Story First respects the privacy of people who visit our website, contact us, book calls, request resources, subscribe to updates, or otherwise interact with us. This Privacy Policy explains what we collect, how we use it, and the choices you have.

This policy applies to thestoryfirst.com and other Story First pages or communications that link to it. It does not cover websites, platforms, or services controlled by other companies.

Summary

We collect only the information we need to operate the website, respond to inquiries, schedule calls, send requested resources, improve our marketing, protect forms from spam, and provide services to clients.

We do not sell personal information. We do not intentionally collect sensitive personal information through this website. We do not knowingly collect information from children under 13. Analytics is optional: the site denies analytics storage by default until a visitor accepts analytics in the cookie banner.

Information You Provide

We collect information you choose to give us when you:

submit a contact form;
book or request a strategy call;
subscribe to the newsletter;
use the ROI calculator or request a PDF report;
request a guide, checklist, or other resource;
email, call, text, or otherwise communicate with us;
work with Story First as a client, vendor, or partner.

This may include your name, email address, phone number, firm name, role, website, practice area, project notes, booking preferences, call details, calculator inputs, and any message or file you choose to send.

Please do not submit confidential client information, privileged legal information, protected health information, payment card numbers, Social Security numbers, or other sensitive information through the website forms.

Information Collected Automatically

When you visit the website, we and our service providers may collect limited technical and usage information, including:

device type, browser type, operating system, and approximate location;
IP address and network information;
pages viewed, referral source, UTM campaign parameters, and general engagement;
interactions with calls-to-action, phone links, forms, calculators, and embedded videos;
cookie preference status and consent updates;
security, spam-prevention, and error information.

We do not intentionally send sensitive personal information through analytics events.

Cookies, Analytics, and Advertising Measurement

The website uses essential tools by default to operate securely, load pages, remember cookie preferences, protect forms, and prevent abuse. These may include Cloudflare Pages, Cloudflare security services, Cloudflare Turnstile, and local browser storage used to remember your cookie choice.

If you accept analytics cookies, Story First uses Google Analytics 4 to understand how visitors find and use the website, which pages help people make decisions, and whether key conversion paths are working. Analytics storage is denied by default until you choose to allow it in the cookie banner. You can change your choice later using the Cookies link in the footer.

Story First may also measure ad performance and conversions through Google Analytics 4 and Google Ads integrations. Our current website configuration denies ad storage, ad user data, and ad personalization by default. We do not use remarketing pixels or personalized advertising cookies unless they are added later with the appropriate consent and disclosures.

Google may process information in accordance with its own terms and privacy policies. You can learn more from Google’s pages on how Google uses information from sites or apps that use its services, Google Analytics privacy controls, and the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on.

Third-Party Tools

Some features use third-party providers. Depending on how you interact with the site, information may be processed by providers such as:

Cloudflare for hosting, security, caching, and Turnstile spam prevention;
Google Analytics 4 and Google Ads for analytics and conversion measurement;
Vimeo for embedded video playback;
GoHighLevel for booking, CRM, lead routing, email, SMS, and client communications;
n8n for automation and form-routing workflows;
email, scheduling, document, storage, and business operations tools we use to run Story First.

These providers may process information on our behalf or according to their own terms, depending on the tool and interaction.

How We Use Information

We use information to:

respond to inquiries and communicate with you;
schedule, confirm, and prepare for strategy calls;
send requested resources, newsletter updates, and follow-up communications;
evaluate whether Story First is a fit for a potential project;
prepare proposals, statements of work, invoices, and client deliverables;
operate, secure, test, and improve the website;
understand marketing performance and conversion paths;
protect forms and systems from spam, fraud, and abuse;
maintain business records and comply with legal obligations;
enforce our terms, protect our rights, and resolve disputes.

Legal Bases Where Required

Where privacy law requires a legal basis for processing, we process information based on one or more of the following: your consent, our legitimate interests in operating and improving our business, the need to take steps at your request before entering a contract, the need to perform a contract with you, and compliance with legal obligations.

We may share information with:

service providers and vendors that help operate the website, analytics, forms, CRM, scheduling, email, automation, hosting, security, and business systems;
professional advisors such as lawyers, accountants, insurers, or consultants;
authorities or other parties when required by law, subpoena, court order, or to protect rights, safety, or security;
a successor or potential successor if Story First is involved in a merger, sale, financing, reorganization, or transfer of assets;
others with your direction or consent.

We do not sell personal information. We also do not disclose personal information to third parties for their own direct marketing purposes.

Data Retention

We keep information for as long as reasonably needed for the purposes described in this policy, including to respond to inquiries, manage client relationships, maintain business and tax records, analyze performance, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, and protect the website from abuse.

Retention periods vary by record type. For example, basic inquiry records may be kept for sales follow-up and business history, while accounting and contract records may be retained for longer legal or tax periods.

Security

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards designed to protect information. No website, network, or transmission method is perfectly secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Your Choices and Rights

You can:

decline analytics cookies or change your choice using the Cookies link in the footer;
unsubscribe from marketing emails using the unsubscribe link in those emails;
use browser or device settings to limit cookies or tracking;
use Google’s analytics opt-out tools where available;
contact us to request access, correction, deletion, restriction, portability, or other privacy assistance where applicable by law.

We may need to verify your identity before responding to certain requests. Some information may be kept where required or allowed by law, including for security, legal, tax, accounting, and dispute-resolution purposes.

State Privacy Notices

Some U.S. state privacy laws, including California’s CCPA/CPRA, provide residents with additional rights and require specific disclosures. Story First is a small professional-services business and may not meet the legal thresholds that make every state privacy law apply. Even so, we try to honor reasonable privacy requests in a practical and respectful way.

The categories of personal information we may collect are described above and generally include identifiers, commercial or inquiry information, internet or network activity, approximate location, professional or firm information, and other information you choose to provide.

We collect and use those categories for the purposes described in How We Use Information. We disclose them to the categories of recipients described in How We Share Information. We do not knowingly sell personal information, share it for cross-context behavioral advertising as currently configured, or use sensitive personal information for purposes that require a right to limit under California law.

California’s “Shine the Light” law allows California residents to request certain information about disclosures of personal information to third parties for their own direct marketing purposes. We do not disclose personal information to third parties for their own direct marketing purposes.

Children

The website is intended for adults and business users. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided personal information to us, contact us and we will take reasonable steps to delete it.

Links and Embedded Content

The website may link to or embed content from third-party websites, platforms, and services. Their privacy practices are controlled by their own policies, not this one.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will update the “Last updated” date on the page. Material changes will apply going forward unless otherwise stated.

Contact

Questions or privacy requests can be sent to:

Story First

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 770-525-6192