# Understanding Your Stats

Source: https://support.exposure.co/en/articles/13360154-understanding-your-stats/

_Learn how Exposure tracks and displays your story performance._

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## Overview

The Stats dashboard gives you insights into how your stories and site are performing. You can see views, track subscriber growth, identify your top referrers, and understand what content resonates with your audience.

All paid plan users have access to stats, with additional features available on higher tiers.

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## Accessing Your Stats

1.  Click **Stats** in your dashboard sidebar
    
2.  Or visit `yourname.exposure.co/stats` directly
    

**Note:** Stats are only accessible via your Exposure URL, not custom domains.

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## Stats Dashboard Overview

### Summary Cards

At the top of your Stats page, you’ll see four key metrics:

<table role="presentation" style="border: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-radius: 6px; border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0;"><tbody><tr><td style="padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">Metric</p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">Description</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin"><b>Total Views</b></p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">Combined views across all stories and your site homepage</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin"><b>Story Views</b></p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">Views on your published stories</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin"><b>Site Views</b></p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">Views on your homepage/profile</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin"><b>New Subscribers</b></p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">Subscribers gained in the selected period</p></td></tr></tbody></table>

Each card shows the current count plus a **percentage change** compared to the previous period.

### Best Day

Shows your highest-traffic day in the selected period, with the date and view count.

### Views Today

A real-time counter showing how many views you’ve received today.

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## Key Metrics Chart

The main chart displays your traffic over time:

-   **Total Views** – Solid dark line
    
-   **Story Views** – Dashed line
    
-   **Site Views** – Dotted line
    
-   **New Subscribers** – Green line (secondary axis)
    
-   **Story Publish Dates** – Orange dots marking when you published stories
    

Hover over any point to see detailed numbers for that date.

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## Top Referrers

See where your traffic comes from, ranked by volume:

<table role="presentation" style="border: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-radius: 6px; border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0;"><tbody><tr><td style="padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">Source</p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">What It Includes</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin"><b>Direct</b></p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">Bookmarks, typed URLs, email clients, and visits without referrer data</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin"><b>Google</b></p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">Google Search, Google Discover, and other Google properties</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin"><b>Twitter / X</b></p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">Twitter posts and t.co shortened links</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin"><b>Facebook</b></p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">Facebook posts, Messenger, and fb.com links</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin"><b>Instagram</b></p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">Instagram bio links and stories</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin"><b>LinkedIn</b></p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">LinkedIn posts and lnkd.in links</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin"><b>Reddit</b></p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">Reddit posts and comments</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin"><b>RSS</b></p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">RSS readers like Feedly, Inoreader, etc.</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin"><b>Exposure</b></p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">Traffic from Exposure's Discover page</p></td></tr></tbody></table>

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## Top Stories

Your best-performing stories ranked by views. Click **Load More** to see additional stories.

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## Optimal Story Insights

Based on your top-performing content, we calculate suggested photo and word counts that tend to perform well for your audience.

**Note:** Requires at least 5 published stories with views to display insights.

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## Period Selection

Choose the time period for your stats:

<table role="presentation" style="border: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-radius: 6px; border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0;"><tbody><tr><td style="padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">Period</p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">Available To</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">7 Days</p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">Pro Plus, Business</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin"><b>30 Days</b></p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">All paid plans</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">90 Days</p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">Pro Plus, Business</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">1 Year</p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">Pro Plus, Business</p></td></tr></tbody></table>

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## Email Stats

When you send email notifications to subscribers, you can track how they perform:

<table role="presentation" style="border: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-radius: 6px; border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0;"><tbody><tr><td style="padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">Metric</p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">Description</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin"><b>Emails Sent</b></p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">Total notifications delivered</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin"><b>Opened</b></p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">Number of subscribers who opened the email</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin"><b>Clicked</b></p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">Number who clicked through to your story</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin"><b>Open Rate</b></p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">Percentage of opens vs. sends</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin"><b>Click Rate</b></p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">Percentage of clicks vs. sends</p></td></tr></tbody></table>

Email stats are available in the **Story Stats Panel** for each published story. See our [Email Subscribers & Mailing Lists guide](<https://support.exposure.co/en/articles/2354061-email-subscribers-mailing-lists/>) for more details.

