Website Terms of Use
Last updated 9 September 2026
1 About these terms
These terms explain the rules for using smokinggun.agency and any related pages operated by us (the website). By using the website, you confirm that you accept these terms. If you do not accept them, you must not use the website.
The website is operated by Smoking Gun PR Limited (we, us and our), a company registered in England and Wales under company number 07106145. Our registered office is at 64 Bridge Street, Manchester, M3 3BN, United Kingdom.
You can contact us at [email protected] or at the registered-office address above.
2 Other terms that may apply
Our Privacy Notice explains how we use personal information. Our Cookie Policy explains the technologies used on the website and the choices available to you.
If you engage us to provide services, those services will be governed by the client agreement, proposal, statement of work or other written terms agreed between us. These Website Terms do not govern our client services, create a client relationship or override an agreed client contract.
3 Changes to the website and these terms
We may update these terms from time to time. The date shown above indicates when they were last updated. We may also change, suspend or withdraw any part of the website without notice. Please check this page periodically for changes.
4 Access to the website
The website is provided free of charge. We do not guarantee that it, or any content on it, will always be available, uninterrupted or error-free. We may restrict access to some or all of the website where reasonably necessary.
You are responsible for ensuring that anyone who accesses the website through your internet connection is aware of these terms and complies with them.
5 How you may use the website
You may use the website for lawful purposes and may print or download reasonable extracts for your own internal business or personal reference. You must not:
copy, republish, sell, license or commercially exploit website content without our prior written permission;
modify downloaded materials or use any illustration, photograph, video or graphic separately from its accompanying text;
use automated tools to scrape, harvest or extract website content or personal information, except where applicable law prevents us from restricting that activity;
attempt to gain unauthorised access to the website, its server or any connected system;
introduce viruses, malicious code or other technologically harmful material;
misuse our enquiry, download or subscription forms, or submit material that is unlawful, defamatory, infringing, misleading or harmful; or
suggest that we endorse you, your business or your use of our content unless we have agreed this in writing.
Our status, and that of any identified contributor, as author of website content must always be acknowledged where the content is lawfully reused.
6 Our intellectual property
We and our licensors own the intellectual-property rights in the website and its content, including text, designs, graphics, photographs, video, case studies, reports, guides, trade marks and logos. Those works are protected by intellectual-property laws and treaties. All rights are reserved.
Smoking Gun and associated branding may be trade marks or trading names of Smoking Gun PR Limited. Nothing in these terms grants you a right to use them.
7 Reports, guides and downloads
Unless a download states otherwise, we grant you a non-exclusive, non-transferable licence to use it for your own internal business or personal reference. You may share it internally within your organisation but must not republish, resell, alter, distribute it publicly or remove any attribution or rights notice without our written permission.
Downloads provide general information only. They are not legal, financial, regulatory or other professional advice and should not be relied upon as a substitute for advice tailored to your circumstances.
8 Information and results
We take reasonable care over website content, but we do not promise that it is complete, accurate, current or suitable for a particular purpose. PR, social-media, influencer, paid-media, search and generative-engine outcomes depend on factors outside our control. Nothing on the website guarantees media coverage, rankings, citations, engagement, sales or any other result.
Case studies describe particular work in particular circumstances. They do not promise that the same or similar results will be achieved for another organisation.
9 Third-party websites and platforms
The website may link to third-party websites and platforms, including LinkedIn. Links are provided for information and convenience. We do not control those services and are not responsible for their availability, content, security or privacy practices. A link does not necessarily mean that we endorse the third party or its content.
10 Linking to our website
You may link to our home page in a fair and lawful way that does not damage our reputation or suggest an association or endorsement that does not exist. You must not frame the website on another site or link from a site containing unlawful or infringing material. We may withdraw linking permission on reasonable notice.
11 Security and viruses
We take reasonable steps to operate the website securely but do not guarantee that it will be free from bugs, vulnerabilities or viruses. You should use your own virus-protection software and security controls.
