I really appreciate the work you do and the content you put out there, but the extra butter is twice as much, and there are multiple writers I want to support - so while I’m bummed when there is something I’m interested in I can’t access, at this point, it would mean not supporting another person at all. (The price point where I would pay for extra butter is probably $3 a month)
This is exactly my choice, as well. It’s why I’m ultimately skeptical that this model is really good for the world. I feel about paid subscriptions/Patreon etc the same way I do about our family’s charitable giving: I’d rather support more organizations a little than one organization a lot.
I posted about this before, but it’s worth saying again, the patron/subscriber model may be good on an individual level but I don’t think it’s an answer to systemic problems of underpaying workers or people not feeling like content is worth paying for (because we’ve been trained that everything is free). As we flounder around for a more equitable model, I think it’s totally fine to use this one and I feel good about investing in the creators I love most. But I can’t afford to invest in that many and there are tons of folks getting left behind.
I would hate us to take our eye off the prize of a living wage for more folks and a more sustainable journalism & creativity model.
I hear you!! It’s definitely not a perfect solution. My personal feeling is that Substack and Patreon are important for shifting us as readers/content consumers into supporting writers/artists/etc vs expecting all content to be free. I truly don’t think anyone should stress about supporting every creator you love though -- the more people who are willing to support some creators, the more creators who get supported.
And maybe reader support shouldn’t be the only answer -- but it’s a good start.
Completely hear you about needing to support other writers! Lots of subscribers come here for a few months or a year and then tell me they are switching it up to support other folks with their Substack budget, and I think that’s an awesome approach.
I also feel this. Also, as a Canadian, my dollar does not go as far, and I just can't wedge Extra butter into my budget. I completely want to support you as writers and creators for your work, and have subscribed from the beginning. So grateful for what you do! But regular butter only, even though I'm the biggest fan!
Exactly my problem, as I'm franchement an pay in euros... It’s beginning to cost à lot ! I just can't pay more... but still love it here ! @virginia do you know if a french version of Fat Talk will be published ?
This is it. I am suuuuper happy to support the BT project but I am a subscriber to so many things now, on here and Patreon, and sometimes I just can’t do one more thing.
I work hard to support all the writers I love. This feels unsustainable. Not only am I spending WAY more than I would if all of this writing was gathered into one magazine, newspaper, or site but I simply don’t have time to consume all the extra content. It feels like every single writer I love is writing a substack, doing a podcast, is active on threads. What a thrill! But I cannot afford (from both a time and economic standpoint) to consume it all.
I feel this comment in my soul. This year it felt like there were just so many Substacks out there. Even the comment sections some places have gotten overwhelming. Posts really favor people who post early, and there's maybe a day of activity before it dries up. It feels like the experience of reading things when they come out vs going back a few days later is such a different experience because of the way the comments section works.
What Was I Made For? was my favorite piece I read on Substack last week out of all the many things I read (I have been reading a lot the last two weeks as I put off finishing all my Christmas tasks). I am shocked it had the lowest open rate, but maybe other people are actually doing a good job finishing up their before Christmas tasks unlike me!
same! and I also loved the title. I am WAY behind on podcasts, and even reading the transcripts (which I mostly do, bc I cannot multitask audio and have a short commute) bc they are so much longer than the newsletters. I feel like I clicked that one so quickly and I've continued to think about it
that said, I've done very little newsletter catching up in all of the Christmas tasks and gatherings (which for me mostly happen between dec 25 and nye, making this week a busy one for me, not a slow one), as evidenced by the fact that I'm just now reading this piece lol
I really enjoy everything you write, Virginia--I just know that I won't have time to read and/or engage with the content of "Extra Butter" in my daily life. With two small children and my own freelance career, I can barely find five minutes to read the base level that I have paid for! However, keep up the excellent work, it's definitely not personal!
I second the comment about not having the time for Extra Butter right now. I certainly have a bit of FOMO every time I know I’m missing it though. Anyway, I absolutely love what you write and appreciate all your guidance when it comes to parenting, anti-dieting, and body liberation. Thank you!
I also had a question about the podcasts for subscribers. With the paywalled episodes, I can’t get Apple Podcasts to recognize me as a paid subscriber (actually, tbh I have not tried very hard), and I always get cut off. Sometimes I use the Substack app, but that’s a little clunky still and it’s hard to find episodes after a day or two. Would you have any idea on where to start in Apple Podcasts?
Agh yes, this can be a headache (and I don’t truly understand why Substack isn’t more Apple-compatible!). I think this tutorial will cover what you need — but let us know if it’s still glitchy!
