"Likes don't matter" is the "money won't make you happy" of social media

Part 1 in a series on brand metrics, emotion, and how perception drives $$.

May 17, 2025

The lie we tell ourselves: “Vanity metrics suck. I couldn’t care less about impressions or likes.”

They’re meaningless. They’re for cringey influencers. They inflate egos. They don’t convert.

That’s what we say right before we refresh the feed on the post that seems to be randomly taking off to see how many more likes it got then add it to our Stories and watch who viewed it over the course of the day.

(side note, I also think it’s VALID to just like the feeling of having a lot of attention on a post. It feels good. It’s validating. It brings attention to your POV for a moment in time and if that feels good, why do we shame it??)

Context: what are vanity metrics?

Vanity metrics are numbers that look good but don’t always appear to tie directly to real business results. Think:

Followers
Likes
Shares
Impressions
Website traffic (on its own)
Video views

They don’t necessarily tell you if someone bought, signed up, or became a loyal fan. And yet, they dominate our dashboards, decks, and dopamine loops.

So why the hate?

Because marketers got burned. For years, brands chased impressions and reach without connecting them to ROI. Executives poured money into “viral” content that led nowhere. So we declared war on surface-level stats and started preaching quality over quantity, conversions over clout.

But I think we threw out the nuance with the bullshit. (and a lot of the fun!)

Vanity metrics matter. In fact, sometimes they drive decisions, partnerships, even revenue before anyone clicks “buy.”

Anecdotally, this post generated 2 quarters’ worth of pipeline for my agency and it has NOTHING to do with my work! It literally just put me on people’s radar and my profile / other content did the rest. In other words, it brought people into my store, and many liked what I was selling.

The science behind the behavior

Vanity metrics work because humans are wired for emotional, shortcut-based decision-making.

1. Feel first, think later

Behavioral economist Daniel Kahneman proved this: we make decisions based on emotion, then back them up with logic. He calls it fast thinking, and it governs most of our everyday behavior. When I read this book I was thinking “so true, but NOT ME” then when I paid attention to how I behave I realized I’m just a mammal after all.

2. Without emotion, we freeze

Neuroscientist Antonio Damasio found that people with damaged emotional centers in the brain couldn’t make even basic decisions, like what to eat. They could list options, but couldn’t choose. Check out the short below, using choosing a restaurant as a relatable example.

3. Social proof is a shortcut

Metrics act as social signals. A post with 1,000 likes must be good. A founder with 50K followers must be credible. We feel trust before we analyze it. It’s the same vibe as if you see a crowd of people fawning over someone getting out of a car, you might stop and look to see who it is too. We signal to one another when something or someone is important. You see an article about a trend? Of course you’re going to check it out to see what the hype’s about. Like the labubu dolls.

miiadio

A post shared by @miiadio

4. Dopamine drives attention

Each like or share? A dopamine hit. Not just for creators, but for viewers, too. We register popularity as relevance. Relevance builds trust but also relationships. If you were obsessed with The Group Chat like I was, watching the budding relationship between influencer Charlie Puth and the comment section (which also saw cameos from Open Table, eBay, and Heinz.) Feeling like you’re part of something that’s of the moment + the on-brand responses from notable accounts just feels fun.

Real world examples

Glossier’s “You Look Good” campaign

Glossier built a movement around mirror selfies.

What they did:
Glossier handed out “You Look Good” stickers with orders and encouraged customers to post selfies with the mirror decal. The brand didn’t ask people to sell, just to share their reflection.

Why it worked:

Social Proof in Action: Seeing real people post their mirror moments created a ripple effect. Each selfie signaled, “I’m part of this community.”
Emotional Hook: The message wasn’t about product, it was about identity and affirmation. That “You look good” hit feels personal, and people wanted to share that feeling.
Content Catalyst: Glossier turned its customers into content creators. The campaign flooded Instagram with pink-tinged, aesthetically on-brand UGC.

Impact:

It didn't always convert instantly, and that wasn’t the point. It built brand equity at scale.
Glossier quickly became a cultural signal. A sticker on your mirror was a badge of belonging.

glossier

A post shared by @glossier

Burt’s Bees “Find Your Burt” activation

For Earth Day 2010, Burt’s Bees turned vanity metrics into real-world buzz by sending Burt look‑alikes roaming New York City, handing out product samples and their signature beards.

What they did: Participants donned fake Burt beards, took selfies, and shared them online via the dedicated FindYourBurt.com microsite—where fans could “Burtify” themselves and grab green living tips.

Why it worked:

Social Proof IRL: Seeing real people (including press members covering the event!) celebrating the brand created instant shareable moments.
Emotional Hook: The playful stunt tapped into joy and surprise, key emotional drivers that make people want to join in.
Content Catalyst: User‑generated beard selfies spread across blogs and social feeds, boosting impressions and organic reach.

Impact:

Times Square “Burt sightings” drew foot‑traffic and press (even the Today Show cameras joined in!).
The campaign translated likes and smiles into deeper brand affinity, reminding people that Burt’s Bees stands for fun, community and environmental care.

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Measuring brand health

Brand marketing tends to be the first thing to get cut, especially in an economic downturn. How do you measure perception in a way that makes sense to your CFO (and helps protect you from budget cuts).

Check this article from my partners at Tracksuit, a gorgeous brand tracking tool that measures the metrics that matter long before a sale happens. You get real-time, always-on insights in a beautiful, easy-to-use dashboard (with real humans behind the data).

But most importantly, you can create an insights report to take to leadership that ties the emotional marketing you’re pitching to actual health for the brand.

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Need help? I am giving away a free 60 minute workshop with me & a strategist from Tracksuit to go through your brand goals and measurement model to help you get unstuck. No sales pitch or follow up, just friends who can help.