12 Our responsibility for loss
Nothing in these terms excludes or limits liability where doing so would be unlawful, including liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation.
If you use the website for business purposes, to the fullest extent permitted by law:
we exclude implied conditions, warranties and representations relating to the website and its content;
we are not liable for loss of profit, revenue, business, opportunity, anticipated savings, goodwill, reputation or data, or for indirect or consequential loss, arising from use of or inability to use the website or reliance on its content; and
our total liability arising from or connected with your use of the website is limited to £100.
If you use the website as a consumer, we are responsible for loss or damage that is a foreseeable result of our breach of these terms or failure to use reasonable care and skill, but not for loss or damage that is not foreseeable. We provide the website for private and business-information use; we are not responsible to consumers for business losses.
13 Personal information
We use personal information as described in our Privacy Notice. Our Cookie Policy explains the cookies and similar technologies used on the website.
14 English law and courts
If you use the website for business purposes, these terms and any non-contractual dispute arising from them are governed by English law, and the courts of England and Wales have exclusive jurisdiction.
If you are a consumer, these terms are governed by English law. You may bring proceedings in the courts of the part of the United Kingdom in which you live, and you may have mandatory rights under the law of your country of residence that these terms do not affect.
15 Contact
Questions about the website, these terms or use of our intellectual property can be sent to [email protected].
Privacy Notice
Last updated 9 September 2026
1 Who we are
Smoking Gun PR Limited (Smoking Gun, we, us and our) is responsible for deciding how and why personal information described in this notice is used. This means we are the controller of that information.
We are registered in England and Wales under company number 07106145. Our registered office is at 64 Bridge Street, Manchester, M3 3BN, United Kingdom.
For questions about this notice or your personal information, email [email protected] or write to us at the address above.
2 Who this notice covers
This notice covers people who visit our website, contact us, request or download our content, subscribe to our email newsletter, interact with our marketing, represent a current or prospective client, supplier or business contact, or otherwise communicate with us. Separate notices or contract terms may apply to employees, job applicants and campaign participants whose information we process for clients.
3 Information we collect
Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect:
identity and contact information, such as name, job title, organisation, email address, telephone number and postal address;
enquiry and correspondence information, including the content of messages, briefs, requests and our responses;
marketing preferences, subscription status and records of consent or objections;
content-download information, including the resource requested and associated form details;
client, supplier and business-relationship information, such as meeting notes, proposals, contracts, billing contacts and relationship history;
technical and usage information, such as IP address, device and browser information, website activity, referral source and interactions with emails or advertisements; and
information available from public and professional sources, including corporate websites, news coverage and LinkedIn profiles.
Please avoid sending special-category information or highly sensitive personal information through general website forms unless it is genuinely necessary and you have agreed an appropriate method with us.
4 How we obtain information
We collect information directly from you when you complete a form, subscribe, download content, email, telephone or meet us. We also collect some information automatically through cookies and similar technologies, subject to your choices. We may receive business information from colleagues, clients, suppliers, public sources, professional networks and platforms such as LinkedIn.
5 How and why we use information
| Purpose |
Types of information |
Lawful basis |
| Respond to enquiries and discuss potential work |
Identity, contact, enquiry and correspondence information |
Legitimate interests in responding, developing business and taking steps requested before a contract |
| Provide and administer client or supplier relationships |
Identity, contact, relationship, contractual and billing information |
Contract where applicable; legitimate interests in managing business relationships; legal obligation for required records |
| Send the email newsletter and other requested email marketing |
Identity, contact, preferences, consent and interaction information |
Consent where required; legitimate interests where business-to-business marketing is permitted, always subject to PECR and the right to object |
| Deliver requested reports, guides and other content |
Identity, contact, download and correspondence information |
Taking steps at your request and legitimate interests in providing and understanding interest in our content |
| Measure and improve the website and content |
Technical, usage and interaction information |
Consent for non-essential analytics or similar storage/access; legitimate interests for strictly necessary security and service operation |
| Measure and improve advertising and reach relevant audiences |
Technical, usage and marketing-interaction information |
Consent for advertising cookies, pixels and similar technologies |
| Protect our website, systems, people and legal rights |
Technical, usage, identity and correspondence information |
Legitimate interests in security, fraud prevention, claims and legal compliance; legal obligation where applicable |
| Meet legal, regulatory, accounting and tax duties |
Relevant identity, relationship, transaction and correspondence information |
Legal obligation and legitimate interests in demonstrating compliance |
Where we rely on legitimate interests, we consider whether our use is necessary and balanced against your rights and reasonable expectations. You may object to this processing in the circumstances described below.
