116 Comments
User's avatar
A.'s avatar

Sorry to be that person, but....does the discounted annual coupon only apply to those whose annual renewal is between now and June 15? Or is this an ongoing offer? Wasn't sure how long you'll be offering that

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Jesse Singal's avatar

I'll add this to the post:

Sorry if this wasn't clear. If your subscription ends BEFORE June 15th, you'll be able to renewed (whether auto or manually) at the current, lower rate, and don't need to do anything else. If your subscription ends between June 16th, 2025 and June 15, 2026, send us an email when your renewal is coming up and we'll reply with the coupon. to let you re-up at the original rate.

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Dapa1390's avatar

I hope the coupon code is for Jesse Bucks for the merch store!

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Hatie Kerzog's avatar

I wasted 20 seconds of Katie's life requesting the renewal code after not comprehending the post-June 15 part (my renewal is in May). I should always come to the thread first.

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Syl's avatar

Thanks, Jesse. My renewal date is June 21st. 😅

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NicStatic's avatar

Small typos: "renewed" should be "renew" and the period after "coupon" should be removed.

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Alphonse's avatar

Charge em 2 bucks for this Nic!

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Ava's avatar

I will also be that person: My renewal isn't till December. Do I still get a discount?

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Hatie Kerzog's avatar

You just need to email them sometime near your renewal date and you will be provided a discount code, is my understanding.

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Ava's avatar

Yes, that seems to be the case. But I may not bother.

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Liv S's avatar

I'm really glad you're listening to subscribers and adjusting content to what we want (more of the hosts, less of other people). A price increase makes sense.

If you're taking more feedback: please less shitty American politics and more bizarre online stuff. I know there's quite a bit of overlap now but we get American Politics Online daily now, we don't want it in BARPod too.

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M.'s avatar

Also, more Helen Lewis! Please!

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Greg's avatar

the tariff on british podcast guests will only drive up subscription prices!

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Edward Scizorhands's avatar

I thought the last episode with Katie and her guest was dry as toast. I can't even remember what it was about.

BUT I like the guests in general. I just chalked that one up to not being my cup of tea. They can't all be bangers and I assumed someone else liked it. Let those people have an episode like this, I'll enjoy the others some more in return.

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Greg's avatar

I liked that one!

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Alphonse's avatar

Book publishing. I enjoyed it, especially the stats, but then I was en route to a bookclub to moan about a truly awful ‘women empowering women’ novel.

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Ooparts's avatar

I didn't like it either, but most guest episodes are interesting.

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Ullr's avatar

Please never stop asking each other how the week is going, the blather at the beginning is so comforting and sets the tone for the frame of mind you are in for the more researched conversation.

I’ve been going back and listening to all the early content I missed and wow the context is great in hindsight. Political current events are fine.

Anything so you don’t both burn out!

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Aja Lilly's avatar

It's a great way to warm up into the episode. Plus I don't think the hosts realize just how funny they both are in the opening banters. #KeepTheBlather

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John Matthew IV's avatar

And keep telling us -- in the middle -- that it is a podcast we are listening to.

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Tristan's avatar

I would be so lost otherwise. It is the anchor that holds my sanity every week.

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marouxna's avatar

What I want is for "what is the name of this increasingly [insert whatever you were talking about] podcast?" and "and remember" sign offs to come back!!!

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fillups44's avatar

I like the sign offs, like the blather, happy with interviews. Katie has done better overall with guests (and the wonderful writer Leigh Stein is included here!!) but I have learned a lot from Jesse’s interviews as well and definitely hope he does interviews when he sees a possible great guest (JD Vance for example).

Also, team interviews are fine and of course I agree on how wonderful Helen Lewis is.

Finally the core of the show—Katie & Jesse and internet bs is magic.

On the rate increase, for me personally it’s totally worth it!

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Erika's avatar

Yes!! 💯 I miss both of those!

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Gavin Pugh's avatar

Wait, you're raising prices in June?

YOU'RE RAISING PRICES IN PRIDE MONTH!!!!1!

Absolutely worth the higher price, somewhat surprised it didn't happen sooner.

I guess I'm in the minority in that I liked the interviews, but once a month is fine, too.

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Matty's avatar

I paid six bucks and change for a just-okay cold brew this morning. BARPod puts way more of a pep in my step than a coffee, and I'm thrilled to keep supporting at the new price.

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Emma curran's avatar

Would now be a bad time to mention that given what’s happening to the dollar, this is going to be cost neutral for UK based listeners pretty soon…

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Timothy Lowell's avatar

So glad there will be fewer solo episodes. That was a change I REALLY did not like. Every once in a while is fine but I thought it really diluted your brand. Don’t mind the price increase. I was wondering if that was ever going to go up. My renewal just happened yesterday so good timing on my part.

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purplerootbeer's avatar

When you say really in caps it’s much more impactful.