This also is true for me. Some of my subs I literally read maybe once a month to catch up but I really like the principle of it, so I keep supporting. I don’t have kids but have a bunch of things going on in life that means having one more piece of content to consume or feel behind on sometimes tips me over the edge of what is sustainable
What Was I Made For was one of the most heartbreakingly profound things I've read all year. I would love to see more content about the intersection of diet/exercise culture and aging. Thank you for all you do. May you have a way more easeful 2024.
BT has become hands-down my favourite podcast/newsletter this year, so I'm glad its reach has ballooned so incredibly! in relation to one of your observations about email opening: sometimes if a title feels too close to the bone (i.e. it's about a struggle I'm currently or was recently dealing with) I tend to leave it until I'm feeling braver. So, ironically, the most relevant content takes the longest to consume !
This exactly. I usually go back and read things when I have the emotional capacity for them, which is… not during the day at work, or when I’m in the waiting room at the allergist and thus on public display, or at the end of a long day of doing emotional support/masking. If I think something is going to make me cry, it will wait until I’m in a place, emotionally and physically, where I’m okay with crying. I want to be sure I’ll have space to process things, which again, means it’s relevant, and I realize this is at odds with the way that you experience engagement, Virginia!
This totally makes sense -- I actually see open rates growing on older pieces (podcast episodes also accumulate more downloads past the first week), and I am sure it’s because lots of people read this way.
Also, just wanna say how lovely it is that you're so generous with comp subscriptions! And thank you to all the paying subscribers who facilitate that :)
I will echo the comments here that say that I can only support so many amazing folks via Substack and patreon. I’m working to rebuild my life post-separation. Not getting Extra Butter means I get to buy myself a pair of jeans and new shoes.
Thank you Virginia. Our parasocial relationship has been valuable and validating to me in many ways. I'll send you more memes when I'm back on social media in the New Year. Finding Burnt Toast has been life changing for me physically and mentally. I have a community here I do not have in real life and I truly need this support system. (I have half a dozen cookie recipes pinned from last week's thread and I'm so excited about them.)
Thank you for your incredible work. Thank you to Corinne for her wonderful contributions as well, I love hearing her perspectives.
My request for an episode, is like your step mother, I would love to hear about aging women and menopause specifically pre or peri menopause and how it's a catalyst for growth and change. I'm not there yet, but I want to embrace it, not dread it.
Ah, I love this end-of-the-year business/editorial recap, thank you so much! About the kids workout piece, I read it and loved it. It was very instructive! But it took me a LONG time to open it because the title was difficult to understand. "Barbie feet" doesn't ring any bells to me. Once I clicked, I was happy I did. So the title might be why it performed less well than what you'd expected!
I’m new here and have no clue what extra butter is, but when I clicked on the link in the article to check it out it says I’m already subscribed- so yay! I love all of this content and look forward to these emails hitting my inbox while I drink my coffee. My husband thinks I’m crazy always writing novels in these comments before the sun even comes out, but I’m happy to have a space like this where I can add my anti-diet thoughts. I don’t have many people in my world I can talk to about this stuff other than my hubby and my therapist because they all are deep in diet culture and don’t get it or don’t want to listen. I feel seen and validated here, so I would pay whatever the monthly is to get that (within reason obviously!)
When it comes to New Year’s resolutions - I like to pick a word that serves me throughout the year. Last year I picked “health” because I was (and still am) dealing with health issues and this year I’m picking “positivity” because those health issues have given me a negative outlook. But by picking positivity, I will focus on that and work on it throughout the year. I write it on my mirror so I see it every morning as well. Anyway! Thanks for all you do!! Happy to be here!!
my friends and I do this yearly word thing too and I love it! My one friend keeps a list from years past and it's always fun to see what we were thinking years ago.
For the poll - it's not a lack of interest in Burnt Toast content, just the pricing! My budget only seems to be getting tighter, and while I've been trying to avoid dropping the paid subscription altogether... I can't imagine a scenario in which it makes sense for me to go the other direction and pay twice as much.
And to clarify - I don't think the Extra Butter pricing is inherently unreasonable! I just personally can't afford it with my current income/chronic illness expenses.
Absolutely love everything you write but can't really justify paying even more per month just for one journalist so I make do without extra butter and cult of perfection. I am actually embarrassed of how much I want to share all your pieces with my mum groups and especially my "feminist" mum group - when our local mum&baby club offered a post-partum weightloss bootcamp we had some real debate about whether the advertising was supportive of new mothers (to my Virginia-trained mind absolutely 100% not!!) and made me want to introduce your work to everybody... But don't want to seem too weird about it either!! Anyway, big thanks, always a pleasure to get your newsletter even if I am keenest on the fat / parenting content.
