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Let's talk about ghosting: and no, we don't mean ghosting cold outreach. No one can realistically respond to every cold email or unsolicited LinkedIn pitch they get in their inbox. 😂 What we're talking about specifically is what seems to have become a recent trend: being ghosted after you've actually connected with someone.
You chat with a potential client, have a great meeting, put together a detailed proposal (that they requested), send it across, and then… total silence. Not even a "sorry, we're going with someone else" or a polite "we've had a change of plans". Just nothing, no response at all. 🙃
Since we started actively looking for new clients at Creative Compass UK, we've been ghosted a substantial number of times (and trust me, we remember every single person 👀). From recent conversations we've seen on LinkedIn, it's clear we're definitely not alone. In fact:
If this is starting to sound familiar, that's because it is. Ghosting has quietly crept into everyday business interactions, and although the content we put out focuses generally on valuable, educational content, this is something we have some pretty strong opinions about. 👇
Business is business, we get it. Things change, budgets vanish, someone else offers a solution better fitted to your needs - fair enough. We're all adults here, and with the great industry trend of a collaborative culture, we're generally even supportive of other creatives getting the work! And most freelancers or agencies don't need or expect a detailed breakdown explaining why we didn't get the gig.
But ghosting is different. It's the digital equivalent of dipping out during a conversation. Imagine standing face-to-face with someone and, mid-sentence, they just turn around and walk away. Weird, right?
Yet somehow, ghosting seems to have become common practice and even acceptable, leaving us with a few questions, but mainly: why? 🤷♀️
It's tempting to assume it's deliberate or malicious. And while sometimes it may genuinely just be poor manners, most often there's more going on behind the scenes:
Her take, though, is that it only takes seconds to send a quick email saying "thanks but no thanks," yet internal chaos makes even that simple step slip away.
She suggests internal confusion, stalled budgets, and changing priorities mean replies slide further down their inboxes. It's rarely personal, but always frustrating.
Unsurprisingly, his view was fiercely challenged by other professionals, who consider ghosting disrespectful, lazy, and damaging to working relationships.
In our opinion; although there may be a legitimate reason for not working with someone you had genuinly concidered, and this is completely fair enough, taking 30 seconds to send a polite (or even blunt) "no" email, is more professional then just ghosting and ignoring someone all together, especially when that person is a solo freelancer or part of a micro business.
Personally, we definitely remember exactly who has ghosted us, whereas we rarely think about those who politely declined our proposal to go down another avenue. (Except to look internally to see if there's something we could have done better, of course!)
The reason this issue sparks so much anger online specifically is that it isn't only about hurt feelings. Small agencies, studios and freelancers invest substantial time and resources into crafting detailed, personalised proposals - often hours or even days of unpaid work - to deliver tailored solutions.
For small businesses especially, those detailed proposals aren't simply thrown-together elevator pitches; they're not thrown at everyone in the immediate vicinity. They are deliberate, thoughtfully considered, and directly influence financial planning, projections, and workflow management.
Losing prospects to competitors is a standard part of business life; however, losing time chasing silent replies and being left to just wonder "what went wrong?" has tangible impacts on cash flow, confidence, and future growth, as well as the potential to affect an individual's mental health.
Alina Mansoor, an HR expert, highlights similar issues in hiring circles; ghosting after trial tasks or interviews has become increasingly common. She even calls it "disrespectful," emphasising how simple acknowledgement messages would significantly improve the experience on both sides.
It's not isolated to LinkedIn either; the frustration is widespread. As one Reddit user put it: "I wouldn't have any issues if people just told me what to expect. This is just rude." And frankly, we agree 🤷♀️
Ghosting can seem like the easy option, but it's not. It creates unnecessary stress, disrupts workflows, and undermines professional relationships and standards. The good news is, fixing this takes almost no effort.
If you're a decision-maker who struggles to reply to proposals (we get it, you're busy), here's a simple, friendly template you can copy and paste:
"Thanks so much for your proposal. We've decided to move forward with someone else/follow a different avenue, but we genuinely appreciate your time and effort, and wish you and the team all the best."
That's it. One quick message, and everyone moves forward professionally and respectfully.
It's also important for freelancers and small businesses like ours at CCUK to make it easier for potential clients. Setting clear expectations around timelines and follow-ups can help. You can even ask directly:
Being clear upfront means you've set a comfortable stage for both sides. It makes ghosting feel a bit less acceptable, and it ensures the client knows exactly when and how you'll follow up.
Here's our call to action: let's stop normalising ghosting, because frankly, it's rubbish for everyone involved. Instead, let's talk openly about how to handle proposals professionally regardless if we're saying "yes," "no," "not now", "maybe" or even "never!"
We'd love to hear your thoughts, experiences, or anti-ghosting tips. Got a great follow-up email template? A funny ghost-busting strategy you use? Or even just a cheeky comeback you wish you could send? Send them our way! And if you found this newsletter interesting, make sure you subscribe as we do these every week!
Let's all agree to keep business communication clear, professional, and just a tiny bit more human.
