I tested it and I think it's very accurate. I don't have any "wonders" and I'm so glad :)) The transparency it provides is amazing. Thank you for doing all these amazing things, Finn! I believe your strategy is solid. And congrats on the sales you made!
Thank you so much, Yana - that means a lot coming from you.
I've learned a great deal by watching how you consistently show up with clarity and generosity, and it's been a significant inspiration behind building these tools.
I'm just trying to make the invisible a little more visible for creators like us. I am grateful for your encouragement - it keeps me going.
The Dynamo/Rocket/Burner/Wonder framework totally changed how I think about my content. Your tool makes the analytics actually actionable instead of just overwhelming. Thanks for sharing this – exactly what I needed to grow more strategically!
I had almost the same epiphany reading my writing from 10 months ago. I had conducted a similar portfolio analysis on my old Medium work, and it struck me like a ton of clarity: after 18 months of writing weekly, I had gained 24 subscribers.
Twenty. Four. Clearly, something wasn’t clicking.
So I took my advice - for real this time - and started applying the Dynamo/Rocket/Burner/Wonder framework to everything I created. What felt fuzzy and abstract back then suddenly clicked when I began building actual tools, writing practical how-to guides, and connecting more intentionally with my subscribers.
Turns out, the magic isn’t in guessing harder - it’s in seeing your work like an investor would: where’s the growth? What’s dead weight? What’s quietly compounding?
I’m so glad it’s helping you think more strategically, too. That’s precisely why I built this — not just to analyze, but to act.
Love this! "The magic isn't in guessing harder - it's in seeing your work like an investor would" - that's going to stick with me. Thanks for building something that actually helps us act, not just analyze. Let's keep going indeed!
Finn, I think you may find this interesting / useful. Using MCP to go one level beyond your good Notes scheduler. With it we could schedule Posts as well. Would love to see you build a nifty little app that leverages these new emerging opportunities
Hi Robin, you don't need to buy the product 3 times. You may need to run onboarding every time you switch, but it takes just a few seconds. You paste your Substack URL when asked, and the software configures itself. You can run the analysis, export your data and decide on the next steps.
The advice to think of the activity on Substack (and elsewhere) as a portfolio gave me a lightbulb moment 🤓
Simple, very easy to grasp and not difficult to apply.
I am going to apply the method in what I do. I have the same limitations on time available for Substack and writing as you have, and your structure will be of big help.
Finn--you are one of the most valuable publications on Substack or anywhere else. I don't have the patience to follow your instructions, but I'm headed over to get the Control Center. Um, Major Tom to Ground Control....
I've got one question though. As someone who just started out with writing and basically no following, at what point do those analytics actually make sense? Or can I already assume that if my content gets no traction it's just not good enough yet?
Trying to figure out if I should focus on improving the content first or start paying attention to the data 🤔
I tested it and I think it's very accurate. I don't have any "wonders" and I'm so glad :)) The transparency it provides is amazing. Thank you for doing all these amazing things, Finn! I believe your strategy is solid. And congrats on the sales you made!
Thank you so much, Yana - that means a lot coming from you.
I've learned a great deal by watching how you consistently show up with clarity and generosity, and it's been a significant inspiration behind building these tools.
I'm just trying to make the invisible a little more visible for creators like us. I am grateful for your encouragement - it keeps me going.
Thank you so much, Finn. What you do is amazing, people definitely need you here.
This portfolio approach is great!
The Dynamo/Rocket/Burner/Wonder framework totally changed how I think about my content. Your tool makes the analytics actually actionable instead of just overwhelming. Thanks for sharing this – exactly what I needed to grow more strategically!
Thanks, Jane!
Wow, your comment made my day.
I had almost the same epiphany reading my writing from 10 months ago. I had conducted a similar portfolio analysis on my old Medium work, and it struck me like a ton of clarity: after 18 months of writing weekly, I had gained 24 subscribers.
Twenty. Four. Clearly, something wasn’t clicking.
So I took my advice - for real this time - and started applying the Dynamo/Rocket/Burner/Wonder framework to everything I created. What felt fuzzy and abstract back then suddenly clicked when I began building actual tools, writing practical how-to guides, and connecting more intentionally with my subscribers.
Turns out, the magic isn’t in guessing harder - it’s in seeing your work like an investor would: where’s the growth? What’s dead weight? What’s quietly compounding?
I’m so glad it’s helping you think more strategically, too. That’s precisely why I built this — not just to analyze, but to act.
Let’s keep going. 🚀
Love this! "The magic isn't in guessing harder - it's in seeing your work like an investor would" - that's going to stick with me. Thanks for building something that actually helps us act, not just analyze. Let's keep going indeed!
Finn, I think you may find this interesting / useful. Using MCP to go one level beyond your good Notes scheduler. With it we could schedule Posts as well. Would love to see you build a nifty little app that leverages these new emerging opportunities
https://substack.com/home/post/p-167961226
Thanks for the link, Robin. I have done some experimentation on MCP - see this post https://substack.com/@finntropy/note/c-124048148
There is still quite a lot to learn about agentic AI use cases.
Hey Finn, thanks for sharing this valuable info. You got me interested indeed.
Small question: I publish 3 newsletters here on Substack. To analyze them do I have to buy the Substack Control Center three times?
Hi Robin, you don't need to buy the product 3 times. You may need to run onboarding every time you switch, but it takes just a few seconds. You paste your Substack URL when asked, and the software configures itself. You can run the analysis, export your data and decide on the next steps.
The advice to think of the activity on Substack (and elsewhere) as a portfolio gave me a lightbulb moment 🤓
Simple, very easy to grasp and not difficult to apply.
I am going to apply the method in what I do. I have the same limitations on time available for Substack and writing as you have, and your structure will be of big help.
Thanks again.
This is gold for virtually all creators, excellent breakdown!
Thank you, Joel! I'm glad that you found this helpful.
This post is a great compliment to Substack Control Center. I was wondering what to do with all the data and now you've given me some ideas.
Hey Rodney,
I love hearing that!
Honestly, the data is just numbers until someone like you asks, "Okay, but what do I actually do with this?"
That question has sparked more breakthroughs than any spreadsheet ever could. Keep the ideas coming - I’m collecting them like rare trading cards. 🧠✨
Finn--you are one of the most valuable publications on Substack or anywhere else. I don't have the patience to follow your instructions, but I'm headed over to get the Control Center. Um, Major Tom to Ground Control....
Oh, I love that song - just haven't heard it for a while.
"Take your protein pills and put your helmet on
Ground Control to Major Tom (ten, nine, eight, seven, six)
Commencing countdown, engines on (five, four, three, two)
Check ignition and may God's love be with you (one, lift off)"
Hey Finn, thanks for this, such a good read!
I've got one question though. As someone who just started out with writing and basically no following, at what point do those analytics actually make sense? Or can I already assume that if my content gets no traction it's just not good enough yet?
Trying to figure out if I should focus on improving the content first or start paying attention to the data 🤔