Worked example: a quarterly content audit
A fictional newsletter reviews twelve issues in an afternoon and decides what to repeat.
This example follows Small Batch, a fictional newsletter about home baking, through a one-afternoon review of its last twelve issues.
Step 1: one row per issue
The editor lists each issue in a spreadsheet with its main topic, clicks on the main link, number of replies and unsubscribes.
Step 2: sort three ways
- By clicks, to see what readers used.
- By replies, to see what started conversations.
- By unsubscribes, to see what pushed readers away.
Step 3: look for overlaps
Two issues, both about fixing common mistakes, appear near the top of clicks and replies. One issue, a long personal essay, has the most unsubscribes and the fewest clicks.
Step 4: decide
- Repeat: a monthly "fix a common mistake" issue.
- Adapt: keep personal essays, but shorter and with a practical takeaway.
- Turn into a resource: the two best mistake-fixing issues become a library checklist.
What this shows
An audit does not need software or statistics. Twelve rows, three sorts and an hour of honest reading are enough to shape the next quarter.
