Messages to send so nobody starts from blank.
Six pieces of wording that cover a normal launch. Copy them, put them in your own voice, and add a real name at the bottom. Short and specific beats polished every time.
- Messages
- Six
- Best length
- Under 150 words
- Sender
- A named person
Message one: we are doing this.
Send from a leader, not from a programme address. Three short paragraphs: what it is, who it is for, what to do next.
Subject line
"Thirty minutes with someone who has done the job"
Opening
"We have partnered with mentorhero so anyone here can give or get career mentoring in 30-minute sessions. It is free for the individual and it happens online."
The ask
"If you have experience worth passing on, sign up as a mentor. If you want advice about your own next step, book a session. Both take a couple of minutes."
Close
"Reply to me with any questions. I would rather answer them than have you skip it."
Message two: will you mentor?
Send this to named people, ideally in a direct message. A general appeal gets a fraction of the response.
Make it personal
"I thought of you specifically because of the route you took into this role."
Be honest about time
"It is 30 minutes a session, as often or as rarely as you want. There is no minimum."
Remove the qualification worry
"You do not need to be senior or a trained coach. You need to be a few steps ahead of the person asking."
Say what they get
"It counts as volunteering hours, and it is good evidence of people development at your next review."
Messages three to six.
Shorter, but they are the ones that keep a programme alive after launch week.
The manager brief
One paragraph confirming mentoring happens in working time, how to record it and that no approval process is needed.
The two-week reminder
"Twelve people have already signed up as mentors. If you meant to and did not, here is the link again." Numbers work better than encouragement.
The Redirect line
For rejection emails: "We could not offer you this role, but we can offer you a free 30-minute session with a mentor to talk about what is next."
The month-three update
Sessions run, topics people asked about, one anonymised quote. Send it to staff and to your sponsor.
Why using these is worth it.
Launch communication written in an afternoon, not a fortnight
Wording already tested with other partners
Fewer confused replies about cost and eligibility
A tone that reads human rather than corporate
Consistent messaging across regions and teams
A rejection line that protects your employer brand
Reminders that lift sign-up without nagging
An update template that keeps leadership interested
Four things that change the response rate.
- 01
A real sender
A person's name and photo, never a no-reply address.
- 02
One action
One link, one thing to do. Two asks halve both.
- 03
Under 150 words
If it needs scrolling, it needs cutting.
- 04
Say what it costs them
Thirty minutes, no preparation, nothing to pay. State it plainly.
The things people ask first.
Can we get these in our own branding?
Yes. Your partnership lead will send editable versions with your logo, tone and links.
Which channel should we use?
Email for the announcement and update, direct messages for the mentor call-out, and your chat tool for reminders.
How often should we remind people?
Twice in the first month, then once a quarter with real numbers in it.
Do we need approval for the Redirect line?
Usually just from talent acquisition, since it sits inside their existing rejection template.
Next: onboarding your mentors.
Once people say yes, this is the twenty-minute set-up that gets them to a good first session.