Voicemail message structure

Treat a voicemail as a handoff to the email that follows. Gong's analysis found that voicemail lowered the connect rate on future dials by 28% while email reply rate rose from 2.73% to 5.87%.¹ Write for the email outcome, with a callback as a bonus.² Give the listener enough context to understand the next message, then stop before the voicemail becomes a pitch. The first voicemail is 15 seconds long and contains context only.³

Build the message

1

Context

2

Trigger

3

Handoff

4

Next step

1. Context
2. Trigger
3. Handoff
4. Next step

Use the sequence below as your recording outline. Each part helps the listener recognize the reason for the call or act on the next step.

Stage	What you are trying to learn	Example question
Context	whether the listener can place the call quickly	What is the specific reason for the call?
Trigger	what made the outreach timely	What prompted the call?
Handoff	where the supporting detail will arrive	Should I send you the details by email?
Next step	how the listener can respond	"Could you call me back at 555-555-5555?"4

Context first

Start with a reason the listener can recognize. Let the context carry the message before you add details about yourself or your offer.

Identify who you are and where you are from in the greeting.⁵ Give a specific reason for the call, such as sales training and hiring.⁶ You can also check whether the prospect watched a video you sent.⁷

Keep the reason narrow enough to say in one breath. The listener should know what prompted the call and what subject the follow-up email will cover. A relevant outcome can sit in the first line and describe what changes if the prospect talks with you.⁸

Add the trigger and email handoff

The trigger explains why the outreach is timely. The handoff tells the listener where the fuller explanation will arrive.

Use context, trigger, and an email notice as the first-voicemail formula.⁹ Say what caused the outreach, then tell the person an email is coming. If you ask for a callback, leave the full pitch out of the voicemail.¹⁰

Write the email before you record the message. That gives the voicemail a real follow-up to point to and lets the email carry the detail. Make the handoff easy to recognize when it arrives.

Keep the close short and clear

The close gives the listener a simple way to respond and leaves the details available to read later.

Keep voicemails to 30 seconds or less, focus on one value point, and include a clear callback path.¹¹ Cover the reason for calling and your contact information.¹² Repeat your phone number in the close so the listener does not have to search for it.¹³

Prepare the wording in advance and keep it available as a calling aid until you have memorized it.¹⁴ Read it aloud before using it. Remove any phrase that makes the listener wait for the point.

Use the follow-up voicemail differently

The follow-up voicemail can add proof because the first message has already supplied the context. Keep its job separate from the first recording.

Make the follow-up voicemail 30 seconds long and combine context with social proof.¹⁵ Give the listener a reason to connect the proof with their own situation. A result without the original context makes the message sound detached from the call.

Set a ceiling on how many messages the sequence can leave. One or two voicemails per prospect is the recommended range. At three or more, email reply rates fall to 2.2%, below the result from leaving no voicemail.¹⁶

Make the recording readable

Write for the transcript as well as the audio. A listener may read the voicemail instead of listening to it.¹⁷

Use plain phrasing, slow down around names and technical terms, and make the reason for the call easy to find on the page. Read the message once as text before recording it. If the meaning depends on tone or speed, rewrite the line.

What not to do

A few habits make the structure harder to follow or weaken the handoff.

• Do not start with your name.¹⁸
• Do not leave "touching base" or "checking in" messages, because they waste the prospect's time.¹⁹
• Do not use a voicemail without a targeted reason and relevant information or value.²⁰
• Do not rush, use unusual company names, or rely on jargon. Those choices commonly produce inaccurate transcription and a garbled message with a warning label.²¹