6 Email and LinkedIn newsletters
You can subscribe to our email newsletter through a separate, optional choice. Requesting a report or submitting an enquiry does not itself subscribe you to the email newsletter. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in an email or by contacting us. We may retain a minimal suppression record so that we respect your choice.
Our LinkedIn newsletter is hosted by LinkedIn. If you choose the Subscribe on LinkedIn link, LinkedIn manages that subscription under its own terms and privacy information. Subscribing on LinkedIn does not subscribe you to our separate email newsletter, and subscribing to our email newsletter does not subscribe you on LinkedIn.
7 Cookies, analytics and advertising
Subject to your cookie choices, we use Google Analytics and technologies deployed through Google Tag Manager to understand website use. We may use Meta and LinkedIn technologies to measure advertising and build or reach audiences. We use HubSpot to manage forms, content requests, enquiries, marketing preferences and related analytics. More detail is provided in our Cookie Policy and through the website’s cookie-preference tool.
8 Who we share information with
We may share personal information where necessary with:
website, hosting, security, IT and professional-support providers;
HubSpot and other customer-relationship, form and email-service providers;
Google, Meta and LinkedIn where the relevant technologies are enabled with the required choice or consent;
professional advisers, auditors, insurers and banks;
authorities, regulators, courts or law-enforcement bodies where required or appropriate;
a buyer, investor or successor in connection with a genuine corporate transaction; and
clients, suppliers and delivery partners where necessary for an agreed relationship or requested activity.
We require service providers acting on our behalf to protect personal information and use it only for agreed purposes. Some recipients, including major online platforms, may act as independent controllers for their own purposes; their privacy information will also apply.
9 International transfers
Some providers and platforms may process personal information outside the United Kingdom. Where UK data-protection law requires it, we use an approved transfer mechanism, such as UK adequacy regulations, the UK International Data Transfer Agreement or the UK Addendum to approved standard contractual clauses, together with additional safeguards where appropriate. Contact us if you would like more information about safeguards relevant to your information.
10 How long we keep information
We keep personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, including legal, regulatory, accounting and dispute requirements. Our usual approach is:
| Information |
Indicative retention approach |
| Unsuccessful new-business enquiries and associated correspondence |
Normally up to two years after the last meaningful contact, unless a longer period is justified |
| Email newsletter records |
While subscribed; a minimal suppression record may be kept after opt-out to prevent further marketing |
| Content-download records not linked to an active relationship |
Normally up to two years after the download or last meaningful interaction |
| Client and supplier contract and financial records |
Normally six years after the end of the relevant financial year or relationship, subject to legal requirements |
| Consent and preference evidence |
For as long as needed to demonstrate the choice and normally for an appropriate period afterwards |
| Analytics and advertising data |
According to configured platform and cookie periods; the live settings must be reflected in the Cookie Policy |
We may keep information for longer where a complaint, claim, investigation, legal hold or other justified reason applies. We may retain anonymised information that no longer identifies anyone.
11 Your rights
Depending on the circumstances, you may have the right to:
ask for access to your personal information and a copy of it;
ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information;
ask us to erase information;
ask us to restrict how information is used;
object to processing based on legitimate interests and object at any time to direct marketing;
receive certain information in a portable form;
withdraw consent at any time, without affecting earlier lawful use; and
complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office.
These rights are not absolute and may not apply in every situation. We may ask for information to verify your identity before acting on a request. We do not charge a fee in ordinary circumstances.