**Note:** Email stats are available for stories published after January 9, 2026.

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## Story Link Click Tracking

**Business plan** users can track which links readers click within their stories:

<table role="presentation" style="border: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-radius: 6px; border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0;"><tbody><tr><td style="padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">Metric</p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">Description</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin"><b>Total Link Clicks</b></p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">All clicks on links in a story</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin"><b>Click-Through Rate</b></p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">Percentage of views resulting in link clicks</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin"><b>Top Links</b></p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">Ranked list of most-clicked links</p></td></tr></tbody></table>

Link tracking is privacy-focused—we don’t collect personal information or use cookies. All data is anonymous and aggregated.

**[Learn more about Story Link Click Tracking →](<https://support.exposure.co/en/articles/13360153-story-link-click-tracking/>)**

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## Video Play Tracking

**Business plan** users can track which videos readers watch within their stories:

<table role="presentation" style="border: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-radius: 6px; border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0;"><tbody><tr><td style="padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">Metric</p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">Description</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin"><b>Total Video Plays</b></p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">All video plays in a story</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin"><b>Completion Rate</b></p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">Percentage of viewers who watch to the end</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin"><b>Top Videos</b></p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">Ranked list of most-watched videos</p></td></tr></tbody></table>

Video tracking supports all video types: cover videos, uploaded videos, YouTube embeds, and Vimeo embeds. Like link tracking, it’s fully privacy-focused with no cookies or personal data collection.

**[Learn more about Video Play Tracking →](<https://support.exposure.co/en/articles/13421778-video-play-tracking/>)**

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## Story Stats Panel

For quick access to per-story analytics, use the Story Stats Panel:

1.  Open a published story in the editor
    
2.  Click **Story Stats** in the toolbar
    
3.  View all stats for that specific story
    

The panel shows:

-   Total views and views today
    
-   Email open and click rates
    
-   Story link clicks (Business plan)
    
-   Video plays (Business plan)
    
-   Recent email opens (Business plan)
    

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## CSV Export

Pro Plus and Business users can export their stats:

1.  Go to **Stats**
    
2.  Select your desired period
    
3.  Click **Export CSV**
    

The export includes daily views, subscriber counts, and top referrers.

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## How Views Are Counted

### What Counts as a View

-   ✅ A visitor loads your story page
    
-   ✅ The same visitor returning later
    
-   ✅ Visits from any source (social, search, direct)
    

### What Doesn’t Count

-   ❌ You viewing your own stories
    
-   ❌ Bots and web crawlers
    
-   ❌ Preview or staging environments
    

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## Stats by Plan

<table role="presentation" style="border: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-radius: 6px; border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0;"><tbody><tr><td style="padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">Feature</p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">Pro</p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">Pro Plus</p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">Business</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">Stats Dashboard</p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">✅</p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">✅</p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">✅</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">30-Day Period</p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">✅</p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">✅</p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">✅</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">Extended Periods</p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">❌</p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">✅</p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">✅</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">CSV Export</p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">❌</p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">✅</p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">✅</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">Email Stats</p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">✅</p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">✅</p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">✅</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">Link Click Tracking</p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">❌</p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">❌</p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">✅</p></td></tr><tr><td style="border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">Video Play Tracking</p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">❌</p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">❌</p></td><td style="border-left: 1px solid #c6c9c0; border-top: 1px solid #c6c9c0; padding: 8px;"><p class="no-margin">✅</p></td></tr></tbody></table>

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## Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: Why don’t my own views count?** A: We filter out author views to give you accurate audience data. Views from your logged-in account aren’t counted.

**Q: How often are stats updated?** A: Views are recorded in real-time. Some aggregated metrics are cached for up to 5 minutes for performance.

**Q: Can I see stats for unpublished stories?** A: No. Only published stories have view tracking enabled.

**Q: Why do my referrers show “Direct” for most traffic?** A: Many sources don’t pass referrer information—email clients, some apps, private browsing, and bookmarks all appear as Direct traffic.

**Q: Can I integrate with Google Analytics?** A: Yes! Pro Plus and Business users can add their Google Analytics ID in Settings → Integrations.

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## Need Help?

If you have questions about your stats, we’re here to help:

-   **Email:** [hello@exposure.co](<mailto:hello@exposure.co>)

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_Last updated: January 2026_

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## Need help?

Use the [Exposure contact form](<https://exposure.co/contact>).