Key takeaways
- Whole weeks on one revenue basis are the fairest comparison, ideally net after the platform fee and any agency share.
- New subscribers and renewals need separate lines, because together they make growth look better than it is.
- Every review should end with what happened, why you think it happened and what you’ll try next.
Which six numbers belong in your weekly review?
| Number | Where it comes from | What it tells you | What to watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Net revenue | Your earnings statement, minus any agency share | What you kept before tax and costs | Mixing gross and net between weeks |
| Revenue by type | Your statistics | Which part of your income moved | Counting a custom order twice |
| New and renewing subscribers | Your fan list and statistics | Whether you’re growing or only replacing fans | Treating renewals as new fans |
| Reply time and open requests | Your inbox or your chat team’s log | Whether sales are waiting in the inbox | Missing the long waits behind a good average |
| Traffic | Tracked links and profile visits | Which source brings people to your page | Crediting unknown visits to a favorite channel |
| Your hours | Your own log | What the week cost you in time | Forgetting filming and admin |
If your statistics don’t show one of these, write “unknown” rather than filling the gap with a guess, because a guess can easily turn into a decision later.
Should you use gross, net or your account balance?
Sticking to one basis matters more than which one you pick, but we suggest net. That’s your gross revenue minus the 20% platform fee and any agency share, which leaves what you keep before tax and your own costs. A balance waiting for payout answers a different question from what you earned this week, so the two should stay apart.
Two weeks with made-up numbers and a 30% agency share on the amount after the platform fee would look like this.
| Week A | Week B | |
|---|---|---|
| Gross revenue | $1,450 | $1,600 |
| Platform fee (20%) | $290 | $320 |
| After the fee | $1,160 | $1,280 |
| Agency share (30%) | $348 | $384 |
| What you keep | $812 | $896 |
What you keep rose by $84, or about 10%, but the numbers can’t tell you why, and if a promo and a new post format both started that week, the cause is uncertain. You can run your own split in the commission calculator. What’s left is still before tax, and how to treat it is a question for your CPA or tax adviser, since neither this example nor the calculator is tax advice.
How do you turn the numbers into a decision?
It helps to close every review with three plain sentences covering what happened, why you think it happened and what you’ll try next. If replies slowed down on Sunday and paid message revenue dipped, for example, the weekend gap is the likely cause, so next week the Sunday handoff between shifts gets shorter. That’s a guess you can test, and next week’s numbers will show you whether the change should stay. Each change also needs one person responsible and a date, because otherwise it tends to get lost in a busy week.
How can you tell a lasting change from a normal swing?
A single week can mislead you, so there are three questions worth asking before you react. Was it a full week of the same length as the one before? Did anything unusual happen, such as a promo, a holiday or one big buyer? And does the movement show up in more than one number? If net revenue rises 10% while new subscribers and renewals stay flat, a few larger purchases may be behind it, so you’d look at how many people bought as well as the total.
What can you leave out, and where should you keep the rest?
Total views, follower counts and screenshots of your best day ever feel good, but they rarely change what you do next, and a number that has never led you to a question can go. New and renewing subscribers deserve a closer look when renewals slip, and our guide to reducing subscriber churn shows how to split them by how long fans have been subscribed.
The numbers can live in a notebook, a spreadsheet or our free weekly numbers template. If you work with us, the short weekly review with your personal manager is a natural place to go through them.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a weekly review take?
About fifteen minutes once the numbers are easy to pull. If it takes an hour, try simplifying where you collect them and keep the questions the same.
Should I compare weeks or months?
Both are useful, because weeks show what just changed and months show whether it lasted. Compare whole weeks of equal length, and mark promos, holidays and anything else unusual.
What should I expect from an agency’s weekly report?
You can expect the period covered, revenue by type, what was done, open requests and the decisions for next week, on the same basis every time. If a report only shows one big number, it’s fair to ask for the breakdown.
Would you like someone else to prepare your weekly review? Tell us about your page and we’ll get back to you within 12 hours.