Privacy & Cookie Policy

Plain English. No jargon. Here's exactly what data we collect, why, and what you can do about it.

Last updated: April 2026

This policy explains how The Paid Media Company ("we", "us", "I") collects and uses personal data when you visit this website or get in touch. We take your privacy seriously and only collect what's necessary.

Data controller: Jamie Edwardson, The Paid Media Company, Livingston, Scotland. Contact: jamie@thepaidmediacompany.co.uk

1. What data we collect and why

Contact form submissions

When you fill in the contact form on this site, we collect the information you provide: your name, email address, business name, website, approximate ad spend, your message, and your preferred start timeframe. This is used solely to respond to your enquiry and to assess whether there's a good fit between your needs and what we offer.

Legal basis: Legitimate interests (responding to a business enquiry you initiated).

Form submissions are stored securely by Netlify (our hosting provider) and forwarded to our email inbox. We do not add you to any mailing list without explicit consent.

Analytics data

With your consent, we use Google Analytics 4 (via Google Tag Manager) to understand how visitors use this site — which pages are visited, how long people spend, where traffic comes from. This helps us improve the site over time.

Legal basis: Consent (you can accept or decline via the cookie banner).

Analytics data is anonymised and aggregated. We do not use it to identify individuals.

Advertising and remarketing

With your consent, we run paid advertising campaigns via Google Ads and Meta Ads (Facebook and Instagram). These platforms may set cookies and use pixels to measure the performance of our ads, attribute conversions, and — where consent is given — show relevant ads to people who have previously visited this site (remarketing).

Google Ads uses conversion tracking to measure when someone completes an action on our site after clicking an ad (such as submitting an enquiry form). It may also use your visit data to build remarketing audiences. This is controlled via the Google tag managed through Google Tag Manager and respects Consent Mode v2 signals.

Meta Pixel (Facebook/Instagram) tracks visits and actions on this site to measure ad effectiveness and, where consent is given, to build custom and lookalike audiences on Meta's platforms. Meta may combine this data with information it already holds about you as a Meta user.

Legal basis: Consent (advertising cookies are only set if you accept via the cookie banner). You can withdraw consent at any time.

If you decline advertising cookies, our ads may still appear to you on Google and Meta, but they will not be personalised based on your visit to this site, and conversions will not be attributed to specific ads.

Calendly booking data

If you book a call using our Calendly scheduling tool, Calendly collects your name, email address, and any other details you enter during booking. This data is handled under Calendly's own Privacy Policy. We receive your booking details to prepare for and conduct the call.

Legal basis: Legitimate interests (conducting a business meeting you have requested).

2. Cookies and tracking technologies

Cookies are small text files stored in your browser. We use them only as described below. You can control non-essential cookies through the banner shown on your first visit, or by clearing your browser cookies at any time.

Essential (always active)

These are required for the site to function correctly and cannot be disabled.

Analytics (require consent)

Set only if you accept cookies via the cookie banner.

Advertising (require consent)

Set only if you accept cookies via the cookie banner. Used to measure ad performance and, where consent is given, to enable remarketing.

Third-party (Calendly)

Calendly may set its own cookies when you use the scheduling tool embedded on our contact page. These are governed by Calendly's Privacy Policy.

3. How long we keep your data

  • Contact form enquiries — kept for up to 2 years in case you become a client or re-enquire. Deleted sooner on request.
  • Analytics data — retained by Google Analytics for 14 months (our configured retention period).
  • Advertising data — Google Ads conversion data is retained for 30 days to 18 months depending on the conversion type. Meta Pixel data is governed by Meta's own retention policy.
  • Calendly booking data — governed by Calendly's retention policy.

4. Who we share data with

We do not sell your data. We do not share it with third parties for marketing purposes. The only parties who may receive your data are:

  • Netlify — our hosting provider, which processes contact form submissions. Netlify Privacy Policy.
  • Google — analytics and advertising data is sent to Google if you consent. This covers Google Analytics 4 and Google Ads. Google Privacy Policy.
  • Meta (Facebook) — visit and conversion data may be sent to Meta via the Meta Pixel if you consent. Meta may use this to measure ad performance and build audiences on Facebook and Instagram. Meta Privacy Policy.
  • Calendly — booking data if you use the scheduling tool. Calendly Privacy Policy.

All third-party providers listed above have Data Processing Agreements in place and comply with UK GDPR.

5. Your rights

Under UK GDPR you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

  • Right to access — you can ask for a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
  • Right to rectification — you can ask us to correct inaccurate data.
  • Right to erasure — you can ask us to delete your data, subject to any legal obligations to retain it.
  • Right to restriction — you can ask us to limit how we use your data while a dispute is resolved.
  • Right to object — you can object to processing based on legitimate interests.
  • Right to withdraw consent — where we rely on consent (e.g. analytics cookies), you can withdraw it at any time via the cookie banner or by clearing your cookies.
  • Right to complain — you can lodge a complaint with the ICO (Information Commissioner's Office) if you believe your data has been mishandled.

To exercise any of these rights, email jamie@thepaidmediacompany.co.uk. We will respond within 30 days.

6. Data security

This website is served over HTTPS. Form submissions are transmitted securely to Netlify. We do not store payment card information or sensitive personal data. Access to enquiry data is limited to Jamie Edwardson only.

7. International transfers

Some of our third-party providers process data outside the UK/EEA:

  • Google (Analytics and Ads) — relies on Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) as a transfer mechanism, which the ICO has recognised as a valid safeguard.
  • Meta (Facebook/Instagram Ads) — transfers data to the United States. Meta relies on SCCs and its own EU-US Data Privacy Framework certification as transfer mechanisms.

All international transfers are subject to appropriate safeguards in line with UK GDPR requirements.

8. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The "last updated" date at the top of this page will always reflect the most recent version. Continued use of the site after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

9. Contact

For any privacy-related questions or to exercise your rights, contact Jamie Edwardson at jamie@thepaidmediacompany.co.uk.