From Vanity Metrics to Sanity Metrics: Why Social’s Real Wins Don’t Show Up on a Slide

From Vanity Metrics to Sanity Metrics: Why Social’s Real Wins Don’t Show Up on a Slide

A quiet manifesto for marketers who’ve fallen out of love with big numbers, and want to measure what actually sticks, such as the saves, shares and small corners of the internet where fandom, not reach, does the real work.


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There was a time when a big number could genuinely make my week. You know the moment in the boardroom, the slide changes and suddenly: reach, impressions, coverage volume. Nice, chunky and comforting. Everyone in the room exhales and someone says: “great result.”

I’ve absolutely been that person. I’ve sold those numbers, celebrated them, high-fived over them and built entire decks around them. I’ve said “this really traveled” while pointing at a graph, as if I personally escorted it across the internet. No shame, but okay, maybe a little shame.