Previously I used to measure the success of my channel based on how many people joined. That is a very unreliable metrics cause I couldn't instantly bump the member count with a few paid ads. That's why I'm sticking with organic, loyal subs.

Then instead of measuring overall performance, I started measuring the success of each post by the number of views they get. Which's also very inaccurate. Then it was reactions per post. Which is a much better metric of engagement.

But the most trustworthy way to measure for me has been seeing the number of shares each post gets. I ALWAYS go through that, find the public shares and react on their channels and get fascinated by the completely different perspectives their communities have.

Reactions + Shares per Post is a very reliable metrics.