bid_lost_follow_up
Write a gracious follow-up email after losing a competitive bid to stay on the client's radar for future work, without sounding bitter or desperate.
Instructions
Write the professional follow-up email to send after you didn't win a competitive bid or pitch. Keeps the relationship warm without sounding bitter, desperate, or entitled — the goal is one clear thing: staying on their radar for future work. Under 100 words body. Gracious, brief, no post-mortem. Distinct from cold_pitch_follow_up (no response to a cold pitch — this is when they actively told you they went with someone else), client_followup (chasing a proposal that hasn't been decided yet), and no_response_closure_email (closing a ghost). Does not count against your monthly draft limit. Required: client_name, project_description (e.g. 'the website redesign project', 'your Q3 social media campaign'). Optional: reason_if_known (what they told you — e.g. 'went with a larger agency', 'found someone with more industry experience'; used to tailor tone), future_work_angle (a specific type of work you'd like to be considered for — e.g. 'smaller copy projects', 'ongoing social content'), project_name, your_name.
Input Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| client_name | Yes | Client's first name or full name | |
| project_description | Yes | Brief description of the project you bid on (e.g. 'the website redesign', 'your Q3 campaign', 'the brand identity project') | |
| reason_if_known | No | The reason they gave for choosing someone else, if they told you (e.g. 'went with a larger agency', 'found someone with more industry experience', 'went in a different direction'). Used to calibrate tone — omit if they didn't say. | |
| future_work_angle | No | A specific type of future work you'd like to be considered for (e.g. 'smaller projects', 'overflow work', 'future campaigns'). If omitted, uses a general 'future projects' ask. | |
| project_name | No | Project name if it had a formal name (e.g. 'Project Aurora', 'the 2026 rebrand') | |
| your_name | No | Your name for the sign-off |