Get more relevant Finds

Start with the Ghost’s Scanned items. They show every post a scan read and why each one was left out, which tells you what to change. Let a Ghost run a few scans before you judge it, then try the fixes below in order.

Too few Finds

1. Loosen the search queries. If a scan read only a handful of posts, the queries are too narrow. Exact phrases and exact job titles cut volume, so drop them, add queries for other ways people describe the problem, and remove filters you don’t need. Check each query’s weekly estimate. See Search queries.
2. Lower the Match threshold. If good posts were read but excluded with Ghost’s decision, your Ghost is being too strict. See Match threshold.
3. Check Max Finds per scan. Posts excluded with Max finds reached qualified but hit your cap. Raise it or set it to 0. See How many Finds a scan keeps.

A small first scan is normal. A new Ghost reads only the last 3 days of posts.

Too many Finds

1. Tighten the goal. Say what you don’t want to see. See Write your Ghost’s goal.
2. Raise the Match threshold. Your Ghost keeps only the posts it is surer about.
3. Cap Max Finds per scan. Your Ghost keeps the posts it is most confident about and leaves the rest in Scanned items.

Scanning less often does not reduce the number of Finds. They arrive later and in bigger batches.

The wrong kind of Finds

1. Fix the goal. If you can say why a Find is bad, put that reason in the goal. Competitors promoting themselves and job postings are common ones to rule out.
2. Rate your Finds. Your Ghost learns from ratings and filters out posts too similar to Finds you rated badly. See Rating Finds.
3. Move hard facts into filters. Location and similar facts belong in a filter, not in the goal.
4. Split the Ghost. One Ghost per topic works better than one broad Ghost. An “or” in the goal is a sign to split it. Copy the Ghost and narrow each one.

What a change affects

Changes to a Ghost apply from its next scan. They do not re-check posts the Ghost has already scanned, so judge a change by the scans that follow it.

Scan frequency changes how soon you see a post, not how many posts qualify. See Scanning.