Your Substack Data Is Trying to Tell You Something
A new way to look at your numbers — and the relationships behind them
More than a decade ago, I transitioned from the editorial world — where depth and precision guided every decision — to digital marketing, where everything was judged by clicks and conversions.
At first, it felt like a loss. I wasn’t interested in seeing my creative work squeezed into a dashboard.
But I was deeply curious about what made it land.
I was used to leading and collaborating with writers and designers, interviewing subject-matter experts and shaping stories that moved or informed people — not dissecting click-through rates.
But something shifted.
Over time, I realized that data (especially the right data) wasn’t a threat to storytelling — it was a direct window into what actually moved people to action.
The numbers felt cold, even critical, until I saw them as a way to listen.
They weren’t reducing my work — they were revealing how it landed. What resonated. What fell flat. What wanted to evolve.
Once I understood data as an extension of storytelling — not an obstacle to it — I became a better listener, strategist and creator.
Why Data Is an Undervalued Creative Tool — Even Among Seasoned Storytellers
In editorial culture, craft is sacred. But even the most experienced creators sometimes find it difficult to connect their creative instincts to the feedback signals hiding inside their data.
I don’t think this is resistance, necessarily. But there is a certain kind of friction that shows up again and again (even inside some of the biggest Substack publications). And I take this as a sign that the tools don’t yet match the nuance of the work being done.
If you're building something intentionally on Substack, you're already in relationship with your readers. And like any relationship, listening is key.
In my experience, when data is at its best, it’s used as another way to listen.
Not as a verdict, but as a reflection. Not to flatten your voice, but to help you understand how it's being received — where it resonates, where it wants to evolve and where it’s inviting more intention.
The Two Modes of Listening That Matter In Your Substack Publication
Inside publishing on Substack, I’ve observed that listening happens in two essential ways:
🌀 Internal Listening → Honoring your creative instincts, your curiosity, your evolving ideas.
📊 External Listening → Noticing how your audience responds — through engagement patterns, behavior and feedback loops.
When we avoid data, we aren’t protecting our creativity — we’re isolating ourselves from one half of the conversation.
I’m not interested in anyone chasing vanity metrics or building “growth hacks.” What compels me is clarity — the kind that deepens your audience relationships and strengthens your work over time.
Data helps us see what’s resonating, what’s losing momentum and where there’s an opportunity to refine without sacrificing what makes someone’s voice distinct.
What Successful Creators Do Differently
Since launching my Substack Reader Survey last June, I’ve analyzed patterns across dozens of newsletters — from emerging writers to well-established creative entrepreneurs. And I’ve noticed a clear throughline:
The creators who grow — and sustain that growth — aren’t just the ones who publish frequently or protect their writing time fiercely.
They’re the ones who pay attention.
That doesn’t mean obsessively checking a dashboard. It means building a practice of intentional reflection — knowing what to look for in the data and how to respond with clarity rather than panic.
That’s why I’ve been building a Substack Data Insights archive for almost a year now, trying to gently light the way toward a healthier, insightful relationship with our Substack dashboards.1
A Practical Rhythm: Quarterly Data Check-Ins
This is also why I’ll be launching Quarterly Data Check-Ins next month in The Editing Spectrum’s paid membership.
Once per quarter, paid members receive a light-touch Data Review Guide — designed to walk through four essential areas of the Substack data sets. It’s a calm, focused way to reflect on what’s resonating, what’s shifting and where your next creative or strategic move might be.
Then, at the end of the month, we gather in our live Pivot Hour strategy session — a collaborative space to bring your questions, observations and next steps. I’ll be there to help you interpret patterns, navigate creative or audience tensions and then make one to three intentional decisions that move your publication forward.
This isn’t about chasing metrics or reacting to every dip. It’s about building a clear, sustainable rhythm of reflection — one that helps you grow with integrity, not urgency.
The gift of data is its neutrality.
It doesn’t judge — it reflects.
It helps you listen more clearly, move more intentionally and publish with more trust in what you’re building.
What If Data Could Tell You More Than You Think?
I have a big vision for how data can become a creative ally for Substack publications — and not a creative menace. Just imagine …
What if data wasn’t merely a performance tracker — but a steady timekeeper?
A creative rhythm-checker?
A quiet signal flare pointing toward where the relationship with your readers is growing deeper — or pulling away?
What if once per quarter you could touch base and healthfully examine:
Where to shift your attention when the dashboard turns gray
Whether your retention rate is worth chasing (or if there’s a better metric for measuring)
Which topics are resonating and resulting in free and paid upgrades (and whether this should affect your publishing plan)
And even — what to try next, when you’re searching for a new way to nurture your readers?
I’m not interested in sideswiping the deep creative work of listening to your instincts. That internal listening is an essential part of how you differentiate your publication.
But I’m deeply compelled by what’s missing when we assume we have to choose either creative intuition or data.
Because I’ve seen — as an advisor, as a publisher, as a longtime entrepreneur and someone walking alongside you — what shifts when data becomes a relational and strategic guide post.
When it stops being a stoic foe and starts becoming a source of creative fuel.
When it becomes the neutral ground where creative minds meet — not to perform or answer to fickle metrics, but to rally creative spirit and better serve a common reader.
And I’d love to talk with you about how to do that, every quarter.
Quietly. Strategically. Intentionally.
Inside The Editing Spectrum.
📆 Next Live Session: April 30, 10 a.m. CDT
📍 Location: Live on Zoom — Paid Members Register Here
What Paid Members Are Saying About Our Data Work Already
☀️ “Amanda is the reason my relationship with my dashboard has changed for the better. Her work is inspiring, and I feel more connected to the needs of my community because of it.” —
☀️ “You are the data queen! Your insights into Substack data have taught me how to analyze my readers in ways I never would have discovered on my own.” —
☀️ “Amanda is the Data Queen and also a creativity goddess. I so love how she blends the back-end number crunching analytics (which are clunky & rudimentary) with intention and intuition to show you how to make more practical creative decisions that also feel good.” —
☀️ “She can effectively look with these magical eyes at the data… She could literally pull all the data … and say this is the price your audience is happy to pay.” —
Thanks to
for pointing out that my vision casting piece here was missing some actionable advice on data. Check out my Data Insights archive here.
I love your analysis of internal listening and external listening—and yes we can have both.
Super excited for this! I've been loving getting to befriend my data, and am looking forward to deepening that connection.