Social media · Lesson 2.6
Measuring Mobile Content Approval: Metrics That Matter
Once posts arrive on your phone, it is easy to feel productive just because things are moving. Measuring mobile content approval means looking at a few numbers that tell you whether the setup is truly helping, instead of counting taps.
Here are the metrics worth tracking, how to read them each week, and a sheet you can build in ten minutes. The setup these numbers apply to is taught in Lesson 2.6: Approve every post from your phone.
Track how many drafts you approve as is, how many you change, how often the same fix repeats, and how long a review takes, then read them once a week.
Activity versus outcome
Activity is how many drafts you received and how many taps you made. Outcome is whether the posts are good and the work is getting lighter. Activity numbers rise just because you posted more. They do not tell you if the system is helping. The metrics below focus on outcomes you can see in your own data.
The four numbers
- Approve rateOf the drafts you received, how many did you approve with no change? A rising number suggests your rules are working.
- Change rateHow many needed a Change request? A steady high number means the rules or the brief are thin.
- Repeat fixesHow many times did you ask for the same fix? Each repeat is a rule you have not written yet.
- Time to approveRoughly how long from opening a draft to tapping? Time yourself for a few days to get your own baseline.
You do not need exact precision. A tally on paper works.
A fifth number for results
Approval measures your process. To see whether the posts are doing their job, add one number from the platform itself, such as replies, saves, link clicks or bookings that mention the post. Pick one that matches the post's purpose. A reminder post might be judged by bookings. A story post by replies.
Be careful with causation. A better week may come from a holiday or a promotion rather than from your approval setup. Treat platform numbers as clues.
The weekly sheet
| Week | Drafts | Approved as is | Changed | Rejected | Repeat fixes | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ||||||
| 2 | ||||||
| 3 | ||||||
| 4 |
Fill in one row each week. Four rows make a month, which is enough to see a direction.
How to read it
- Approved as is rises over weeks. Your rules are doing work. Keep going.
- Approved as is is flat and changes are high. Look at your repeat fixes. Write rules for them.
- Rejected is high. The drafts are off topic. Revisit your brief, especially the Job and Reader lines.
- Repeat fixes keep coming back. Your rules may be too vague to act on. Make them checkable.
- Time to approve keeps rising. You may be fixing too much by hand, or reviewing too many posts.
A worked example (illustrative)
Say you run a small florist and fill the sheet for four weeks. These figures are invented to show how to read the sheet, not real results. In week one you note ten drafts, four approved as is, five changed and one rejected, with "no exclamation marks" requested three times. You write that as a rule. By week three, if the rule helped, you would hope to see fewer changes. If instead the changes stay the same, the next step is to look at what you are changing now, not to add more rules at random.
What not to read into the numbers
Do not compare your numbers to anyone else's. Content, audience and taste differ too much. Do not chase 100 percent approved as is, either. A zero change week could mean your rules are great, or that you stopped reading. Check yourself with a sample: pick two approved posts and read them again as a customer.
Counting simply
You do not need software. A tally in a notes app is fine. Add a line each time you tap. At the end of the week, count the lines. If you want something extra, ask your AI to produce the weekly summary from your notes, then check its arithmetic yourself, since AI can miscount.
When to change something
Change one thing per month, based on what the sheet shows. If you change five things at once, you will not learn which one helped. See the Approve framework for the review routine that produces clean numbers, and five common mistakes if the numbers look odd.
A ten minute weekly review
Pick the same time each week, such as Friday afternoon.
- Fill in the row for the week.
- Compare it to last week. Did approved as is go up, down or stay flat?
- Look at the repeat fixes and write one rule.
- Read two approved posts again as a customer.
- Write one sentence on what you will change next week, or write "nothing".
Stopping at one change keeps the numbers readable. If you are tempted to rebuild everything after one weak week, wait for a second week of data first.
Setting a baseline before you start
If you already post by hand, take a week of numbers first: how many posts you made, how long each took, and which ones you were unhappy with after publishing. Then compare the same things once approval is running. Without a baseline, any change feels like progress.
Signs the numbers are lying
Be suspicious in three cases. If approved as is jumps overnight, check whether you read the drafts or tapped through. If time to approve drops sharply, the same question applies. If the platform numbers soar but your change rate is high, the posts may be doing well despite the process, so do not credit the setup. Numbers support a decision; they do not make it for you.
Questions people ask
What is a good approve rate?
There is no universal number. Compare your own weeks to each other.
How long should I track?
A month gives a direction. Two or three months gives a clearer picture.
Do I need a spreadsheet?
No. Paper or a notes app works.
Should I track platform metrics too?
One that matches the post's purpose, yes. Treat it as a clue, not proof.
Where to go next
Set up the loop that produces these numbers with Lesson 2.6: Approve every post from your phone. Then run the sheet for a month before you decide what to change.