---
aliases: ["Essay Quality Score"]
Is A: Measure
Belongs to: "[[responsibility-content-production]]"
Unit: "score (1-5)"
---
# Essay Quality Score

Essay quality score is a self-assessed rating applied to each published newsletter essay, measuring depth, originality, and reader value on a 1-5 scale. While [[measure-articles-per-week]] tracks output quantity, this metric ensures that production cadence does not come at the expense of quality. High-quality essays drive shares, organic growth, and long-term brand authority, all of which support [[responsibility-grow-newsletter]] and [[responsibility-sponsorships]].

This is intentionally a subjective metric. External proxies like open rate or share count are influenced by subject line, timing, and audience mood. A self-assessed quality score captures whether the essay met the author's own standard for depth and craft.

## How it's tracked

After each essay is published, assign a score from 1 to 5 based on the following rubric:

- **5 (Exceptional)**: Original framework or insight, well-researched, likely to be referenced and shared widely. Pillar article quality.
- **4 (Strong)**: Clear thesis, good depth, adds genuine value. Standard high-quality issue.
- **3 (Solid)**: Competent and useful but not particularly original. Gets the job done.
- **2 (Weak)**: Shallow, derivative, or rushed. Published to maintain cadence but below standard.
- **1 (Poor)**: Should not have been published. Indicates a process failure.

Scores are logged in the tracking spreadsheet alongside each essay's publication date and topic.

## Targets

- **Minimum monthly average**: 3.5. Consistently publishing below this indicates either burnout, insufficient research time, or too-aggressive publishing cadence.
- **Target monthly average**: 4.0. This represents consistently strong output with occasional exceptional pieces.
- **Stretch**: At least two 5-rated essays per quarter. These become pillar content for SEO and long-term value.

## Notes

- A score of 2 or below should trigger a retrospective: was the issue time pressure, topic selection, or insufficient preparation? The answer informs whether to adjust [[measure-articles-per-week]] targets.
- Quality score tends to inversely correlate with publishing frequency during crunch periods. If the average drops below 3.5, consider temporarily reducing to 1 article per week.
- The best-performing essays in terms of engagement (shares, replies) tend to score 4 or 5. However, some 3-rated tactical pieces perform well because the topic is timely.
- Review quality scores quarterly to identify patterns in topic selection and preparation time allocation.
