7 Strategies for the Breakup Email: The Recruiter's “Hail Mary” - Gem

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1. Admittedly, it’s a bit of a misnomer (“breakup” suggests you were in a relationship to begin with); but the breakup email may be the hook that finally gets talent’s attention. It’s a recruiting outreach email, yes; but it’s also a genre of its own. That’s because it’s doing something different than the other emails in your sequence do. It’s appealing to loss aversion—or FOMO (fear of missing out). That’s what makes the breakup email a secret weapon: It shifts the dynamic and turns the tables. Because in some ways, we never really left high school. (We just said FOMO, after all.) Start ignoring us, and now we want your attention. Confirm for us that we’re not moving forward in the process, and we want to take control of the narrative again. Luckily, the recruiting breakup email is a lot less dramatic than that high school breakup email was. “The breakup email has little power over talent who had no interest in your opportunity to begin with.” When it’s time to cut ties, your breakup email should do a few things:

   In Breakup emails

2. So there you have it: 7 strategies for the breakup email. Note that none of the examples above are emotional, desperate, exasperated, or bitter. You’re not here to burn bridges. You know as well as we do that you’re likely to stumble upon their LinkedIn profiles in your next search for that same role. “Analytics will indicate what subject lines work best on certain prospect pools, and A/B testing will help you optimize for your audience.”

   In Subject line testing

3. You can then schedule a sequence with a new cadence 6 months out, so you don’t forget to follow up on your promise to… well, follow up. “It also gives your prospect plenty of time to consider your offer in greater depth before you reach out again down the line.” So there you have it: 7 strategies for the breakup email. Note that none of the examples above are emotional, desperate, exasperated, or bitter. You’re not here to burn bridges. You know as well as we do that you’re likely to stumble upon their LinkedIn profiles in your next search for that same role.

   In Not-ready lead nurture

4. You can then schedule a sequence with a new cadence 6 months out, so you don’t forget to follow up on your promise to… well, follow up. “For one, it gives your prospect the opportunity to reach out now if they’re not willing to wait six months to hear from you again.” So there you have it: 7 strategies for the breakup email. Note that none of the examples above are emotional, desperate, exasperated, or bitter. You’re not here to burn bridges. You know as well as we do that you’re likely to stumble upon their LinkedIn profiles in your next search for that same role.

   In Not-ready lead nurture

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