The few numbers that tell you what to post next
Dashboards show dozens of numbers. Three questions are enough to decide what to do next.
Ask three questions
Every number on an analytics page should answer one of these. If it does not, ignore it.
- Who saw it? (reach and impressions)
- Who did something about it? (comments, shares, saves, clicks)
- Did it bring people back? (followers gained, repeat engagement)
Compare posts, not days
A single day tells you very little. A set of ten posts tells you a lot. Sort your recent posts by how many people engaged, then read the best three and the worst three side by side. What do the best ones share? A format, a topic, a first line, a time of day?
Do not compare channels with each other
A good post on one channel and a good post on another can have very different numbers. Compare each channel with itself over time. One channel growing steadily is more useful to know than which channel is biggest.
Know what is not visible
Platforms decide which numbers outside tools may read. LinkedIn does not share personal-profile numbers with apps, for example, and X shows the public counts of your own posts. Keep the platform's own app open for the few numbers a tool cannot reach.
Turn it into a rule
End each review with one sentence, such as “post more short videos” or “stop posting on Sunday evenings”, and follow it for the next month. Then look again.