06/19/2026
It's always interesting to see my fellow marketers and web designers resort to cheap theater just to get a click.
They send classic agency "fear-mongering cold pitch" emails disguised as an urgent compliance alert. They took a few real updates from Google and buried them under a mountain of copy, a random pitch for an SMS calendar, and an unsolicited audit offer.
The entire pitch relies on hoping the recipient is too overwhelmed by day-to-day operations to question the logic. It is the marketing equivalent of a mechanic looking under the hood, sucking air through their teeth, and telling you your johnson rod is about to blow up the transmission.
By framing it as a "default theme config" issue, they create a phantom menace. A store or business owner reads that and thinks, "Wait, did my web designer set that up right three years ago?" It plays on the exact type of technical insecurity that makes people open their wallets.
It is the ultimate corporate gaslighting. Calling it a "passive scam" is exactly right because it lives in that greasy grey area where they aren't technically stealing your moola, but they are intentionally manufacturing anxiety to steal your time and attention.
What makes it so insidious is the psychological framing. He writes it with this breathless, insider-intel gravity using short, clipped sentences like he's a wartime general giving you a tactical briefing. Just to tell you to check a return policy and turn off an email toggle. It’s pure theater designed to make a business owner think, "Oh god, what else am I missing?" so they surrender and book the call.
At least it makes for a great reminder of exactly how I do not communicate with people.
I don't operate this way. My approach is pretty simple: I handle the tech stuff, solve the backend issues before they become emergencies, and keep things running smoothly behind the scenes. You get straight answers, clear strategy, and the peace of mind that your tech stack is completely handled without the manufactured drama.
Have you had this happen to you? I'm here to help you break that cycle.
🤠
