> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://building-subloop.ghost.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# 5 things I learned about Ghost this week
- URL: https://building-subloop.ghost.io/5-things-i-learned-about-ghost-this-week/
- Published: 2026-07-05T22:42:57.000Z
- Updated: 2026-07-05T22:42:57.000Z
- Author: Sam packer

1. There's no read-only Admin API key. One key, full permissions — which is why the right hygiene is a dedicated custom integration you delete after use. (Thanks to Cathy Sarisky on the Ghost Forum for the correction.)
2. Ghost 6's native analytics attribute paid conversions to individual posts, with MRR impact. More than most people realize. What they don't do: follow those members through time. Conversion is measured; retention by content isn't.
3. Ghost(Pro)'s Starter plan has no Admin API, no custom integrations, and no paid subscriptions. Meaning: every Ghost(Pro) newsletter with a paid tier is on Publisher or above, and always has API access.
4. Analytics data only exists from Ghost 6.0 onward — no backfill. Your member records go back to day one, though. History lives in the data, not the dashboards.
5. Paid-member counts include complimentary subscriptions. Comped members count as paid members in the analytics views. (Testing what that does to conversion metrics as we speak.)

All five verified against docs or my own site — a rule I adopted after learning number 1 the embarrassing way.