Vanity metrics are the numbers that go up and to the right no matter what you do: impressions, followers, likes. They feel like progress because they rarely go down. But they don’t tell you whether your business is working.
The test for a vanity metric
Ask one question: if this number doubled overnight, would I make more money? If the honest answer is “maybe, indirectly, eventually” — it’s a vanity metric. Follower count fails this test. So does reach.
What to track instead
- Clicks to your product from each post — intent, not applause.
- Conversion rate from click to sale — is the traffic the right traffic?
- Revenue per post and per platform — where your money actually comes from.
- Which platform pays you back — so you can cut the ones that don’t.
None of these are harder to collect than likes. They’re just less flattering, which is exactly why they’re useful. Flattering numbers make you feel good. Useful numbers make you money.
Pick the useful ones. Check them weekly. Let the vanity ones fade into the background where they belong.