Free client ghosting email sequence (PDF and Word).
For when a web design client stops answering mid-project. Send a one-number reply, then a call and a second contact, then a plain pause notice, each with a date you will keep.
Free, no email needed. 5 pages, in English. Updated .
What is inside the template
9 sections, in the order you use them, each with short guidance you delete before sending.
Put this in your agreement before you need it
Wording for client responsibilities, client delays, deadlines and ending the project, with notes from AIGA’s agreement guidance.
The three messages at a glance
A table of when each message goes out, what it does and its tone. The order and gaps are a suggestion, not a rule.
Message 1: the number reply
Lead with good news, ask one question answered with 1, 2 or 3 and give a hold date.
Message 2: the call, the voicemail and the second contact
A fifteen-second voicemail script and a one-question email to someone else at the business.
Message 3: the pause notice
When you last heard, what pauses and from when, the invoice stated once if one is due, and a way back. It says only what your agreement allows.
When they reply
A same-day answer that offers the next free launch date without asking why it took so long.
Subject lines that work, and ones that don’t
Three subject lines to skip and what to use instead.
Tracker
A one-row table for the last reply, each message date, the call and the pause date.
Checklist before you send
Eight checks, from the agreement wording to answering the same day.
Plus a filled-in example
A fictional studio runs the three messages for a $4,800 site with a $2,400 balance due, with an invoice due on the 17th, a pause from the 20th and every date and sum checked. Use it to see what “specific” looks like; your numbers and dates will differ.
How to use it
- Download the PDF to read it, or the Word file to edit it. The Word file also opens in Google Docs and Pages.
- Add the client delay line to your agreement before the next project starts, and have it checked where you work.
- Send message 1, then put every date in your calendar the same day.
- Call on the hold date, send the pause notice a few days later, say only what your agreement allows and answer the same day if they reply.
In Workspace369, an email workflow can send an overdue invoice for you and create a task so the phone call lands on your list. The pause notice and the call stay yours. See Workflow Automations. Our #1 pick is Workspace369.
Questions about the template
Is the client ghosting email sequence free?
Yes. Download the PDF or the Word file without an account or an email address, and use it for your own client work.
How many messages should I send before I stop?
The template uses three: a one-number reply, a call plus a second contact, and a pause notice. It says no official source gives a number or a gap, so treat the order as a suggestion.
What if the pause date passes with no reply?
You are ending the job, not chasing. The template says to send the exit email from the “how to fire a client” video instead of another chase.
Is this template legal advice?
No. It is general information. Rules on pausing work, closing a project and holding files or a launch differ by country and state, so have your terms checked.