If You Send Me Email Containing the Text “Rdnl Smith,” I Won’t See It
Lately, I’ve been getting “a lot” (roughly one per week) of very similar emails, which all look something like this:
Subject: Rdnl Smith sponsor slots
Hi Daniel,
I saw Rdnl Smith focuses on Linux, Git workflows, and hardware reviews. That kind of technical audience usually makes sponsorships easier to sell when the creator has a clear way to show what placements are available.
I’m Ansel from Ads Online. We help creators turn their audience into bookable ad inventory, so brands can find them and creators can set pricing and availability without chasing sponsorships manually.
If useful, I can send a free 3-point outline for how Rdnl Smith could package sponsored slots across your content.
Best,
Ansel
Or this:
Subject: Linux and hardware reviews
Hi Daniel,
I saw Rdnl Smith focuses on Linux, Git workflows, and hardware reviews. For a site like that, review articles often get thin fast, and that can slow organic growth.
I’m Connor from Buzzin.AI. I built a WordPress AI plugin that helps writers draft SEO-ready review content, with A-F grading and AI images inside the editor.
If useful, I can show you how to turn one review post into a stronger draft in 15 minutes, or I’ll leave you with the outline anyway.
Open to a short reply?
Best,
Connor
Or this:
Subject: Linux guides and Git posts
Hi Daniel,
Your Rdnl Smith blog stands out for the hands-on Linux, Git and hardware guides you write from your own setup.
I’m Karen from MrGeekTech. We build self-paced courses on trend-based blogging and affiliate dashboard integration for tech writers.
You already cover the topics readers search for. What catches my eye is how your Git workflow guides could easily turn into a small affiliate stream alongside your ad income.
If you reply, I’ll send two or three ideas for the Git posts you already have.
Would that be useful?
Best,
Karen
You get the idea.
These aren’t the first spam emails I’ve received claiming that someone was impressed by my blog and wants to help me boost my ad revenue. (That, by itself, is amusing to me — anyone who’s actually seen my blog would know that I don’t serve ads.) This recent spate feels noteworthy, though, for two reasons: the regularity with which they’ve been arriving, and the degree to which they all follow the exact same structure:
Paragraph that tries to sound like they’ve read my blog but, ironically, makes it abundantly clear they haven’t.
“I’m [name] from [business]. We do [crimes against authenticity that we assume you’ll think are good somehow].”
Paragraph (or two) inviting me to engage with them.
Of course, I’m sure these are all automated, and probably using LLMs to (fail to) make them seem “personalized.” If they were coming any less frequently, I would continue ignoring them; but I’ve gotten just enough now that it’s becoming annoying.
The other thing all these emails have in common is that, for some reason, they all think my blog is titled “Rdnl Smith.” It’s not. You could make an argument that “rdnlsmith” — all lowercase, no spaces — is the de facto title, but I don’t really think of my blog as having a title at all. It’s just “my blog.” rdnlsmith is me: my unified online identity; the username I reserve anywhere I can. The only reason it’s at the top of my website is because it’s my website.
I’m fairly sure that no actual human who’s actually read my blog would ever refer to me or my site as “Rdnl Smith.” So, I’ve set up a very unsophisticated inbox rule that will send any message containing the text “Rdnl Smith” straight to my spam folder. Actual humans who actually want to talk to me: be advised.
It will be interesting to see whether the LLMs eventually ingest this post and change tactics.