Looking past vanity metrics to the figures that actually matter.

A media pack makes its case with big numbers: the headline figure splashed across the page, the percentage it wants you to care about and the carefully put together pie chart. So should you take those numbers at face value?

The short answer is no and, to put a very fine point on it, you shouldn’t. That doesn’t mean the numbers are made up. It means they need reading closely, because the most useful information is often in the small print.

Why should you read the asterisks in a media pack?

Next to the big figures there are usually little asterisks. Follow them. They tell you when the data was collected and what it covers. Don’t give the media pack a quick glance and move on. The detail is where the real story is.

Which media pack figures deserve the least trust?

Impressions on their own don’t mean a lot. You can get a million impressions on something, and if nobody engages with it, the figure tells you very little. I wouldn’t dismiss it completely, because at least the content is being seen. That’s true of much of what publications put out. Treat impressions as a measure of visibility and nothing more.

Follower counts are easy to check for yourself. A look at a publication’s feed will show you how engaged its audience really is and how well it manages the platform. Are people commenting, sharing and reacting, or is it quiet?

Circulation is worth a closer read too. I’ve seen some titles, none I’ve worked at directly, use calculations that include pass-on rates, where a single copy is counted as reaching more than one reader. Check what the media pack says so you know what’s been included.

How much is an independent audit worth?

If a title is independently audited, that’s great. I’d still give at least as much weight to what you can see for yourself. Being visible matters. If a publication is clearly front-facing and the quality of its work is high, being part of that counts for a lot.

Audits used to hold more sway. We’re not living 20 years ago. Online, you can find out a great deal about a publication just by searching for it. Unless you’re after a very specific audience, a title’s reputation and the quality of its work say as much as an audit, if not more.

How should you test newsletter advertising?

I rate newsletters because I really do think they drive traffic. The question is how you buy into them.

A publication may offer you a deal for six months. If you’re not sure, ask for a trial of two issues with the metrics afterwards. If the click-through rate is good, or you can see activity coming from it, revisit it then. That’s the figure I’d look at first.

Start small unless you’re really trying to make a splash. If you are, go big. Run a dedicated e-blast, be in the magazine and be on the website. Don’t rely on an e-newsletter banner just because it’s cheap.

How do open rates and timing affect newsletter results?

Many publications don’t publish open rates. They’re treated as private, which is fairly standard, so you usually won’t see them until you’ve bought something and asked. At that point you’re going on trust. Poor performance reflects badly on the publication, so look closely at what you’re given and judge whether it feels genuine. The hope is that it will, although that isn’t a given.

Timing affects every figure you get back. Summer is quiet in a lot of industries, as is the festive period. Regional religious or public holidays matter too. Avoid those periods if you can. Nobody is reading newsletters when they’re trying to spend time by the pool.

How can a small company tell if a marketing campaign worked?

For a small B2B company I don’t think there’s one specific metric. The quality of what you produce with the publication matters above everything else. You can have the biggest, flashiest-looking thing in the world, and if it simply repeats your catalogue, with no story and no person behind it, it won’t do well.

Value the content you’re buying, spend time on it and use it to show you know your subject and have something worth saying. Don’t read too much into a lucky spike either. A post that gets hundreds of shares on LinkedIn is probably a one-off and means little on its own.

Why should you share your coverage yourself?

Sharing the work when it comes out helps both sides. If you’ve got an article in a publication or you’re featured in one, tell people.

Keep an eye on the publication’s social media and on your notifications so you know when you’ve been tagged. The team will be busy and may not have time to tell you exactly when something goes live, so be ready to share it as soon as the issue is out. It matters for you, because it shows you’ve done something. If you don’t post about it, did it even happen?

How honest should publishers be about their numbers?

I’ll plead the fifth on the detail of this one. Ethically, I think everyone should be honest about these things.

Realistically, which is where I come from most of the time, the numbers often do a particular job. It’s a bit like selling personal protective equipment to the chief executive and not to the person who wears it. The figures give a decision maker something concrete to understand, and to refer back to, when they’re thinking about investing in marketing.

That matters because the work is valuable when it’s done right, and doing it right is the whole point. Sometimes the conversation about quality only really starts once someone has bought in, and the numbers are what got them through the door. That’s part of how the sale works, so read the figures with it in mind.