What to write in a layoff announcement email to your network

Sending one short email to fifty or a hundred people in your network is one of the highest-yield job-search moves there is. Most of them will not reply. The ones who do will move things faster than any application portal. The trick is to send a real email, not a marketing campaign — and to ask for one specific thing. Do it once, six to fourteen days after the layoff. Send it BCC. Do not put it on a mass-mailer platform. Do not send a second one in a month — you only get this card once.

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The email

Subject: A quick note — and a small ask "Hi everyone, Quick note. I was part of a layoff at [Company] on [date]. Whole [team / division] was cut — about [N] of us. I'm fine, family is fine, and I'm starting the search for what's next. Here's what I'm looking for: a [Senior Product Manager / Director of Engineering / Head of Marketing] role at a [Series B–D / public / mid-market] company in [fintech / dev tools / climate / healthcare]. Remote or based in [city]. I am not looking at contract work or agency roles this round. The one specific thing that would help: a warm intro to a hiring manager at any of these, if you happen to know someone — [Company A], [Company B], [Company C]. If you do not know anyone there but a name comes to mind for a different company that fits the criteria, I would also love to hear it. No need to reply if you do not have a specific person in mind — I know inboxes are full. Resume attached for context. Quiet thanks, [Name] [phone] / LinkedIn: [url]"

Why this works: subject line is short and not panicked — 'a small ask' invites action
Why this works: names the situation, the role, the level, the stage, and the industry — recruiters and friends can match on it
Why this works: three named target companies make the ask concrete instead of vague
Why this works: 'no need to reply' lowers the social cost and increases the reply rate
Why this works: resume attached so they do not have to ask

Who to send it to

Build the list before you write the email. Three buckets: Bucket one: people who would be hurt to find out from someone else. Former managers. Mentors. A few key peers from each job. Maybe twenty to thirty people. Bucket two: people who have hired or referred you before. Sometimes the same as bucket one. Sometimes board members, investors, agency owners, recruiters you have used. Bucket three: anyone in your network who works at one of your three target companies or knows someone who does. Worth one search through your contacts. Target total: fifty to a hundred and fifty BCC recipients. Below fifty is undersized. Above two hundred turns into a campaign.

Variations

Shorter version if you would rather not write three paragraphs to a hundred people: "Subject: Heads up — layoff, and what I'm looking for Hi everyone — I was part of a layoff at [Company] this month. Now looking for a [role] at a [stage / industry] company. If you happen to know a hiring manager at [Company A], [Company B], or [Company C], I would love an intro. No reply needed otherwise. Resume attached. Thanks, [Name]" More senior version, executive level: "Hi all — wanted to send a short note. [Company]'s [restructuring / sale / pivot] ended my time there last week. I'm now in the market for a [VP / CXO] seat at a [stage / size] company in [industries]. Open to a board or fractional engagement during the search. The small ask: if you have a CEO or board chair in your circle at a company that fits, an intro would be valuable. Happy to come prepared with anything useful on my end. Quiet thanks — and resume attached." Follow-up to one person, if they did not reply but you know they know someone: "Hey [Name] — no rush at all, but I remember you mentioning [Company A] last year. If a quick intro is doable, I would love it. If not, no worries — and thank you for the original note last month."

What not to say

Lines that turn a good email into a viral cringe screenshot.

'I am open to absolutely anything' — invites bad referrals and signals you have not picked a target
Long personal reflection in the body — save it for one friend, not a hundred contacts
'Excited for the next chapter' — too early and reads as performance
More than three target companies — past three, nobody remembers any of them
'Please share with your network' — turns a personal email into spam and people will not

When to send it

Send it between day six and day fourteen. Earlier and the resume is usually not ready. Later and the news is stale by the time it lands. Send on a Tuesday or Wednesday morning. Avoid Mondays — your email gets buried — and Fridays, when nothing gets read.

Questions

Common questions

Should I send a layoff announcement email to my network?

Yes — one email, BCC, six to fourteen days after the layoff, to fifty to one hundred and fifty people. It is one of the highest-yield moves in a job search. The reply rate is low, but the warm intros it produces are worth more than any application portal.

Who do I send a layoff email to?

Three buckets: people who would be hurt to find out elsewhere, people who have hired or referred you before, and anyone in your network who works at or near a target company. Build the list before you write the email. Aim for fifty to one fifty BCC recipients.

What is the most important line in a layoff email?

The one with the three target company names. A vague 'let me know if you hear of anything' gets nothing. 'If you happen to know a hiring manager at [Company A], [Company B], or [Company C]' gets specific people sending specific intros. Pick three real names you would actually take a call at and write them in.

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