I'll say it once again: as a non-parent/never-going-to-be-a-parent who still loves kids, I have always felt welcomed and engaged here! Thanks for writing so well.
I’m curious about your thoughts on the growth imperative and how it relates to this newsletter/podcast. I know that you have plans to expand (e.g., hire a fact-checker/editor) but is there a subscriber number/income you have in mind where you don’t have to scramble for more paid subscription conversions and can really nurture the existing subscriber base? I’m so fascinated that this newsletter has almost doubled its subscriptions in 1 year.
I truly don’t feel like we’re scrambling for more paid -- and I hope we are nurturing current subscribers already, though of course open to feedback on how we can do that better. But the reality of the subscription model is you’re always losing some subscribers because people come up for renewal and not everyone renews. (Which is fine! See previous comments encouraging folks to spread their subscription support around.) So in order to just maintain, let alone grow, we need to bring in a certain amount of new paid subscribers every month to offset the folks who are moving on and keep income steady.
Which means strategizing on how to bring new folks in will always be in the job description even without plans to expand. But! Nurturing the existing base is also in the job description!
FWIW Virginia, I would categorize “What was I Made For?” as your most beautiful piece of the year (tied with your divorce essay). Many of the lower performed pieces were ones i loved a lot. Maybe the performance for some can be due to timing of things outside your control? Takeaway: don’t overvalue the stats, keep doing what you’re doing!
I really appreciate the work you do and the content you put out there, but the extra butter is twice as much, and there are multiple writers I want to support - so while I’m bummed when there is something I’m interested in I can’t access, at this point, it would mean not supporting another person at all. (The price point where I would pay for extra butter is probably $3 a month)
This is exactly my choice, as well. It’s why I’m ultimately skeptical that this model is really good for the world. I feel about paid subscriptions/Patreon etc the same way I do about our family’s charitable giving: I’d rather support more organizations a little than one organization a lot.
I posted about this before, but it’s worth saying again, the patron/subscriber model may be good on an individual level but I don’t think it’s an answer to systemic problems of underpaying workers or people not feeling like content is worth paying for (because we’ve been trained that everything is free). As we flounder around for a more equitable model, I think it’s totally fine to use this one and I feel good about investing in the creators I love most. But I can’t afford to invest in that many and there are tons of folks getting left behind.
I would hate us to take our eye off the prize of a living wage for more folks and a more sustainable journalism & creativity model.
I hear you!! It’s definitely not a perfect solution. My personal feeling is that Substack and Patreon are important for shifting us as readers/content consumers into supporting writers/artists/etc vs expecting all content to be free. I truly don’t think anyone should stress about supporting every creator you love though -- the more people who are willing to support some creators, the more creators who get supported.
And maybe reader support shouldn’t be the only answer -- but it’s a good start.
$3 more per month - so $8 total?
Completely hear you about needing to support other writers! Lots of subscribers come here for a few months or a year and then tell me they are switching it up to support other folks with their Substack budget, and I think that’s an awesome approach.
I also feel this. Also, as a Canadian, my dollar does not go as far, and I just can't wedge Extra butter into my budget. I completely want to support you as writers and creators for your work, and have subscribed from the beginning. So grateful for what you do! But regular butter only, even though I'm the biggest fan!
Exactly my problem, as I'm franchement an pay in euros... It’s beginning to cost à lot ! I just can't pay more... but still love it here ! @virginia do you know if a french version of Fat Talk will be published ?
French ! Stupid autocorrect
We haven’t sold those rights yet but 🤞
This is it. I am suuuuper happy to support the BT project but I am a subscriber to so many things now, on here and Patreon, and sometimes I just can’t do one more thing.
I work hard to support all the writers I love. This feels unsustainable. Not only am I spending WAY more than I would if all of this writing was gathered into one magazine, newspaper, or site but I simply don’t have time to consume all the extra content. It feels like every single writer I love is writing a substack, doing a podcast, is active on threads. What a thrill! But I cannot afford (from both a time and economic standpoint) to consume it all.
You definitely do NOT need to support them all or support everyone forever. Trust me, writers get this!!
I feel this comment in my soul. This year it felt like there were just so many Substacks out there. Even the comment sections some places have gotten overwhelming. Posts really favor people who post early, and there's maybe a day of activity before it dries up. It feels like the experience of reading things when they come out vs going back a few days later is such a different experience because of the way the comments section works.
What Was I Made For? was my favorite piece I read on Substack last week out of all the many things I read (I have been reading a lot the last two weeks as I put off finishing all my Christmas tasks). I am shocked it had the lowest open rate, but maybe other people are actually doing a good job finishing up their before Christmas tasks unlike me!
