Throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what adheres can be effective, yet it isn’t particularly dependable. If your goal is to advance as a content creator or influencer, recognizing what works and what doesn’t is vital. This is where a firm understanding of your metrics becomes important, as emphasized by experts at the “Metrics that Matter in a Mature Creator Economy” panel at VidCon 2025.

Six specialists—Ally Anderson, strategy and insights director for brand partnerships at LTK; Fernando Parnes, CEO of super.fans; Gwen Miller, senior director of growth at Mythical Entertainment; Josiah Hritsko, digital strategy director at Theorist Inc.; Michael Lim, media director at acquisition.com; and Sophie Lightning Jamison, talent acquisition specialist for content creators at Cookpad—discussed which metrics creators should concentrate on.

“There exists a data-supported formula for gaining views on YouTube,” Hritsko remarked during the panel. However, identifying which metrics to monitor is crucial to prevent becoming a fleeting sensation. Here are six metrics to monitor for online achievement, according to the panelists.

**Discovery**

The viewer’s connection starts with discovery, Miller highlights. She promotes the phrase “connected TV,” as YouTube users tend to watch more on television than on mobile devices. Longer viewing times on TVs result in increased ad impressions and revenue.

Before enhancing content for television, verify its necessity. Examine your data to discover where viewers are tuning in by accessing advanced move, more, and then device type. This will indicate from where the majority of your audience is watching. Additionally, consider the age and gender of your audience, as individuals over 25 are more inclined to watch on TV.

Ensure your content is in 4K, as it appears superior on larger screens, and target videos that exceed 20 minutes in length. Adjust for bigger displays, utilize thumbnails with a prominent focal point and minimal wording, and maintain quality control on television.

**Sentiment**

Parnes recommends monitoring sentiments: how audiences feel about your topics, their personal feelings towards you, and the tone and emotional disposition of your content. Brands take this into account when choosing to collaborate with you.

Positivity isn’t obligatory, but the audience’s personal sentiment towards you must be affirmative. Channels with positive sentiment have greater brand and Adsense flexibility, while negative channels might have more audience flexibility but less brand flexibility.

This is relevant for audience fit, brand collaboration possibilities, consistent growth, and directing content strategy. Sentiment can be assessed using specialized tools or by reviewing comments and like/dislike ratios.

**Trust**

“Creators are marketing trust, and that trust is cultivated over time,” Anderson stated. Consumers are increasingly engaging with creators each year, depending on them for decision-making. Trust can be developed through storytelling, especially through video content.

**Influence**

Conventional influencer campaigns emphasize engagement rates and follower counts, but Lightning Jamison contends that these metrics are inadequate. While views and likes are important, she proposes concentrating on a long-term value score, which includes creator affinity index, earned media multiplier, and save-to-like ratio. Videos that are saved are revisited more frequently than those that are merely liked.

“In the current creator economy, attention is the most precious commodity, yet it’s neither simple nor a passive metric,” Lightning Jamison stated. “It’s a dynamic, emotional, and co-created experience influenced by authenticity and community trust.”

This can be evaluated across numerous platforms.

**Efficiency**

Ensure your metrics are valuable, as Lim indicates, since gathering data can consume time and sometimes financial resources. Track fewer data points but maximize their utility. He recommends focusing on three areas.

First, the WTFDIDWT? Spectrum: What The F Do I Do With This? Ensure the data is actionable post-collection. Second, the automation matrix, with “easy, not useful” in the top left, “easy useful” in the top right, “hard, not useful” at the bottom left, and “hard useful” at the bottom right. Third, behavioral reinforcement, comprising clear rituals, infrastructure and technology, along with saved example analyses and prompts.

**Experimentation**

Hritsko underscores the importance of experimentation to counteract complacency. Persistently test responsibly: comprehend performance, formulate a hypothesis based on data, examine significant variables, assess results, and repeat.

Test elements like audience tests (core viewers, returning viewers, new viewers) and conceptual tests (traditional theories, modern YouTube, match the series).

Ultimately, it all narrows down to comprehending your viewer.

Mashable will be live at the Anaheim Convention Center this week, covering VidCon 2025. Visit Mashable.com for updates, where we will engage with your favorite creators, cover emerging trends, and demonstrate how creators are expanding their followings, influence, and generating income online.