Likes and comments are superficial vanity metrics. The true measure of a campaign's impact lies in saves and sends. A 'save' indicates a user's intent to revisit and use the information (e.g., a recipe), while a 'send' shows the content was compelling enough for a personal recommendation, representing a far stronger form of engagement.
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Don't treat influence as a vague metric like followers. Define it operationally as the probability that your audience will take a desired action—from a 'like' to a purchase. All content should aim to increase this probability.
According to Instagram's CEO, users now share more content via direct messages daily than they post to the public feed. This fundamental shift makes 'shareability' the most critical metric for creators aiming for growth, prioritizing content that compels users to send it to friends.
Conventional engagement metrics like likes and shares are often misleading. A more valuable indicator of content quality is dwell time. In an environment where users can easily skip content, their choice to spend more time with an ad is a powerful behavioral signal that the message is resonating.
Vanity metrics like views don't drive business results. A better approach is to focus on "conversation metrics"—the quality and quantity of interactions in comments and DMs. Speed and personalization in responses build relationships and are a stronger indicator of impact.
Chasing high follower counts and likes is a vanity metric. A social media post with only four likes can be a massive success if one of those likes converts into a paying client. The goal isn't broad appeal; it's connecting with the right individuals who can drive business results.
When platforms like LinkedIn track specific metrics like 'saves,' explicitly asking users to 'Save this post' in your copy leads to a measurable increase in that action. This simple directive gives a clear signal to both the user and the platform's algorithm, improving content performance.
During a maternity leave, the speaker stopped posting on social media and discovered her sales and list growth remained consistent. The instant feedback of likes and comments was a "dopamine hit," but Pinterest was the quiet engine actually driving 80% of the results, revealing a major misalignment of time and effort.
Don't judge a post's value solely on likes and comments. A post promoting a newsletter might get few likes but generate hundreds of contacts, making it a perfect candidate for a Thought Leader Ad.
LinkedIn's algorithm heavily weights when a user saves a post, ranking it higher than a 'like'. This action reportedly provides an 80% 'return on effort,' making it significantly more likely your future content will appear at the top of that user's feed.
LinkedIn now lets users see how many people save a post or send it in a private DM. These are strong signals to the platform's algorithm, indicating high-quality content. Focusing on creating content that encourages these actions can significantly boost organic circulation beyond simple likes and comments.