Same!! What Was I Made For was resonated with me deeply and showed up at just the right time.
Same here!
Haven’t read it yet, quite looking forward to it, and yes I agree your alternate title would have probably garnered more opens!
same! and I also loved the title. I am WAY behind on podcasts, and even reading the transcripts (which I mostly do, bc I cannot multitask audio and have a short commute) bc they are so much longer than the newsletters. I feel like I clicked that one so quickly and I've continued to think about it
that said, I've done very little newsletter catching up in all of the Christmas tasks and gatherings (which for me mostly happen between dec 25 and nye, making this week a busy one for me, not a slow one), as evidenced by the fact that I'm just now reading this piece lol
It was my favorite piece as well.
And me!!!!!
I really enjoy everything you write, Virginia--I just know that I won't have time to read and/or engage with the content of "Extra Butter" in my daily life. With two small children and my own freelance career, I can barely find five minutes to read the base level that I have paid for! However, keep up the excellent work, it's definitely not personal!
Oh I am not taking it personally! Inbox/reading in general overwhelm is all too real.
I second the comment about not having the time for Extra Butter right now. I certainly have a bit of FOMO every time I know I’m missing it though. Anyway, I absolutely love what you write and appreciate all your guidance when it comes to parenting, anti-dieting, and body liberation. Thank you!
I also had a question about the podcasts for subscribers. With the paywalled episodes, I can’t get Apple Podcasts to recognize me as a paid subscriber (actually, tbh I have not tried very hard), and I always get cut off. Sometimes I use the Substack app, but that’s a little clunky still and it’s hard to find episodes after a day or two. Would you have any idea on where to start in Apple Podcasts?
Agh yes, this can be a headache (and I don’t truly understand why Substack isn’t more Apple-compatible!). I think this tutorial will cover what you need — but let us know if it’s still glitchy!
https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/articles/4519588148244-How-do-I-listen-to-episodes-on-my-podcast-app-
Thank you! And sorry if you’ve shared this multiple times before!
No worries at all!
Same for me, I just don't have time to read more things and I'm not really interested in live threads (as I comment a week later lol)
FOMO! Yes! Same here, you're not alone.
This is me, too! I lamentably haven't found time for Cult of Perfect either 😩
This also is true for me. Some of my subs I literally read maybe once a month to catch up but I really like the principle of it, so I keep supporting. I don’t have kids but have a bunch of things going on in life that means having one more piece of content to consume or feel behind on sometimes tips me over the edge of what is sustainable
What Was I Made For was one of the most heartbreakingly profound things I've read all year. I would love to see more content about the intersection of diet/exercise culture and aging. Thank you for all you do. May you have a way more easeful 2024.
BT has become hands-down my favourite podcast/newsletter this year, so I'm glad its reach has ballooned so incredibly! in relation to one of your observations about email opening: sometimes if a title feels too close to the bone (i.e. it's about a struggle I'm currently or was recently dealing with) I tend to leave it until I'm feeling braver. So, ironically, the most relevant content takes the longest to consume !
This exactly. I usually go back and read things when I have the emotional capacity for them, which is… not during the day at work, or when I’m in the waiting room at the allergist and thus on public display, or at the end of a long day of doing emotional support/masking. If I think something is going to make me cry, it will wait until I’m in a place, emotionally and physically, where I’m okay with crying. I want to be sure I’ll have space to process things, which again, means it’s relevant, and I realize this is at odds with the way that you experience engagement, Virginia!
This totally makes sense -- I actually see open rates growing on older pieces (podcast episodes also accumulate more downloads past the first week), and I am sure it’s because lots of people read this way.
Also, just wanna say how lovely it is that you're so generous with comp subscriptions! And thank you to all the paying subscribers who facilitate that :)
I will echo the comments here that say that I can only support so many amazing folks via Substack and patreon. I’m working to rebuild my life post-separation. Not getting Extra Butter means I get to buy myself a pair of jeans and new shoes.
I want you to have the jeans and shoes more!!
The “what’s my purpose if I am not thin” may have had low rates but it was the only one that made me weep, and that I think about the MOST
Thank you Virginia. Our parasocial relationship has been valuable and validating to me in many ways. I'll send you more memes when I'm back on social media in the New Year. Finding Burnt Toast has been life changing for me physically and mentally. I have a community here I do not have in real life and I truly need this support system. (I have half a dozen cookie recipes pinned from last week's thread and I'm so excited about them.)
Thank you for your incredible work. Thank you to Corinne for her wonderful contributions as well, I love hearing her perspectives.
