How an email out of the blue could put Foxy in the pink

So, how’s your cost of living crisis going? If it’s anything like mine, those looming winter fuel bills will have you taping up the windows, chopping up the furniture and even making paper briquettes from your junk mail (sorry Royal Mail but you still haven’t given me that bung despite one of the biggest plugs in history).

Well, I was just about to start my winter crackdown when up popped an email from someone called Dylan, under the heading “Financial Incentive for Mutual Benefit”. Putting aside that it arrived in the early hours of Sunday for a moment, I must admit I was slightly intrigued; what could I possibly offer him “for mutual benefit”.

Anyway, see what you think. It read something like this:

“Dear Foxy, I hope this email finds you well. My name is Dylan, and I’m with Plus Promotions. We’re a growing brand in the IT sector and are very impressed by the work you do. (Good start sir.)

“While we’re not a big name yet, we’re genuinely excited about what we have to offer and believe we can provide value for your audience. We’re interested in potentially collaborating with you to amplify our message while offering something beneficial in return.

“What We’re Offering: Financial Incentive: A mutually agreed-upon sum to support your journalism in exchange for coverage.

“Gifts in Kind: We can offer our products/services for free or at a substantial discount, for either personal use or giveaways to your audience.

“Affiliate Programme: We can create an affiliate code specifically for your followers, and offer you a percentage of the sales made through your unique link.”

I must admit, I was quite tempted. After all, all they want in return is…

“Coverage: Attention and potential coverage of our upcoming articles, press releases, or newsworthy events.

“Social Shares: If it aligns with your content strategy, sharing the coverage across your social platforms.

“We’re open to a brief discussion to explore how a collaboration might be mutually beneficial. If you have any questions or would like to take this conversation further, please feel free to respond to this email.

“Thank you for considering our proposal. We’re excited about the possibility of collaborating with you in a way that benefits us both.”

So, did I go for it? Of course not, that is the slippery slope to the Drum Network and Creative Salon. Mind you, I am having lunch with them next week to see if they can be more persuasive in the flesh, so to speak.

Me, an old tart? How very dare you…

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