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Handle Failed Pitches

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Overview

Not every brand pitch will successfully reach its intended recipient. Brand representatives change jobs, email addresses become inactive, and companies occasionally block outside emails. When CM Hub detects that your pitch cannot successfully reach the brand representative, the campaign may be marked as Failed. When an eligible pitch fails, the credits used for that pitch are automatically refunded to your account.

Updated October 1, 2026 · 4 min read

Why Pitches Fail

A failed pitch typically means CM Hub was unable to successfully continue the outreach campaign with the selected brand representative.

This can happen for several reasons and doesn’t necessarily mean there was a problem with your pitch or that the brand wasn’t interested in working with you.

Common reasons include:

  • Blocked email addresses
  • Bounced emails
  • Invalid or inactive email addresses
  • Brand representatives who have left the company
  • Brand representatives who are unavailable for an extended period

CM Hub uses this information to help prevent unsuccessful outreach from continuing.

Blocked Email Addresses

Occasionally, a company or email provider may prevent an outreach email from being delivered.

This can happen because of the company’s internal email security settings, spam filtering, or other restrictions outside of CM Hub’s control.

If CM Hub determines that your outreach cannot be delivered because the recipient’s email address is blocked, the pitch may be marked as failed.

Bounced Emails

An email bounce occurs when an outreach email cannot be successfully delivered to the recipient’s email address.

An email may bounce because:

  • The email address no longer exists.
  • The address is no longer active.
  • The recipient’s mail server rejects the message.
  • The contact information has become outdated.

When CM Hub identifies a bounced email, the outreach campaign will stop so additional emails aren’t sent to an invalid address.

Contacts Who Changed Companies

Brand representatives frequently move between companies, agencies, and roles.

Because of this, contact information that was previously valid can become outdated.

For example, CM Hub may have a contact listed as working with a particular brand, but that person may have recently left the company.

If CM Hub determines that the brand representative is no longer with the company, the pitch can no longer continue with that contact.

This information can then be used to help keep CM Hub’s brand representative database accurate for future outreach.

Extended Absences

Sometimes an email is successfully delivered, but an automatic response indicates that the brand representative will be unavailable for an extended period.

In these situations, continuing to send scheduled follow-ups may not make sense.

CM Hub may end the campaign and treat the pitch as unsuccessful rather than continuing to use your outreach sequence while the contact is unavailable.

Automatic Credit Refunds

You shouldn’t lose credits when CM Hub is unable to successfully reach a brand representative.

When an eligible pitch fails, CM Hub automatically refunds the full number of credits used for that pitch.

For example:

  • A standard pitch costs 2 credits → 2 credits refunded
  • A pitch with a creative idea costs 4 credits → 4 credits refunded

You don’t need to submit a refund request or contact the CM Hub team. The credits are automatically returned to your account once the pitch is determined to be eligible for a refund.

You can then use those credits to pitch yourself to another brand.

Good to Know

A brand simply choosing not to reply does not mean the pitch failed. If your emails were successfully delivered but the brand representative didn’t respond, the campaign completed normally and the credits are not refunded.

Credit refunds are intended for situations where the outreach could not successfully reach or continue with the intended brand representative.

A Failed Pitch Isn’t a Rejection

It’s important to distinguish between a failed pitch and a brand choosing not to respond.

A failed pitch generally indicates a delivery or contact issue—not that the brand reviewed your pitch and rejected it.

If a pitch fails, don’t let it discourage you from continuing your outreach. Your credits will be returned when eligible, allowing you to put them toward another opportunity.

Tips

  • Keep pitching consistently even when individual campaigns fail.
  • Remember that brand representative information can change frequently.
  • Check your credit balance after a failed pitch to confirm your eligible credits have been returned.
  • Don’t interpret a bounced or blocked email as a reflection of your content or pitch.
  • Use refunded credits to continue building new brand relationships.