diff --git a/src/__tests__/pages/feed.xml.test.ts b/src/__tests__/pages/feed.xml.test.ts
index 559ece999..0276ff79d 100644
--- a/src/__tests__/pages/feed.xml.test.ts
+++ b/src/__tests__/pages/feed.xml.test.ts
@@ -127,7 +127,16 @@ describe('feed.xml', () => {
const item = options.items[0];
expect(item.title).toBe('My Post');
expect(item.description).toBe('Post description');
- expect(item.content).toBe('Rendered HTML
');
+ // Content is framed: a "new post" lead-in, the rendered body, and a book CTA.
+ expect(item.content).toContain('Rendered HTML
');
+ expect(item.content).toContain('A new post from');
+ expect(item.content).toContain(siteConfig.bookUrl);
+ expect(item.content.indexOf('A new post from')).toBeLessThan(
+ item.content.indexOf('Rendered HTML
'),
+ );
+ expect(item.content.indexOf('Rendered HTML
')).toBeLessThan(
+ item.content.indexOf(siteConfig.bookUrl),
+ );
expect(item.link).toBe('https://ben.balter.com/2024/06/15/my-post/');
expect(item.author).toBe(siteConfig.email);
expect(item.pubDate).toBeInstanceOf(Date);
diff --git a/src/pages/feed.xml.ts b/src/pages/feed.xml.ts
index 11e8fcddc..492d1f112 100644
--- a/src/pages/feed.xml.ts
+++ b/src/pages/feed.xml.ts
@@ -18,6 +18,57 @@ import {
sharedShikiConfig,
} from '../lib/markdown-pipeline';
+// Escape a raw ampersand for use inside HTML (feed content is delivered as HTML,
+// e.g. rendered by Kit into email). Only the book title needs it today.
+const bookTitle = siteConfig.bookTitle.replace(/&/g, '&');
+
+/**
+ * A short framing line prepended to each feed item so email subscribers (and
+ * RSS readers) immediately know this is a new post on ben.balter.com and can
+ * jump to the canonical web version. The raw post body starts mid-thought
+ * otherwise — fine in context, disorienting as the first line of an email.
+ */
+function leadInHtml(link: string): string {
+ return (
+ `` +
+ `A new post from ben.balter.com` +
+ ` · Read it on the web →` +
+ `
`
+ );
+}
+
+/**
+ * A plain, inline-styled book callout appended to each feed item. The site's
+ * relies on Tailwind, SVG, and scoped styles that don't survive email,
+ * so this is a self-contained equivalent. The headline mirrors BookCta's
+ * relation-aware copy (see src/components/BookCta.astro).
+ *
+ * LAUNCH (July 21, 2026): the "Coming …" label and "Get notified when it
+ * launches" CTA below are hardcoded and go stale at launch. When you flip
+ * to buy-now, update these two strings to match.
+ */
+function bookCtaHtml(relation?: 'adapted' | 'cut' | 'inspired'): string {
+ const headline =
+ relation === 'adapted'
+ ? `This post is adapted from my book, ${bookTitle}.`
+ : relation === 'cut'
+ ? `This one didn't make my book's final cut.`
+ : relation === 'inspired'
+ ? `This post inspired a chapter in my book, ${bookTitle}.`
+ : `Like this post? It's becoming a book.`;
+
+ return (
+ `
` +
+ ``
+ );
+}
+
// Create a markdown processor once at module level to avoid recreating it on each request
// This improves response times by reusing the processor configuration
// Uses the same plugin configuration as astro.config.mjs via shared imports
@@ -57,17 +108,21 @@ export async function GET(context: APIContext) {
const pubDate = getDateFromSlug(post.id);
const postUrl = getPostUrl(post.id);
- // Render the post markdown to HTML
+ const link = `${baseUrl}${postUrl}`;
+
+ // Render the post markdown to HTML, then frame it for email/RSS: a
+ // "new post" lead-in on top and a book CTA on the bottom (the on-site
+ // is Astro-only and never reaches the feed).
const result = await processor.render(post.body, {
frontmatter: post.data,
});
- const content = result.code;
-
+ const content = leadInHtml(link) + result.code + bookCtaHtml(post.data.bookRelation);
+
return {
title: post.data.title,
description: post.data.description,
content,
- link: `${baseUrl}${postUrl}`,
+ link,
pubDate,
author: siteConfig.email,
};