Silent attention matters more than likes.

A CEO once told me he needed at least 200 likes on every post. I asked why, he could not really give me an answer. That is the problem with measuring reputation by engagement.

Low engagement does not mean low impact.

Building visibility takes real work. Original content, considered perspectives, showing up when you do not feel like it. And it rarely pays off immediately. Which makes it easy to panic when a post gets 30 likes instead of 300 and start questioning everything.

In reality, a post with 30 likes from the right people is worth more than 300 from people who will never become clients, partners, or referrals. I know this because some of my least-liked posts have led to the most important business conversations. The correlation between public engagement and actual outcomes is much weaker than most people think.

The people who matter are not making noise.

The senior executive who never engages publicly, ever. And then reaches out with "I have been following your work for months". Decision-makers at that level rarely comment or react.

They read, evaluate, and act when ready. If you only measure what is visible, you are missing the part of your audience that actually has budget and influence.

So what should you track?

Not likes, nor comments. The quality of the conversations landing in your inbox. Whether the right people are reaching out. Whether prospects arrive already understanding what you do.

These take longer to show up and that is uncomfortable. It is also just how it works.

Engagement data is useful. It tells you what resonates, it also helps you adjust. Use it for that but do not mistake it for proof that your reputation strategy is or is not working.