How to avoid the inflation of subscriber engagement metrics
In an age where dashboards are filled with colorful graphs and glowing stats, it’s easy for marketers to fall into the trap of vanity metrics—those feel-good numbers that look great in a slide deck but don’t necessarily correlate with business impact. Chief among these are inflated subscriber engagement metrics like open rates, click-throughs, and list size.
But here’s the truth: not all engagement is created equal—and not all subscribers are real fans. If we’re not careful, we risk making strategy decisions based on misleading data that hides deliverability issues, irrelevant audiences, or disengaged contacts.
Let’s break down how to spot vanity metrics, why they’re dangerous, and how to focus on metrics that matter.
Vanity metrics are data points that look impressive on the surface but don’t provide actionable insights or correlate with long-term success. In email marketing and subscriber engagement, common vanity metrics include:
These numbers might feel like wins—but if they don’t move the needle on customer lifetime value, revenue, or engagement depth, they could be false positives.
1. Bot activity and Apple’s Mail Privacy Protection (MPP)
Since Apple introduced MPP, open rates have become unreliable—especially if your audience skews toward Apple Mail users. MPP preloads images (including the tracking pixel) regardless of user behavior, making open rates artificially high.
Meanwhile, email bots scanning for security threats can inflate click metrics, especially if you’re monitoring links clicked shortly after sending.
2. Quantity over quality list building
You might be adding thousands of new emails to your database through webinars, events, or gated content—but if those contacts aren’t engaged or never convert, list growth becomes a vanity metric.
Bigger isn’t better if your audience isn’t aligned with your offer or ready to act.
3. Overly broad engagement definitions
Are you defining an “engaged” subscriber as someone who opened one email in 90 days? Or clicked once in six months? Loose definitions can lead to misleading re-engagement campaigns and skewed audience segments.
Vanity metrics don’t just give you a false sense of success—they can actively hurt your performance:
Ultimately, chasing vanity metrics can lead you to miss revenue targets, reduce ROI, and waste marketing spend.
To break free from the illusion of inflated engagement, shift focus to actionable, outcome-oriented metrics:
You want to know:
1. Segment by real engagement Use filters like “clicked in the last 30 days” or “visited site after clicking” rather than just opens. Re-score your engagement definitions post-iOS15.
2. Validate new subscribers Use double opt-in, verification tools, and hygiene checks to ensure new contacts are real and relevant.
3. Monitor deliverability separately Don’t assume a good open rate = good inbox placement. Use tools like Google Postmaster Tools or Inboxable to monitor sender reputation and inbox placement.
4. Focus on conversion paths Track what happens after the click. Does the user engage with content, fill out a form, or make a purchase? If not, your emails may not be driving real value.
5. Run regular list hygiene Remove unengaged contacts proactively. A smaller but more active list will outperform a bloated, passive one every time.
Vanity metrics might win you applause in a meeting—but they won’t win customers. The real power lies in understanding who’s truly engaging, who’s on the fence, and who needs to be removed from the conversation altogether. By focusing on quality over quantity, and outcomes over optics, marketers can move beyond inflated numbers and into true performance-driven engagement.
Let’s vanquish the vanity and unlock real marketing success.
As Content Marketing Manager, Natasia is responsible for helping strategize, produce and execute Data Axle's content. With a passion for writing and an enthusiasm for data management and technology, Natasia creates content that is designed to deliver nuggets of wisdom to help brands and individuals elevate their data governance policies. A native New Yorker, when Natasia is not at work she can be found enjoying New York’s food scene, at one of NYC’s many museums, or at one of the city’s many parks with her two teacup yorkies.