WHAT ARE THE THINGS WORTH KNOWING?
Once upon a time, in a land where algorithms didn’t exist, adverts were adverts and people paid for the writing they enjoyed. Back then, I knew where to go to find honest, well-written stories. Magazines and newspapers mainly, but also the occasional blog that hadn’t yet been dictated to by the whims of a big, fat sponsorship deal.
But things have changed. I know this because I was a journalist. It’s what I did for twenty-two years. I was the founding editor of Women’s Health in the UK. I edited Cosmopolitan for almost 4 years, and later ELLE. And then? Well then the digital revolution slam dunked into the paper press and writing suddenly got rechristened content. And content felt just wrong. I didn’t want listicles. I didn’t want as much ‘content’ as you my optic nerve could handle. I didn’t want another ‘hot take’ on Donald Trump or leather trousers. And I definitely didn’t want to read long, eulogising captions on Instagram from an influencer who had been gifted their entire outfit.
I wanted to connect with a writer. I wanted nuance. I wanted honesty and I wanted points of view that were perhaps not always reflected in mainstream media. But more than that, I wanted a community. I didn’t want to argue with randoms in the comment section of an article I had just enjoyed. I wanted to connect.
And basically that’s how this Substack was born. The hope was always to write about the things I felt were missing from mainstream media - points of view that sometimes felt too outre or too marginalised for publishing. I have written about why women really have affairs; what happens when you don’t have children; the desire to be thin in a world that wants you to accept yourself. And the best bit? You have all written back to me sharing your own experiences. You have made connections; friends, writing buddies- it has been amazing to watch.
So what are you going to find here if you’re new? (And if you are new HELLO!). Well a little bit of everything really. Fashion, beauty, books, life stuff. I sometimes do crazy things like designer clothes sales and we have meet-ups and events planned for 2024.
Being here means you are part of something. Sort of like stepping into a women’s magazine but where everyone is down-to-earth and willing to open up.
So how does it all work? Let me explain….
FREE SUBSCRIBERS
Once a month you will get one of my newsletters or voice notes delivered directly to your inbox. These are usually a pretty long read and I hope feel valuable to you. You will also get decent previews of all my other newsletters (they drop every week) so you can decide before becoming a paid subscriber.
PAID SUBSCRIBERS £10 A MONTH/£75 A YEAR
I won’t lie. This Substack is essentially supported by you. I do this all in my downtime on top of my day job so your financial support means I can do this. It also means I can pay other writers to come and write here for you too.
But I also offer lots of good stuff. Like, a virtual monthly writing/creative group for those who fancy meeting others and nailing down a creative project they’ve never quite been able to nail down the time to do. The groups change every month but you can always just use them as an accountability hour to get your work done surrounded by others.
You also get a newsletter every single week rather than once a month (if you are a free subscriber). Plus the ability to join the precious community. This means you can comment on all my pieces; start a conversations and sometimes even steer the conversation.
Then there are all sorts of other random bits like invites to all my IRL events. And the entire archive which contains travel guides and fashion run-downs and you name it, we probably have it in the archive.
FOUNDING SUBSCRIBERS £150/year
Finally I have a limited number of founding memberships available. I release a few places every month so the numbers never swell beyond a certain point. As a founding member you get:
Emails to me. You can email me and I will write back. It’s that simple!
You also get to shape the direction of this Substack- you just need to message telling me what you’d like more of. If I can do it, I will. In this way, YOU are my true thought collaborators on this journey.
Invites to IRL events BEFORE anyone else. These events are always going to be super limited in numbers so you get to have first dibs.
Finally know that YOU make the absolute difference. The generosity of founding members means I can keep this thing going. You are in many ways the patron of Things Worth Knowing. And that means a lot. Take it from me.
And if you do have a little extra to spare you can gift or donate a subscription to someone by clicking here.
Finally this Substack is SO much more delightful when read in the Substack app. If you read me in the app already then great! If you don’t you can try it out now by hitting the button below.
Speak soon and welcome!
Farrah