My request for an episode, is like your step mother, I would love to hear about aging women and menopause specifically pre or peri menopause and how it's a catalyst for growth and change. I'm not there yet, but I want to embrace it, not dread it.
Thank you Virginia and Corrine.
💜💜💜
Ah, I love this end-of-the-year business/editorial recap, thank you so much! About the kids workout piece, I read it and loved it. It was very instructive! But it took me a LONG time to open it because the title was difficult to understand. "Barbie feet" doesn't ring any bells to me. Once I clicked, I was happy I did. So the title might be why it performed less well than what you'd expected!
INTERESTING. Thanks for that intel!
I’m new here and have no clue what extra butter is, but when I clicked on the link in the article to check it out it says I’m already subscribed- so yay! I love all of this content and look forward to these emails hitting my inbox while I drink my coffee. My husband thinks I’m crazy always writing novels in these comments before the sun even comes out, but I’m happy to have a space like this where I can add my anti-diet thoughts. I don’t have many people in my world I can talk to about this stuff other than my hubby and my therapist because they all are deep in diet culture and don’t get it or don’t want to listen. I feel seen and validated here, so I would pay whatever the monthly is to get that (within reason obviously!)
When it comes to New Year’s resolutions - I like to pick a word that serves me throughout the year. Last year I picked “health” because I was (and still am) dealing with health issues and this year I’m picking “positivity” because those health issues have given me a negative outlook. But by picking positivity, I will focus on that and work on it throughout the year. I write it on my mirror so I see it every morning as well. Anyway! Thanks for all you do!! Happy to be here!!
my friends and I do this yearly word thing too and I love it! My one friend keeps a list from years past and it's always fun to see what we were thinking years ago.
Oh awesome! I’ve only done it a few years, (Abundance, Health and now positivity). Do you mind sharing some of your words?
I found my list!
2019: RELAX
2020: MINDFUL
2021: HONEST
2022: COURAGE
2023: METTA
2024: TBD!
This is great! I love that you went and found them! I love all of them and want to make them all my words at some point lol
I keep a list on my phone but forgot about the list until late last night :) I love this new year activity way more than a resolution!
For the poll - it's not a lack of interest in Burnt Toast content, just the pricing! My budget only seems to be getting tighter, and while I've been trying to avoid dropping the paid subscription altogether... I can't imagine a scenario in which it makes sense for me to go the other direction and pay twice as much.
And to clarify - I don't think the Extra Butter pricing is inherently unreasonable! I just personally can't afford it with my current income/chronic illness expenses.
VALID
Absolutely love everything you write but can't really justify paying even more per month just for one journalist so I make do without extra butter and cult of perfection. I am actually embarrassed of how much I want to share all your pieces with my mum groups and especially my "feminist" mum group - when our local mum&baby club offered a post-partum weightloss bootcamp we had some real debate about whether the advertising was supportive of new mothers (to my Virginia-trained mind absolutely 100% not!!) and made me want to introduce your work to everybody... But don't want to seem too weird about it either!! Anyway, big thanks, always a pleasure to get your newsletter even if I am keenest on the fat / parenting content.
Ahaha I say be weird about it!! No seriously, thank you so much, this is lovely. (Agh on that workout program…)
I'll say it once again: as a non-parent/never-going-to-be-a-parent who still loves kids, I have always felt welcomed and engaged here! Thanks for writing so well.
Same!
I’m curious about your thoughts on the growth imperative and how it relates to this newsletter/podcast. I know that you have plans to expand (e.g., hire a fact-checker/editor) but is there a subscriber number/income you have in mind where you don’t have to scramble for more paid subscription conversions and can really nurture the existing subscriber base? I’m so fascinated that this newsletter has almost doubled its subscriptions in 1 year.
I truly don’t feel like we’re scrambling for more paid -- and I hope we are nurturing current subscribers already, though of course open to feedback on how we can do that better. But the reality of the subscription model is you’re always losing some subscribers because people come up for renewal and not everyone renews. (Which is fine! See previous comments encouraging folks to spread their subscription support around.) So in order to just maintain, let alone grow, we need to bring in a certain amount of new paid subscribers every month to offset the folks who are moving on and keep income steady.
Which means strategizing on how to bring new folks in will always be in the job description even without plans to expand. But! Nurturing the existing base is also in the job description!
FWIW Virginia, I would categorize “What was I Made For?” as your most beautiful piece of the year (tied with your divorce essay). Many of the lower performed pieces were ones i loved a lot. Maybe the performance for some can be due to timing of things outside your control? Takeaway: don’t overvalue the stats, keep doing what you’re doing!
Appreciate that!
I agree! I think so much of it is about timing and the different rhythms of our lives, and I also really loved that essay