rate per post by followers (the number of likes and comments on a post divided by the number of followers of an account, then multiplied by 100) in 2020 for business accounts was 2%.

Average engagement on carousel, video, and image posts peaked in July of 2020 and then began to return to earlier levels.

Accounts with fewer than 10,000 followers and with more than 100,000 followers recorded the highest average engagement (likes and comments) on carousel posts during the timeframe examined.

Accounts with more than 10,000 followers but fewer than 100,000 followers recorded the highest average engagement on video posts.

Carousel posts garnered a higher median number of likes across all account sizes compared with image posts and video posts.

Whether carousel or video posts garnered a higher median number of comments varied based on account size.

About the research: The report was based on data from an analysis of 102,700,573 Instagram carousel, video, and image posts shared by 62,895 business profiles between January 2019 and December 2020.