Sourcing emails: The breakup email

3 mins, 12 secs read time

In our Sourcing emails series, we’re highlighting the different types of emails you should include in your email outreach campaigns to effectively engage prospects. In this final part of our series, we’re sharing tips on how to craft the last step in your email outreach – the breakup email – to ensure your campaign ends on a positive note and leaves room for re-engagement in the future.

Even when you create a compelling and engaging email campaign, it’s possible that you might not hear back from prospects at all. If your outreach attempts aren’t getting any responses or other signs of engagement, it’s time to send a breakup email. This is your final attempt to contact the prospect before ending your outreach with them for that campaign.

It's likely that the timing isn’t right for them to pursue other opportunities, so it’s important to let them know they can reach out to you in the future if anything changes. Remember to keep a positive tone in every breakup email since you never know if you might reconnect with the prospect down the line.

We have lots of ideas on how to craft your breakup email – check out these key tips to ensure your email ends on a good note and allows space for re-engagement:

• Be clear and concise in your email. If the prospect hasn't shown any interest or engagement in your previous outreach attempts, it might not be best to continue sharing additional information with them. Instead, it’s best to keep the email short and sweet to show consideration for their time as you wrap up your outreach with them.
• Keep a positive and optimistic tone throughout your email since it’s possible you will reconnect with the prospect in the future. Ending your last email outreach on a positive note sets the stage for you to reach out and re-engage them for future opportunities.
• Include a clear call to action outlining how to stay in touch with you, whether that’s connecting on LinkedIn, scheduling a call or letting them know to reply to your email.

Here’s an example of a breakup email template you can use as a framework in your outreach campaigns:

"Hi there [first name],

As you know, I think you’d be a great contributor to the [department/team] team at [your company], but I completely understand if the timing isn’t right. I’m sure you’re very busy at [their company]!

If you find yourself curious to learn more about [your company] in the future, please don’t hesitate to reach out – I’d love to chat at a convenient time for you. In the meantime, feel free to stay in touch with me on LinkedIn [link to LI profile]. You can also add some time to my calendar [link to calendar] for us to chat or just reply to this email.

Wishing you continued success in your current role!

Thank you,
[your name]"

Since this is your final attempt at contacting and engaging with the prospect, it’s recommended to allow some time to pass before reaching out to them again. You can set a reminder to reach out for a new outreach campaign within the next three to six months to see if there’s been any changes or updates on their end. Even though they might not have shown any interest or engagement in your first email outreach campaign, this is a great way to nurture and build your relationships with prospective candidates for future opportunities.

Read the full series overview, as well as each post on introductory and follow-up to nurture and breakup emails, on the Greenhouse blog.