Set Your Subscriber Dashboard to These Key Metrics and Get Back to Writing

Create a 30-day view dashboard and let the data work quietly in the background

Setting up your Substack can feel overwhelming, but if you’re a new paid member, you have access to all my best resources in the Newsletter Launch Pad. And today’s essay is my chance to remind you that when you’re pulling all the pieces of your newsletter together, be sure you don’t forget about the data.

→ Set up your dashboard so it works for you, not the other way around. Below the paywall, I’ll show you exactly which metrics to focus on to ensure you’re tracking what’s reliable and meaningful.

I like to keep my own subscriber dashboard set to a 30-day view. This approach gives me a steady, month-to-month perspective, revealing patterns without the distraction of daily fluctuations.

In the world of newsletter publishing, where we pour so much into each post, it’s easy to get caught up in every small blip in the data. But by focusing on 30-day trends, you’ll gain insights that a single day’s numbers simply can’t provide.

The Power of Patterned Data

In the early days, any sign of engagement can feel like a small victory, and it’s natural to want to examine every reader action. Yet, 30-day views allow us to see the medium-sized picture — the trends and rhythms that genuinely reflect where our audience is today. These patterns tell us things like: Are we reaching more people over time? Are readers coming back? Are they engaging more deeply?

Day-to-day data can’t answer these questions. In fact, individual data points can be misleading, influenced by factors as minor as the day of the week or the time of day (or, even a national election). But a 30-day view gives us a stable view without requiring a deep-dive into six- or 12-month trends; it filters out the noise and shows us how our work is resonating.

For Advanced Writers: Growing Intentionally with Data

If you’re an experienced newsletter writer with a clear vision and a goal to grow your reach intentionally, tracking data can be an empowering part of your strategy. The following metrics can help you gauge reader engagement, identify ambassadors for your work and refine your approach to engaging your audience. (See the screenshot below for directions on how to set these in Substack.)

• Activity – This rating combines post views and opens along with Notes interactions (likes, replies, comments) to give a quick snapshot of overall engagement. It shows how actively your readers are interacting with your posts and participating in the larger Notes community on Substack.

• Comments (last 30 days) – Comments offer a straightforward way to identify which readers are actively engaging with your essays and sparking discussions within your newsletter. These readers are often your conversation starters and can be vital to building a sense of community around your work.

• Days active (last 30 days) – This metric highlights reader consistency by showing how many days within the past month they’ve engaged with your offerings. It’s a helpful way to assess loyalty and gauge whether your newsletter is becoming a regular part of readers’ routines.

• Post views (last 30 days) – This metric tells you how many readers actively engaged with your posts within the last month. It gives a clear picture of reader activity within a 30-day framework, helping you assess engagement momentum.

• Shares (last 30 days) – Shares show how many, and which, subscribers are serving as ambassadors for your newsletter by spreading your essays. This metric is especially useful for understanding which offerings resonate deeply enough that readers want to pass them along to others.

• Subscription type – Knowing whether a reader is subscribed to your free or paid posts can be helpful for tailoring your outreach and measuring conversion rates if you’re focusing on monetization. It can help you track which types of posts encourage free subscribers to upgrade.

• Unique posts seen (last 30 days) – This metric tracks the number of different posts a reader has opened. It’s a useful indicator of how well you’re using your archives and how broadly your audience is engaging with your offerings over time.

• Email opens (last 30 days) – There’s a caveat on this one. I watch email opens only as a way to measure against other more reliable metrics. I use them to compare with how my post views are being measured, but nothing beyond that. There are too many restrictions on data gathering in email opens, so be sure to hold that value lightly.

These metrics provide a balanced view of reader engagement, allowing you to deepen your connection with your audience and grow your newsletter intentionally.

Click “Subscribers” at the top of your Substack dashboard; then click “Columns” and from there choose these eight options.

Let the Data Work for You, in the Background

One of my goals with this approach is to create a sense of ease around data — to remind everyone that we don’t need to constantly monitor it. Data should work on our behalf in the background, collecting and organizing itself while we stay focused on the work of writing and connecting with our readers. The dashboard will be there whenever we’re ready to look, with reliable, meaningful insights waiting for us.

When we allow data to function in the background, we give ourselves permission to stay present with our writing and our readers. We become more engaged in the act of creation rather than distracted by numbers that may or may not represent real value.

For New Writers: The Value of Minimal Metrics

I’m sensitive to the mixed group of readers in The Editing Spectrum and that some of you might still be exploring where you want to take you newsletter next. And to all of you, I want to encourage a light touch with metrics. In the early stages on Substack or in any creative endeavor (newsletter, small business or otherwise) it’s easy to overemphasize the numbers and let them take up mental real estate that’s better spent elsewhere.

At this stage, one of the best metrics you can watch is the “Activity rating.” A quick look at how many readers are engaging with a 4-star level or higher can be enough to remind you that your work is finding its audience. This single metric can reassure you that your writing is reaching and resonating with readers, without requiring you to get lost in complex data points.

In the end, your newsletter’s growth is more marathon than sprint, and cultivating an environment where data supports rather than distracts us allows us to stay on course, producing meaningful work. We’re here to bring new ideas and perspectives to our audience; data is here to help us do that — quietly, and in the background, so we can stay focused on the art of writing and connecting.

New to Amanda and The Editing Spectrum?

• Explore My Work: Learn how to conduct your own 5x5 editorial data audit and a pricing gut check in this workshop: Audit Your Substack Data Like a Strategist (Now available to all paid members in the Digital Resource Library!).

• Workshops & Speaking Engagements: Invite me to speak or host a workshop for your university, writing community or in-house team. Send me an email at TheEditingSpectrum@gmail.com.

• Newsletter Data Audits for Creative Entrepreneurs: When your newsletter feels stuck or needs a new direction, I offer tailored strategy sessions that draw on my background in B2C marketing, data and audience research to help you connect with your readers in deeper, more meaningful ways. Together, we’ll create an actionable plan that renews your enthusiasm and aligns with your goals, whether it’s fine-tuning your paywall, boosting reader engagement or revitalizing your publishing rhythm.