Privacy policy

26 Characters LLC (“26 Characters,” “we,” “us” or “our”) is a B2B content studio based in River Forest, Illinois. This privacy policy explains what personal information we collect when you visit 26characters.com (the “site”), how we use it, who we share it with and the choices you have. It applies only to this site, not to other websites we link to.

At a glance

• We collect the information you type into our forms, plus basic analytics about how people use the site.
• We use it to send you what you asked for, follow up on your request, send occasional emails and improve the site.
• We use Google Analytics to understand how the site is used, and the LinkedIn Insight Tag to measure our LinkedIn ads and show them to people who have visited the site.
• We do not sell your personal information. You can turn off LinkedIn ad tracking at any time with our cookie choices.
• You can unsubscribe from our emails at any time and ask us to access, correct or delete your information.

Information you give us

We collect information when you choose to share it with us:

• Report and book downloads. When you request a free report, book or sample chapter, we collect your name, work email address and company, and on some forms your phone number. We use it to deliver your download and to add you to our email list. Book requests go to their own list.
• Newsletter sign up. When you subscribe, we collect your email address.
• Booking a meeting. Our Book a meeting buttons take you to Calendly, our scheduling provider. Calendly collects your name, email address, the time you choose and any answers you provide, and shares them with us so we can prepare for and hold the meeting.
• Contacting us. If you email us, we receive your email address and whatever you include in your message.

Please do not send us sensitive information, such as financial account numbers or health information, through the site.

Information collected automatically

When you visit the site, some information is collected automatically:

• Analytics. We use Google Analytics 4 to understand how visitors find and use the site. It collects information such as the pages you view, how long you stay, the website or campaign link that brought you here, your device and browser type, and your general location (city, region and country). Google Analytics 4 does not log or store IP addresses. We also measure a few specific actions: clicking a Book a meeting link, submitting a form, signing up for the newsletter, downloading a report PDF and choosing the page for your role. We do not send your name or email address to Google Analytics.
• Hosting and security logs. Our website host, Webflow, automatically records technical information such as your IP address, browser type and the date and time of each request, to deliver pages and protect the site.
• Fonts. The site loads its typeface from Google Fonts. To display it, your browser connects to Google servers, which receive your IP address.
• Embedded content. Some pages, such as podcast episodes, may include media from other providers. If you play that content, the provider may collect information under its own privacy policy.

Cookies

Cookies are small files stored in your browser. We use these:

• _ga (Google Analytics, expires after 2 years): tells one visitor apart from another.
• _ga_JFJ4YNJYT1 (Google Analytics, expires after 2 years): keeps track of your current visit.
• Essential cookies that our host may set to keep the site secure and working.
• LinkedIn Insight Tag cookies (such as li_sugr, bcookie, lidc, UserMatchHistory and AnalyticsSyncHistory, set by LinkedIn, expire within one year): measure our LinkedIn ads and let us show them to people who have visited the site.

LinkedIn sets its cookies so we can measure our LinkedIn ads and show them to people who have visited the site. You can turn this off with our cookie choices or in your LinkedIn ad settings. You can also block or delete cookies in your browser settings, and you can stop Google Analytics from collecting data about your visits with the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on. The site still works if you block cookies.

If you visit from the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom or Switzerland, we ask for your consent before setting analytics or LinkedIn cookies. Google Analytics does not set its cookies, and the LinkedIn Insight Tag does not load, unless you accept. You can change your cookie choices at any time.

Some browsers send Do Not Track signals. Because there is no common standard for these signals, the site does not currently respond to them.

How we use your information

• To deliver the reports, books and newsletters you request
• To schedule, prepare for and follow up on meetings
• To respond to your questions and requests
• To send occasional emails about our work, insights and services, which you can opt out of at any time
• To understand which content is useful and improve the site
• To keep the site secure and prevent misuse
• To comply with the law and protect our rights

Email from us

When you download a report or book, or sign up for our newsletter, we add you to our email list, which we manage in Constant Contact. Every email includes an unsubscribe link, and we honor requests promptly. You can also email us to be removed. Unsubscribing from marketing emails does not stop replies to messages you send us.

Legal bases for processing

If you are in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom or Switzerland, we process your personal information on these legal bases: your consent, such as when you subscribe to emails; our legitimate interests in running, securing and improving the site and in telling business audiences about our services, balanced against your rights; taking steps you ask for, such as delivering a download or scheduling a meeting; and complying with legal obligations. Where we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time.

How we share your information

We do not sell your personal information. When you visit the site, LinkedIn may collect information through its Insight Tag so we can show our ads to people who have visited, and some US state privacy laws treat this as sharing for targeted advertising. You can opt out at any time with our cookie choices. Otherwise, we share your information only with service providers that help us run the site and our business, and only so they can provide their services to us:

• Webflow: website hosting and form processing
• Zapier: passes form submissions to our email platform
• Constant Contact: email list management and newsletters
• Calendly: meeting scheduling
• Google: website analytics, fonts and our business email
• LinkedIn: ad measurement and retargeting through the LinkedIn Insight Tag

We may also disclose information when the law requires it, to protect the rights, property or safety of 26 Characters or others, or as part of a merger, acquisition or sale of all or part of our business.

How long we keep it

We keep contact information for as long as you stay on our email list or we have a business relationship, and for a reasonable period afterward for our records. When you unsubscribe, we keep your email address on a suppression list so we do not email you again. Google Analytics data is kept for the retention period set in our Google Analytics account and then deleted automatically. We delete or anonymize information when we no longer need it or when you ask us to, unless the law requires us to keep it.

Your rights and choices

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to:

• Know what personal information we have about you and get a copy
• Correct information that is inaccurate
• Delete your information
• Object to or limit how we use it, or withdraw your consent
• Receive your information in a portable format
• Opt out of the sale of your personal information or its use for targeted advertising. We never sell your information, and you can opt out of LinkedIn ad tracking at any time with our cookie choices.

To make a request, email us at the address below. We will verify your request, usually by confirming your email address, and respond within the time the law requires. You may use an authorized agent. We will not treat you differently for exercising your rights. If you are in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom or Switzerland, you can also contact your local data protection authority.

International visitors

We are based in the United States, and our service providers may process information in the United States and other countries, where privacy laws may differ from those where you live. When we transfer personal information from the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom or Switzerland, we rely on safeguards our providers offer, such as Standard Contractual Clauses.

How we protect it

The site is served over an encrypted (HTTPS) connection, and we limit access to personal information to the people and providers who need it. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Children

The site is for business audiences and is not directed to children under 16. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has given us information, contact us and we will delete it.

Links to other websites

The site links to other websites, such as Calendly, LinkedIn and podcast platforms. Those websites have their own privacy policies, and we are not responsible for their practices.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as the site and our practices change. We will post the updated version here and change the date at the top. If we make material changes, we will make reasonable efforts to let you know, such as with a notice on the site.

Contact us

Questions or privacy requests? Email steve@26characters.com. 26 Characters LLC is based in River Forest, Illinois.