The shutdown of Klout—a platform that reduced influence to a simplistic 1-100 score—highlighted a critical flaw in marketing analytics: vanity metrics don’t equal real business impact. Now, Earned Media Value (EMV) faces the same scrutiny.

Here’s why EMV fails as a meaningful influencer marketing metric—and what to track instead.

7 Reasons EMV Is Outdated

1. It’s a Black-Box Calculation

• EMV assigns a dollar value to organic engagement (likes, shares, comments).
• Problem? No standard formula—agencies inflate numbers to impress clients.

2. It Ignores Actual Conversions

• A post with 1M «EMV» might generate zero sales.
• Better metric: Cost per acquisition (CPA) or affiliate-linked revenue.

3. Fake Engagement Inflates EMV

• Bots and engagement pods artificially boost likes/comments—skewing EMV.
• Example: An influencer with 30% fake followers still shows high EMV.

4. It Doesn’t Measure Brand Sentiment

• EMV counts volume, not sentiment.
• 10K negative comments could have the same EMV as 10K praises—clearly not equal.

5. Platform Algorithms Change (EMV Doesn’t Adapt)

• Instagram’s shift from likes to saves/shares makes EMV even less reliable.

6. It Favors Mega-Influencers Over Micro-Influencers

• A celebrity post might have higher EMV—but a nano-influencer drives 5x more conversions.

7. Brands Can’t Trust It for Budget Decisions

• If EMV claims a campaign was «worth $500K,» but sales didn’t budge, what’s the point?

What to Measure Instead of EMV

✅ Conversions (promo code redemptions, direct sales).
✅ Engagement Rate (likes/comments per 1K followers, not totals).
✅ Click-Through Rate (CTR) on tracked links.
✅ Audience Quality (tools like SparkToro or HypeAuditor).
✅ Sentiment Analysis (positive/negative mentions).

The Bottom Line

EMV is the new Klout score—a vague, inflated metric that doesn’t reflect true ROI. The future of influencer marketing measurement lies in:

• Transparent, performance-based payouts (affiliate deals, CPA).
• Platforms providing verified analytics (no more guessing).
• Brands demanding real business outcomes—not vanity numbers.

Time to retire EMV. What’s your go-to influencer metric? #InfluencerMarketing #DigitalAnalytics #ROI

(Source: Adweek)