---
title: "The creator audit"
description: "Scrape the last 30, find the median, the ratio and the outliers, bucket the formats, then say what to make next."
canonical: https://tomsharman.com/playbooks/how-i-work/the-creator-audit/
updated: 2026-10-25
---

# The creator audit

> Scrape the last 30, find the median, the ratio and the outliers, bucket the formats, then say what to make next.

Playbook 5, How I work. Animation: /playbooks/how-i-work/the-creator-audit.mp4

Before I say anything about someone's content, I scrape their last 30 and look at what's actually in front of me. I work out the median, then the median against their followers, then anything at three to four times that median, because that's an outlier worth studying. Then every post goes into a format. The number I care about most is views per follower gained, and that one needs their Insights.

## How do I use it?

1. Write down the handle, the platforms, the purpose and who will read the audit.
2. Scrape the last 30 posts with a capped run, and record the date and scope.
3. Leave old pinned posts and anything under 24 hours old out of every median, and call out any boosted post.
4. Work out total, median and mean views, and median views as a share of followers.
5. Mark every post at three to four times the median, with its multiple and its share of all views.
6. Bucket every post by format and by how it is shot, and give each bucket its median.
7. Write what is working and what is not, each point with a number and a link.

## Questions

### What does "The creator audit" mean?

Every piece of work starts from what the content already shows. Scrape the last 30 posts, count everything, find what is three to four times the median, and only then say what to make.

### How do I put "The creator audit" into practice?

Write down the handle, the platforms, the purpose and who will read the audit. Scrape the last 30 posts with a capped run, and record the date and scope. Leave old pinned posts and anything under 24 hours old out of every median, and call out any boosted post.

### Why does "The creator audit" matter?

Before I say anything about someone's content, I scrape their last 30 and look at what's actually in front of me. I work out the median, then the median against their followers, then anything at three to four times that median, because that's an outlier worth studying.