vanity metrics
Jim Hamilton
February 26, 2025
Had a kickoff call with a new client last week who’s in the publishing space.
And while discussing her offer…
She dropped this bomb:
Turns out some hybrid publishers will extort charge authors up to $15,000 to guarantee "Amazon Bestseller" status.
Ouch.
Naturally, most indie authors assume this will help move copies of their book…
But the ugly truth is that it has little impact on sales.
What’s worse:
Shady operators achieve this by placing the book in an obscure and unrelated category, such as:
- Self-Hypnosis
- Arthurian Romance
- Paranormal & Urban Fantasy
- etc etc
Talk about getting hosed.
Why do I bring this up?
To illustrate the importance of ignoring vanity metrics.
These are numbers that look good on paper…
But have about as much impact on sales as likes on a LinkedIn post.
Just like open rates for email.
If the only thing you do is mail a pure content email once a week, then having 60%+ open rates is not much to brag about.
Because they don’t mean jack when it comes to sales.
In fact, the minute you put a paid offer in front of an audience like that…
You’ll probably get a flurry of unsubscribes.
Many of the people reading it will be thinking…
“How DARE they try to sell ME something!?!”
This is not to say you shouldn’t ever look at your open rates…
Just that they won’t pay for your summer vacation in the Greek islands.
And, conversely, the emails that will often have much lower open rates.
Something to keep in mind.
This is why I'm such a big advocate of Email Storyselling.
Including an offer in (almost) every email you send conditions your audience to being sold to.
Which not only ensures your open rates aren’t inflated…
But also guarantees each email you send moves the needle on the only metric that really matters:
Sales.
If you’d like to master this surprisingly simple step-by-step system for converting subscribers into buyers…
Then I recommend grabbing my Email Storyselling MBA below.
All the details are here:
Jim Hamilton
P.S:
The MBA offer includes a free email copy review from me, valid for 60 days after you purchase.
This is a service I’ve offered in the past for $247 a pop…
Where I help you:
- Craft an irresistible subject line
- Refine your story for emotional resonance
- Seamlessly connect your offer without feeling salesy
- And optimize the entire thing for readability & conversions
However, as my business continues to grow, I’ve realized this is not sustainable anymore.
So I’m removing it from the program at the end of this week.
Anyone who purchases the MBA before 11:59 PM EST on Friday will still get the free copy review bonus.
After that, it disappears forever.
So if you’d like my help writing your next email…
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