Cutmark chapter III / retention as a wound / page 07
Audience decay study

Silence cuts retention in half by week four.

Takeaway: the absence of a human note becomes measurable before cancellation does.

Paid reader return rate after the last personal note

n = 18,420 accounts
Jan–Dec 2024
Return rate falls from 88 percent in week one to 9 percent by week twelve. A five bar chart showing weekly retention after silence. Week four is highlighted at 47 percent. 100% 75% 50% 25% 0 88% Week 1 72% Week 2 47% Week 4 21% Week 8 9% Week 12 the scar is visible here