A CRASH COURSE ON LAGGING AND LEADING METRICS

Summary from the TLDR Marketing newsletter

Lagging metrics measure outcomes but are slow to respond. Leading metrics give directional signals but need interpretation. Most teams over-index on lagging metrics like NPS or revenue per user because they feel more concrete and definitive. However, these often come too late to guide action. Marketers can build better dashboards by pairing each lagging metric with 2 to 3 leading ones. For example, tie conversion rate to DAUs or time to first value. This dual tracking helps steer strategy in real time and spot issues like churn or underused features quickly.