Industry figures discuss chasing – and ‘ghosting’
“Today’s unanswered email could become tomorrow’s biggest opportunity”: Industry figures discuss chasing – and ‘ghosting’
Brands Untapped | by Billy Langsworthy, Published 17.08.26
Ilana Wilensky, President, Jewel
I think persistence is key when it comes to following up. As a licensing and creative agency, a big part of our role is ensuring that projects and opportunities continue moving forward – and that can only happen with consistent follow up. We try to strike a balance so that the follow ups are genuine and timely vs. pushy and aggressive.
Unfortunately, ghosting is a part of the business and I don’t take it personally. Sometimes people are super busy, the timing isn’t right or it can just be an oversight. It’s certainly preferred to get a response, even if it’s to tell us: “Thanks but no thanks.” But we’ve had conversations that abruptly stopped and then resurfaced months – or years – later and we ended up working together. It’s just the nature of our business!
Kendra Lowe, Licensing Manager, Jewel
It depends on how the conversation started, but if we’ve had an initial call, I always send a recap within 24 to 48 hours – along with anything they asked for while it’s still fresh. From there it’s a rhythm: a touch-base at two weeks, another at three or four weeks, and after a third attempt I ease off and circle back a few months later.
The key is that each follow-up leads with something useful – a new stat, a program update, a piece of news relevant to the opportunity – so we’re offering value every time we reach out, not just asking “Any word?” So much of this business is timing. I’ve had pitches from two years ago resurface and turn into deals almost overnight, so I never treat silence as a dead end; I treat it as “Not yet.”
Ghosting is par for the course, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a problem – especially when the initial meeting went really well. When someone expresses interest, we invest real time pulling together everything they need for their internal discussions, often involving the client we are pitching – so radio silence after that stings and can influence the client’s decision to keep going.
Even if the answer is no, a quick reply with that feedback is just common courtesy – and honestly, the ghosting tells you something about how they’d be as a partner. That said, I try not to hold it against anyone; today’s ghost is sometimes next year’s deal.