So, you’ve nailed down your North Star metric—awesome! But now what? If you think that simply tracking that number will magically grow your business, you’re in for a rude awakening, because spoiler alert: numbers don’t just move on their own. If you don’t know what’s actually driving your North Star metric, you’ll be stuck watching it sit there, doing nothing, while your competitors pull ahead.
That’s where the North Star metrics framework comes in. It’s not just about picking a shiny metric and calling it a day; it’s about understanding the things that make it turn in your favor and make you shine.
Let’s cut through the fluff and break this down properly.
What is a North Star metrics framework?
A North Star metrics framework helps you prioritize your key growth-driving metric, and align your efforts towards moving it in the right direction.
Because here’s the thing: your North Star metric won’t move on its own. You can’t just tell it to ‘c’mon, do something,’ like that meme, and expect results. That’s why you need a framework, or a structure that can help you:
- Identify what drives your North Star metric, aka the input metrics
- Separate meaningful data from vanity metrics, because tracking the wrong things is a waste of time
- Make better decisions instead of optimizing for the wrong outcomes
This framework gives you a clear roadmap for how to grow your business. Without it, you’re just guessing. And we’re really not into guesswork or wishing upon a star (pun intended). So, let’s take a closer look at what a North Star framework should include.
The 3 core pieces of a North Star metrics framework
Let’s look under the hood of your North Star metric and see what makes those gears keep turning. Basically, a solid framework has three key components:
- The North Star metric, aka the one metric to rule them all
- The input metrics, aka the things that influence your North Star metric
- The vanity metrics,aka the things to ignore, because some numbers exist just to make you feel good
Let’s break them down.
1. Defining your North Star metric
Your North Star metric is basically the one indicator that reflects your company’s success. It’s not revenue, and it’s not some feel-good vanity metric like ‘total users.’ It’s the number that tells you if people are getting real value from your product. That number will, of course, depend on the specifics of your product and the niche you’re operating in.
What you should keep in mind is that your North Star metric is NOT:
- Revenue— that’s a result, not a driver
- Total users— who cares if they don’t engage, right? (wrong)
- App downloads— downloads mean nothing if people never use the product and end up uninstalling
On the other hand, your North Star metric IS something that directly reflects success. Here are some quick examples:
- Spotify— time spent listening per user per month, because more time spent listening means more engaged users
- Airbnb— nights booked per user, because that means hosts and guests are getting value
- Slack— messages sent per user per day, because an active Slack is a useful Slack
2. Identifying your input metrics
Much like a car without an engine, your North Star metric won’t move unless you move the right levers. These are what we call the input metrics, or the things that directly impact your North Star.
Most businesses have input metrics in these categories:
- Acquisition— are you bringing in new users?
- Activation— are they realizing the value of your product?
- Engagement— are they consistently using it?
- Retention— do they stick around?
- Revenue— are they paying for it?
- Referral — are they telling others about it?
Each of these should have clear, measurable metrics tied to them. For example, if you’re running a subscription-based fitness app, your input metrics might be:
| Category | Input metric |
| Acquisition | New trial sign-ups per week |
| Activation | % of users who complete their first workout |
| Engagement | Average workouts completed per user per month |
| Retention | % of users still active after 30 days |
| Revenue | % of trial users who convert to paid users |
| Referral | % of new users who came from referrals |
Each one of these input metrics feeds into the North Star metric, which, in this case, would look something like Total workouts completed per active user per month.
3. Eliminating your vanity metrics
Vanity metrics are numbers that look good but don’t actually mean anything.
Here’s what not to track:
- Total downloads— if people download your app and never use it, it’s pointless
- Total registered users— who cares if they signed up but never engaged?
- Page views — page views don’t pay the bills
- Social media likes — unless they translate into conversions, they don’t matter
Obsessing over these numbers is like tracking your step count without trying to improve the numbers—sure, it’s movement, but it’s not progress.
Example: a North Star metrics framework for a dating app
Let’s put this all into action with a real example: let’s say you’re building a dating app that is focused on meaningful matches and not just meaningless swipes. Yes, we know it sounds impossible, but let’s give it a shot, shall we?
North Star metric
First, let’s identify your North Star metric. Although you might be tempted to look at the overall number of matches, that doesn’t translate into success, does it? Think of how many matches you’ve had on one of these dating apps, without anything ever coming out of them. A match only counts if both users exchange at least one message. No ghosting or unpleasant things like that.
- A bad North Star metric to pick would be: Total number of matches
- A good North Star metric is: Meaningful matches per active user per month
Key input metrics
Next, let’s try to pinpoint the core input metrics that will help you move that North Star metric in the right direction.
| Category | Metric | Why it matters |
| Acquisition | New user sign-ups per week | More users = more potential matches |
| Ad-to-download conversion rate | Tells you if your ad campaigns are working | |
| Activation | % of users who complete their profile | A half-filled profile isn’t helping anyone |
| % of users who send their first message within 24 hours | Ensures people actually start conversations | |
| Engagement | Average messages exchanged per user per week | If they’re not talking, they’re not connecting |
| % of matches that turn into conversations | More chats = higher success rate | |
| Retention | % of users returning after 30 days | If they come back, it means they see value |
| Number of active users per month | Keeps the app from being a ghost town | |
| Revenue | % of users buying premium features | Tracks monetization without hurting engagement |
What NOT to track (because it’s useless)
- Total swipes — swiping is meaningless if it doesn’t lead to matches
- Total matches— a match without a message is just a number
- Daily Active Users— if they log in and do nothing, that’s not engagement
- Total revenue (too early) — if you focus on monetization before engagement, you’ll kill your user base
Final thoughts: don’t overthink it
We know it’s easy to get lost among metrics and lose track of what’s important for your product. Don’t overcomplicate things by tracking too many metrics or constantly changing what you’re tracking. Keep in mind that the North Star metrics framework is simple:
- Pick the right North Star metric — the one number that defines your success
- Find the key input metrics — the things that actually move your North Star metric
- Ignore the BS vanity metrics — because they just waste your time
If you get this right, you’ll actually know what’s working and what’s not, so you can fix the problems that really matter.
Need help pinpointing the right metrics? Let’s chat—we’ll make sure you’re tracking what really matters. No need to fumble in the dark.
