Hey Reader! I'm sending you my top 4 most popular emails of the year each week this month... and then breaking down what my strategy was and why I think it hit.

This is the #4 most popular email of this year! Read the email all the way through, then scroll to the bottom for my strategy and takeaway. Pay attention to the details I wove into the story and I shared what everything felt like. Hit "reply" and let me know what you think of this series! :)

The Dark Side of Sharing Online

When I bought a house on Long Island four years ago, it came with its own stretch of beach, filled with tiny crabs and scurrying sandpipers.

One of the first days in my new house, I walked down to the water, snapped a picture of the melting peach cobbler sunset, and posted it on Instagram, saying something cliché like, "can't believe this is my backyard."

Within an hour, I got a DM from someone saying, "I know where you live!" She went on to name my exact street, and even my house, knowing it had recently sold.

Oof.

She meant well, but it was a holy crappola moment for me. If she knows, other people -- people I don't want -- can definitely figure this out.

Since then, I've been stopped when out with friends or family, received more "I know where you live" DMs, or had people send really rude and insensitive forward messages like, "how was your mom killed?"

I've been careful not to give 'too much away,' while also remaining keenly aware of the fact that most people don't care about me or where I live.

But then a few weeks ago, I got an email from this guy.

It was disgusting, assaultive, and illegal.

Any innocence I had about my identity or any potential lurkers flew out the window faster than a baby spider on my dashboard.

I absolutely love my business and creating content online.

But not at the risk of my safety or privacy.

Luckily, you don't have to choose one or the other.

It's possible to grow an online business and maintain some sense of privacy, too.

In my new YouTube video I share 6 ways to protect your privacy (without disappearing from the internet):

​WATCH IT HERE→​

Or you can listen to my podcast episode instead: LISTEN HERE→​

And before you write this off and say, "I don't have an audience big enough to worry about privacy yet..."

Size doesn't matter.

Creepers gonna creep creep creep...

And leaving breadcrumbs online now will lead to a whole mess of privacy issues down the line.

👏 Once you watch my new video (or listen here), hit "reply" and let me know if you liked this episode.

I've been playing with new types of episodes on my podcast, On Your Terms®️, and YouTube channel -- I hope you've liked the episodes lately!

Just don't send me an email with a video showing me how much you loved it / me 🤣

Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here.​

---

📬 Sam's Strategy + Takeaway:

My "strategy" with this one was to be honest about something that happened to me (a gross email from a gross guy). I knew people might read it and think "oh this wouldn't happen to me because I don't have an audience yet," so I wanted to address that head on.

​
In terms of a call-to-action strategy, I wanted people to watch my YouTube video or listen to the podcast episode. In order to do that, I had to tell a good story, but not give away all the info in the email. This email had a really high open-rate, CTR, and reply rate.

My takeaway? I hit on a topic that not a lot of people talk about, that my audience is concerned about, and shared about it openly and honestly. That's a good combo.

What do you think worked about this email?? Tell me!

If you have to, Unsubscribe here and break my heart. | Or you can just update my name and email preferences.

I love mail! Send it here: PO Box 1112, Setauket, NY 11733