12 Complaints
Please contact us first so we can try to resolve your concern. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk. If you live outside the United Kingdom, you may also be able to contact your local data-protection authority.
13 Security
We use appropriate organisational and technical measures designed to protect personal information against accidental or unlawful loss, access, alteration or disclosure. Access is limited to people and providers who need it for authorised purposes. No internet service can be guaranteed completely secure.
14 Changes to this notice
We may update this notice when our activities, technologies or legal obligations change. We will publish the current version here and bring material changes to your attention where appropriate.
Cookie Policy
Last updated 9 September 2026
1 About this policy
This policy explains how Smoking Gun PR Limited uses cookies and similar technologies on smokinggun.agency. It should be read with our Privacy Notice.
2 What cookies and similar technologies are
Cookies are small text files stored on a device when a website is used. We may also use pixels, tags, local storage and similar technologies that store or access information on a device or allow platforms to recognise interactions. In this policy, cookies includes these similar technologies where appropriate.
3 Your choices
Strictly necessary cookies are used because the website cannot operate securely or provide a requested function without them. We ask for your choice before using non-essential analytics, advertising and similar cookies. You can accept all, reject non-essential cookies or choose categories through the cookie banner. You can change your selection at any time using the Cookie settings link in the website footer.
Withdrawing consent does not remove information already processed lawfully. You can also control cookies through your browser, although blocking some cookies may affect website functions.
4 Cookie categories
| Category |
What it does |
Default position |
| Strictly necessary |
Provides core functions such as security, network management, consent storage and requested form operation. |
Always active where genuinely necessary |
| Analytics |
Helps us understand visits, navigation, traffic sources and website performance, principally through Google Analytics and permitted HubSpot analytics. |
Off until the required consent |
| Advertising |
Supports advertising measurement, attribution, audience creation and delivery through services such as Meta and LinkedIn. |
Off until consent |
| Functional |
Remembers optional preferences or enables non-essential embedded services. |
Off until consent where legally required |
5 Services we use
| Service |
Purpose |
Information that may be involved |
| Google Tag Manager |
Manages deployment of website tags. Tag Manager should not be configured to bypass your cookie choices. |
Consent state, tag events and technical information |
| Google Analytics |
Measures website use and performance. |
Online identifiers, device/browser data, approximate location, pages and events |
| HubSpot |
Operates forms, manages enquiries and downloads, records preferences and may provide permitted analytics. |
Form details, identifiers, page activity, preferences and interactions |
| Meta |
Measures and supports advertising on Meta services where enabled. |
Online identifiers, browser/device data, page views, events and ad interactions |
| LinkedIn |
Measures and supports advertising and insights on LinkedIn where enabled. LinkedIn also hosts its own newsletter subscription. |
Online identifiers, browser/device data, page views, events and ad interactions |
These providers may receive information and process it under their own privacy information. Some processing may take place outside the United Kingdom, as explained in our Privacy Notice.
6 Current cookie list
The website’s cookie-preference tool should display the current cookie-level list, including each cookie or technology’s name, provider, purpose, category and duration. Because providers can change names and lifetimes and tags can be reconfigured, the list must be generated or verified against a live cookie scan before publication and after material website changes.
The following fields must be completed in the consent platform for every technology discovered:
| Required field |
Example of the information required |
| Name |
The exact cookie, pixel, local-storage key or other identifier |
| Provider |
Smoking Gun, Google, HubSpot, Meta, LinkedIn or another provider |
| Purpose |
A specific explanation of what the technology does |
| Category |
Strictly necessary, analytics, advertising or functional |
| Duration |
Session or the actual period retained on the device |
7 Email tracking
Our email provider may record delivery, opens, link clicks and similar interactions. Where these activities involve direct marketing or tracking technologies, we apply the applicable data-protection and electronic-marketing rules and provide unsubscribe choices. You can object to direct marketing at any time.
8 Contact
For questions about cookies or our use of personal information, email [email protected].