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AlternativeResearch's avatar

I’d pay more for more katie solo rides with a guest. I’d also pay more to find out what a daisy chain actually entails

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Tristan's avatar

A graphic moment by moment explanation of a daisy chain would be worth the price of admission.

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Reuven's avatar

I was going to try to save money by listening to the Chinese knock-off version of the podcast, but the tariffs put the kibosh on that.

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Tyler's avatar

Cut off comments right now. Can't top that one.

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J_Truly's avatar

Speaking of the theme song: I’m working on a cover of the theme. Both Jesse and Katie will hate it. I can’t wait to finish it and send it to them. It’s note for note the same melody/harmony, but with 80s synth pop production.

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Kathleen's avatar

Yaaaassss Queen (King? Quing?)

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Bob DeVoe's avatar

Post it here first !

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JP's avatar

V stoked for more of you two degenerates and less of random degenerates (although I do now watch Brad Polombo’s podcast every day, and the only reason I know that dude exists if BARPod).

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Mugdha Myers's avatar

I think I've enjoyed Katie's guests more than Jesse's. It feels like Katie brings on people she has a personal connection with, while Jesse interview people and topics he finds interesting - which is very informative but not quite the vibe I'm looking for from this pod.

I've enjoyed Polombo, Ben Dreyfuss, Andy Mills and prob others I've forgotten. From Jesse's episodes the one that stands out is Jeffrey Maurer, I really enjoyed listening to him.

But ngl, excited to get more of K&J!

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Contra Contrarians's avatar

I'm going to call BS, just because Katie having a personal connection with humans? X

(Kidding, of course)

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Hatie Kerzog's avatar

Can't you keep Americans at the current price and then raise the price on all the dirty non-Americans who are taking advantage of our status as the world's podcast reserve to compensate for the needed revenue? You'll be richer than you ever imagined, very rich, very rich, yes.

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Cyrus the Younger's avatar

Do us Australians get an exemption because we join all your wars without asking questions? 🥺

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Hatie Kerzog's avatar

Sorry, bro. Past is the past. You don't know what time it is!

👊 🔥 🇺🇲

(Okay, let your sub expire and I'll think about sending you download links for a small fee. I'm thinking $5 a month.)

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Cyrus the Younger's avatar

❤️

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Chris O'Connell's avatar

I was thinking of ending my Primo-ship. I mean, I love Katie and Jesse but I am a Moderately Serious Person, sometimes at least. I get home delivery of the New York Times. I don't care and I'm never going to care about furries or internet people who commit pseudo-cide. Then I saw this message and said, "Oh yeah I'm cancelling." But instead I signed up for an annual membership to lock in the savings. Sometimes there's just no explaining things.

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Edward Scizorhands's avatar

I'm going to start smuggling in BarPod episodes from Mexico.

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Hatie Kerzog's avatar

*Reporting to ICE

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anon5412's avatar

66,000 subscribers paying $5 per month = $3960000 per year. I get that there are fees and taxes, but come on. There are like 3 people that are part of this operation. I don't understand the unanimous acceptance of this and not a single person complaining.

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Cliff Dore's avatar

This comment is misinformation. Using J&K reported Primo numbers, the podcast takes in roughly $750k-$800k per year after paying Substack but before expenses. Maybe people aren’t complaining bc they don’t consider that even remotely excessive.

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thatsmymiddlename's avatar

66,000 includes free subscribers. Primos will be a much lower percentage.

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RickM's avatar

I think the 66K might be total subscribers, free and paid. Paid might be around 14K, or around 21% of total #.

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Ullr's avatar

Does Substack separate paying subscribers from free subscribers? I assumed it was feee subscribers. And check the leaderboard…. Substack does make that public.

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Erika's avatar

66,000*5=330,000. Where are you getting 3.9 million from?

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celluloid_dream's avatar

$5 per month, 12 months a year (probably should factor in the slight discount for annual subscribers, but it's napkin math so whatever)

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MARCVS AVRELIVS's avatar

Well even taking into account Substack’s 10% that’s $3.54 million a year…almost 150k a month for each of the two hosts. At $7 a month they’d make $4.9 million a year….which I guess is….fine …if you can get more money everyone would take it. But given the enormous success of the podcast (and Jesse also has one of the most successful Substacks of his own) it feels a little bit greedy. Which again making more money is fine….but let’s not pretend that this is some kind of move to cover “raising costs” for a 3 person operation!

Another massive podcast—The Rest is History charges $6 a month for their US listeners while only paywalling 30 min bonus episodes every week which are listener questions usually so you’re not actually missing any “core content” because all episodes are released to non paying listeners except with ads and one at a time instead of all at once if it’s a several part episode arc. I’m gonna guess their costs are probably higher than BAR pod but probably not by much….im gonna go out on a limb and say they’ll still charge $6 when they hit 5 years in 2026.

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