Maybe you already tried this, but if not ~ open the email and look on the top right corner for 3 vertical dots (next to the reply icon.)

Click them and look for "Show Original" in the menu that appears.

Click "Show Original" and it will show you lots more info about the message. Might have a clue?

For $89/month, it seems crazy that you still share an email engine with other marketers who have questionable practices and all the links are branded to CK instead of your site. (The URL that shows when you hover.)

For that price, I would expect it to be under YOUR domain, reputation, and control.

Oh shit, that IS a lot for just email marketing alone!

But it makes sense too, IF those 5000 people getting 4 emails per month are buying enough to make it worth the $89/month.

It should definitely be paying for itself 10x over once you reach that level.

BUT... 👇

How expensive is it?

I'm curious how it compares to using Fern CRM for email marketing. (Which comes with both web hosting and email marketing, so it's hard to compare which costs more...)

WOW 🫢
The fact that it flagged one of YOUR emails as a cold pitch tells me all I need to know about how bad it is.

The way it cold pitched its own service before replying to the original message tells me everything else.

The enshittification of online relationships continues.

For now I'm planning to just ignore the nudge to lean into Art Nouveau just in case it becomes a right-wing signal.

But I do like the idea of leaning more into the earthy organic elements. Maybe not as stylized as AN or Art Deco.

It's such a shame too, because Alameda & Oakland (where Fern HQ is) has a ton of "Public Works" Moderne & art deco everywhere.

But it kinda makes sense, since it was probably the wealthy elite of the 20's & 30's that brought it here in the first place. & most of it is on military/govt buildings.

That's what I was afraid of!

I was recently encouraged to add more Art Nouveau to the Fern brand because it appeals to the current (multi-generation) audience who values underconsumption, slow fashion/thrifting, makers, crafts, etc.

But I don't want to crossover into anything even remotely maga.

It's for the best! I haven't used a microwave in over 20 years now and I don't miss it at all.

There's been a brand new microwave permanently installed in our kitchen that whole time. So it's not for lack of having one!

We use it for storage instead & it works great at keeping ants, etc. away.

SAME!
I donated my car & have a very simple ebike now. Mr Fern's car is 19 yrs old & still reliable.

My phone, tablet, and laptop are all over 5 years old and I won't replace them until they're absolutely unusable.

We use our microwave as a breadbox, lol. (It came with the apt.)

I have zero FOMO.

One of our clients just scheduled 2 months worth of brand new content into Fern's Social Planner and she's literally dancing with joy at how good it felt to get that off her plate.

Another is in creation mode, hibernating & coming up with new content.

Others are unplugging.

All right answers!

So, the question remains ~ is it even worth your time/effort to keep posting.

If it doesn't drain you right now, then HELL YES!

People want to feel something from the posts they're seeing. They want to feel better, smarter, even falsely connected right now.

They're SEEING you and that's good!

It's not personal.
The world is in a state of extreme overwhelm right now.

No one has the energy for superficial engagement
And no one has the time or brain power for deeper connections.

Pile all the Black Friday slop on top and it's no wonder that people are still scrolling, but not connecting.

Also, if anyone knows where I can get a digital copy of these to post on social media etc, please let me know.

I checked the We Ain't Buying It toolkit, but it's not there. Looks like someone custom made these themselves. SO COOL!

Black Girl Environmentalist
Native American Rights Fund
charity:water
Rainforest Action Network
Defenders of Wildlife

& we already donated a chunk to our local food bank to help those affected by the current govt shutdown.

I'd love to know about more orgs doing good things so we can support them!

YAY! I'm glad you like it!

2026 Fern CRM is going to have a lot more done-for-you relationship-building features so I can show people why I'm so obsessed with this tool for CX.

My goal is to help small businesses build stronger relationships with every lead/buyer to stand out from the AI slop!

Ahhhhh, I thought you could just log into the browser version on your phone, but now that I'm trying it I'm really struggling to use the voice recorder.

I can listen and type a reply no problem, but yeah, the microphone button doesn't engage easily. That sucks.