Most innovation programs lose participants not because people did not care, but because nobody told them what was happening. The launch email goes out. Ideas come in. Then silence. Three weeks later, half the people who submitted have forgotten they did, and the other half have assumed nothing came of it.
This template pack gives you four ready-to-send emails for every stage of a campaign. Copy them, adapt the bracketed sections to your context, and send them on schedule.
Why Communication Makes or Breaks Engagement
Here is the pattern that kills idea programs. An organization runs its first campaign. It goes reasonably well. Decent submissions, a few standout ideas. Then nothing is communicated for six weeks. When the next campaign launches, participation drops by half. Not because people stopped having ideas. Because the silence taught them that submitting was not worth the effort.
The four emails below break that pattern. The last one, the outcome communication, is the most important one in the whole program. Not the launch. The outcome.
Email 1: The Launch Announcement
When to send: The day the campaign opens, to all invited participants.
Subject: We are asking for your input on [topic]
Hi [Name],
We are running an idea campaign and we would like your perspective.
[One or two sentences describing the challenge in plain language. What are you trying to improve, solve, or explore?]
The campaign is open until [closing date]. You can submit your idea in about 5 minutes here: [link]
A few things worth knowing: you can submit anonymously if you prefer. All submissions will be reviewed by [name or team]. We will share what we received and what we are doing about it by [date].
Even a rough idea is worth sharing. We are not looking for fully formed proposals. We are looking for honest input from people who know the work.
[Your name]
What makes this work: it is short, it states a concrete deadline, it makes a specific promise about follow-up, and it lowers the bar for participation. Most launch emails fail because they oversell the campaign and raise the bar too high.
Email 2: The Reminder
When to send: Three to five days before the campaign closes.
Subject: A few days left to share your ideas on [topic]
Hi [Name],
Quick note: the [campaign name] campaign closes on [date].
We have already received [X] ideas. A few themes we are hearing a lot about: [theme 1], [theme 2].
If something came to mind when you first heard about this but you have not had a chance to write it up, now is the time. It does not need to be long. A clear description of the problem and one idea for solving it is enough.
[Link to submit]
[Your name]
What makes this work: mentioning the number of ideas already submitted creates social proof. Sharing emerging themes shows the campaign is real and active. Reframing the bar removes the excuse of not having a polished idea.
Email 3: The Received Update
When to send: Within one week of the campaign closing, to all participants including those who did not submit.
Subject: [Campaign name] is closed. Here is what we heard.
Hi [Name],
The [campaign name] campaign closed on [date]. Here is a quick summary of what we received:
[X] ideas submitted from [X] participants. Top themes: [list 3 to 5 themes in plain language]. A few standout submissions we are already discussing: [brief description of 2 to 3 ideas, without identifying who submitted them].
We are now reviewing all submissions with [team responsible]. We will share our decisions on [specific date].
Thank you to everyone who took the time to contribute.
[Your name]
What makes this work: it closes the first loop. People find out something actually happened with their input. Sharing themes validates that the review is substantive, not a checkbox. And naming a specific date for the outcome creates accountability.
Email 4: The Outcome Communication
When to send: When you have a decision. Even if the decision is not yet. This is the most important email in the whole sequence.
Subject: Here is what we are doing with your ideas on [topic]
Hi [Name],
When we ran the [campaign name] campaign, we made a promise: we would tell you what we decided. Here it is.
What we are moving forward with: [Describe 1 to 3 ideas that are advancing, what they are, and what happens next. Be specific about who owns it and what the next step is.]
What we are keeping for later: [Describe ideas that have merit but will not be acted on right now, and why. Not the right time because is a real answer. People respect it.]
What we are not pursuing right now: [A brief honest reason is enough. We cannot action these with current resources is better than silence.]
To everyone who submitted: you gave us something real to work with. Whether or not your specific idea moves forward, the input shaped how we are thinking about this.
We will share progress on the ideas moving forward in [timeframe].
[Your name]
What makes this work: it is honest in all three categories, not just the good news. The keeping for later category is the most important one most organizations skip. It tells people their idea had merit even if it is not moving forward now, which keeps them engaged for the next campaign. And the specific follow-up promise turns a campaign into an ongoing conversation rather than a one-time event.
The Quick Versions for Teams and Slack
For each of the four emails above, there is also a shorter channel post version. The logic is identical. The format is much shorter.
Cut each email to its essential sentence: what is happening, the link, and the one thing people need to know. The email version is for people who want context. The Teams or Slack version is for people scrolling past on their phone. Send both.
