How to read an ad report without fooling yourself

Impressions are not progress. Here is the short list of numbers that actually tell you something, and the ones we ignore.

Numbers that matter

Metric	Why it matters
Cost per acquisition	The only number tied directly to money
Hook rate	Whether the first three seconds work
Return on ad spend	Whether the whole thing is worth running

Numbers that mislead

Reach, impressions and raw engagement all go up when you spend more. They tell you the platform took your money, not that the campaign worked.

Ask for the losers

Any agency can show you the winning ad. Ask to see the five that failed and why they think each one failed. The answer tells you whether anyone is actually reading the data.