Privacy Policy
Last updated: June 2026
This privacy policy explains how John Bellingham, trading as emailfirst.co (“I”, “me”, “my”), collects, uses, and protects your personal data when you visit emailfirst.co and any associated pages or services, including hub.emailfirst.co.
I’m committed to protecting your privacy and handling your data responsibly, in compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.
1. Who I Am
Data controller: John Bellingham
Trading as: emailfirst.co
Address: Glasgow, Scotland, UK
Email: hello@emailfirst.co
Website: https://emailfirst.co
2. What Data I Collect
Information you provide directly
When you sign up for my email list, courses, or community, I may collect:
- Your name
- Your email address
- Information you share in forms, surveys, or onboarding questionnaires
- Payment information (processed securely by my payment provider – I don’t store card details)
- Any information you voluntarily share in support requests or coaching sessions
Information collected automatically
When you visit my website, I may automatically collect:
- IP address and approximate location
- Browser type and device information
- Pages visited and time spent on the site
- Referring website or source
Email engagement data
I use Kit (formerly ConvertKit) to manage my email list. When you receive emails from me, Kit may collect data on email opens, link clicks, and related engagement metrics. This helps me understand what content is most useful to you.
3. How I Use Your Data
I use your personal data to:
- Send you the content, resources, or updates you’ve opted in to receive
- Deliver courses, programs, or services you’ve purchased
- Personalise the emails and resources I send you based on your interests and preferences
- Respond to your questions and provide support
- Improve my website, products, and services
- Comply with legal and regulatory obligations
I’ll only use your data for the purposes it was collected for, or for closely related purposes where it’s reasonable for you to expect that.
4. My Legal Basis for Processing
Under UK GDPR, I rely on the following legal bases:
- Consent: where you’ve actively opted in to receive emails or marketing from me
- Contract: where processing is necessary to deliver a service you’ve purchased
- Legitimate interests: where I have a genuine business reason to process data that doesn’t override your rights (for example, basic website analytics)
You can withdraw your consent at any time by unsubscribing from my emails or contacting me directly.
5. Email Marketing
I use Kit (formerly ConvertKit) and FluentCRM to send marketing emails. By subscribing to my email list, you consent to receiving email communications from me.
Every marketing email I send includes an unsubscribe link. You can also opt out by emailing me at hello@emailfirst.co.
Once you unsubscribe, I’ll stop sending you marketing emails. I may retain your email address to ensure I honour your opt-out.
6. Who I Share Your Data With
I don’t sell your personal data. I may share it with trusted third-party service providers who help me run my business, including:
- Kit (email marketing platform) – kit.com
- FluentCRM (internal CRM, hosted on my own WordPress server)
- FluentCommunity (community platform, hosted on hub.emailfirst.co)
- Payment processors for transaction processing
- Hosting providers for my website infrastructure
These providers are required to handle your data securely and only for the purposes I’ve specified. I may also disclose your data if required to do so by law or in response to a valid legal request.
7. International Data Transfers
Some of my third-party providers are based outside the UK. Where I transfer your data internationally, I ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as Standard Contractual Clauses or reliance on adequacy decisions, in line with UK GDPR requirements.
8. How Long I Keep Your Data
I’ll keep your personal data for as long as is necessary for the purposes set out in this policy, or as required by law.
- Email subscriber data: kept for as long as you remain subscribed, plus a reasonable period after unsubscribing to honour your preferences
- Customer purchase data: retained for up to 7 years for legal and accounting purposes
- Website analytics data: typically retained for 26 months
When data is no longer needed, I’ll delete or anonymise it securely.
9. Your Rights
Under UK GDPR, you have the right to:
- Access the personal data I hold about you
- Correct any inaccurate or incomplete data
- Request deletion of your data (the ‘right to be forgotten’)
- Restrict or object to how I process your data
- Receive your data in a portable format
- Withdraw consent at any time (where processing is based on consent)
To exercise any of these rights, contact me at hello@emailfirst.co. I’ll respond to all requests within one month.
10. Cookies
My website uses cookies to help it function correctly and to understand how visitors use the site. I use:
- Essential cookies: required for the website to work (for example, session cookies and login state)
- Analytics cookies: to understand how visitors use the site (for example, page views and traffic sources)
- Third-party cookies: set by services like Kit or embedded content
Most browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings. Disabling cookies may affect how some parts of the site work.
11. Security
I take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data from unauthorised access, loss, or disclosure. My community and transactional systems run on my own WordPress infrastructure with appropriate security measures in place.
No method of internet transmission or storage is 100% secure. If I become aware of a data breach that’s likely to affect your rights, I’ll notify you and the relevant authorities as required by law.
12. Children’s Privacy
My services are intended for adults only. I don’t knowingly collect personal data from anyone under the age of 16. If you believe I’ve inadvertently collected data from a minor, please contact me and I’ll delete it promptly.
13. Changes to This Policy
I may update this privacy policy from time to time. When I do, I’ll update the ‘Last updated’ date at the top of this page. If the changes are significant, I may also let you know by email.
14. How to Complain
If you have concerns about how I handle your personal data, please contact me first at hello@emailfirst.co.
If you’re not satisfied with my response, you have the right to complain to the UK’s data protection authority:
Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)
https://ico.org.uk
Helpline: 0303 123 1113