Today I got an email from PrivadoVPN. Short communication led me to believe, that I would never work with them. Here's why.
Above you can read the original email. Nothing special, yes. You've probably seen lots of VPN ads all-over the Internet. But I wondered, how they got my email (clearly not knowing my real name, so not from my website), and why they think I am a good fit for their partner.
Turned out they got the email from my YouTube channel. Which made me go "Wha?". I somehow got 9 subscribers over the years, but video views are in double digits at best. It would not make sense for them to partner up with me. Do they see something special in the content? Do they have some kind of plan for collaboration? They don't.
Above email describes their "plan" best. I did try to get something more from them over a few more emails, but I was not able to get anything better. To me personally this just showed how not serious they are. They do not care for quality marketing (even though they are, indeed, recommended by some of the big media). They are just playing the numbers game.
Maybe I have too high standards, since I am not using my channel for anything useful, and I doubt it will ever be used for monetization, but... I would not want a business partner just for the sake of having a business partner. If we are partnering up, we need to be bringing something useful for each other. Affiliate links are a valid source of income, but if you are getting them in this way... It does not sit right with me.
So... Think twice before you make any deals with them, even if you enjoy their product. Personally, I would recommend ProtonVPN or ZenMate, if you are looking for a VPN, even though you most likely will prefer their paid versions, rather than free ones. But they are worth the investment.
