When I’m bouncing between clients, I lose the thread with sponsors and mentors unless I’m very intentional. The light-touch routine that’s worked, mostly: a quick Monday “saw this and thought of you” note during taxi from the airport, a mid-week comment or DM reacting to something they posted, and a short Friday update with one win and one question. If I’m on a beach-adjacent week, I’ll sometimes send a 20-second voice note instead of text—feels more human without asking for a call. That said, I worry about being too frequent or too transactional. For those who’ve kept relationships warm through heavy travel, what cadence and channels have actually felt natural (and not needy), and how do you keep it up when your schedule goes sideways?
if you’re “cadencing” a relationship, you’ve probably lost it already. send value, not pings. quarterly is plenty unless you’ve got something real to offer—an intro, a brief insight, a clean win. keep it short, no asks every time. and don’t ever send a beach selfie voice note, please.
i do a 2‑line friday ping with one win + thanks. once a month i ask a small q. voice notes only if we’re already close. feels less needy that way.
Aim for a value-forward, low-friction pattern: one substantive touchpoint each month, supplemented by lightweight interactions when you have genuine relevance. Email or LinkedIn works; voice notes are fine if you already have rapport. Keep messages concise, include one useful nugget or a thoughtful question, and avoid serial asks. Maintain a simple contact sheet with last touch date, shared interests, and next meaningful reason to reconnect. If travel derails you, re-enter with a brief update and one concrete way you can help. Consistency matters more than frequency.
Light and genuine wins! Monthly value notes plus quick reactions to their posts work great. Keep it real, short, and helpful. You’ve got the rhythm—just stay consistent!
I kept a sponsor warm during a brutal road quarter by sending a monthly “one-page” win and a question, then reacting to his LinkedIn posts when I actually had something to add. On a beach week, I mailed a tiny postcard with a line about a client insight—it got a laugh and sparked a quick call. The trick for me was no asks two touches in a row and a running note of what he cared about.
I’ve tested monthly vs. biweekly outreach. Monthly, value-driven notes had the best response and zero “this is too much” feedback. My template is a 4–6 sentence email: context, relevant insight or small win, and an optional offer to help. Supplement with 1–2 lightweight interactions (comment or DM) only when it’s additive. Track a simple CRM field: last contact date, topic, next reason to reach out. Cadence beats volume; signal-to-noise must stay high.