🥖 Leave breadcrumbs, not chaos

🧭 Clients vanish after delivery—not out of malice, just inertia. They liked your work, but the next assignment never quite materializes, and the inbox goes quiet.

This week’s focus: staying visible between projects without chasing or pitching. Subtle follow-ups, smarter touchpoints, and two tools that make “let’s keep this going” the easy answer. We’ve handpicked tools, tips, and a little humor to help lighten your load. (3-minute read)

🔦 Week’s highlights:

• Tool Spotlight: Coda corrals client chaos; Claap replaces meetings with quick, human video updates.

• Sherpa’s Shortcuts: Build a living client hub, and share updates asynchronously to skip even more meetings.

• Sherpa’s Pack (freebie): ChatGPT for Creative Professionals hands-on guide for AI users ready to level up.

• The Ridgeline news: ChatGPT works better when you’re mean to it, and new browser extension remembers your highlights.

• 😬 Tools Gone Wild: Gmail’s AI summaries spit out fake “urgent” alerts. Read before you react.

AI tool spotlight:

Tool Sherpa explores the flood of new AI apps and carefully selects only proven tools.

🔍 Coda: Your living client hub

Why it matters:
Your projects are scattered like confetti after a product launch: Docs here, Sheets there, and a brief in Gmail purgatory. Coda corrals the chaos in a single, living doc that is part tracker, wiki, and “how am I this organized?” moment.

Who’s it for

• Freelancers who want one shared source of truth

• Agencies coordinating writers, designers, and clients in one dynamic doc

• Solos who want a polished, collaborative hub (beyond a shared Google Doc)

Best use case:
A living client portal where briefs, deadlines, and feedback stay connected. Clients can approve, you can update, and everyone sees progress, minus an email chain.

Pros:
Centralizes docs, comments, and checklists. Integrated automations (reminders, updates) save 2–3 hours weekly. Feels like an app but shares like a doc—no onboarding headache.

Cons:
Takes a while to grasp the building-block logic. Some automations require paid plans.

Pricing:
Free starter plan. Paid starts at $10/month.

👉 Try Coda for free

 🔍 Claap: Your async pitch whisperer

Why it matters:
Clients are allergic to meetings but somehow keep scheduling them. Claap lets you skip the calls and still make your case. Record a 60–90-second screen-and-voice walkthrough that feels personal, not pushy—perfect for showing what’s next or walking through feedback. Viewers can comment in the video with time-stamps. It’s async persuasion with manners.

Who’s it for

• Freelancers tired of “got 15 minutes?” emails

• PR and comms pros pitching ideas to multiple stakeholders

• Anyone who wants to explain, not just attach

Best use case:
Send a short “what I’d tackle next” walkthrough after project delivery. It plants the next idea while eliminating the meeting calendar dance.

Pros:
Keeps communication visual and human without meetings. Time-stamped comments tame feedback chaos, and its integrations with Notion, Slack, and Google Drive let clients respond however they already work.

Cons:
Heavy users may need a paid plan.

Pricing:
Free with up to 10 videos per month. Paid plans start at $10/month.

👉 Try Claap for free

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Sherpa’s shortcuts 🪓

Sherpa-approved hacks to streamline your workflow in today’s most popular AI apps.
 

⚡ Hack #1: The gentle breadcrumb email

Problem: You finish a project, the inbox goes quiet. Are you still on their radar?

Solution: Send a light-touch check-in that keeps the line warm without asking for work. You’re not selling; you’re reminding them you exist (gracefully).

Step 1: Wait about two weeks after delivery.
Step 2: Send this email (short, human, easy to reply to):

Step 3: If they reply, thank them and close with:

💡 Sherpa Tip: Schedule a recurring reminder (every 6–8 weeks) to send quick “still around if you need me” notes to your favorite clients. Visibility beats volume. Quiet reminders build the next yes.

⚡ Hack #2: the monthly pulse check

Problem: The project’s done, you’ve reconnected once, but now the silence is creeping back. You don’t want to nag—just know if you’re still in their plans.

Solution: Turn the awkward “checking in” email into a simple, predictable ritual. Each month, send a short “pulse check” that keeps you top of mind.

Send this between the 20th–25th of each month:

If they reply M (maybe):

If they reply Y (yes):

If they reply N (no):

Why it works:
It’s not a sales pitch, it’s a service gesture. You’re signaling dependability, not desperation. Clients appreciate freelancers who keep things moving quietly, without pressure or formality.

💡 Sherpa Tip: The goal isn’t to book work, but rather to stay visible. Make it easy for clients to reply while walking to their next meeting.

🏔 Sherpa’s Pack

Free stuff to help freelancers get an edge.

🎨 ChatGPT for Creative Pros (Free Guide)
Already using AI but want to sharpen your creative edge? This free guide breaks down real-world prompts and workflows for designers, writers, and content creators who want better results—without losing their voice.
👉 Read the guide: Ultimate ChatGPT Guide for Creatives

The Ridgeline news🏔️

The latest on how AI is rewriting the rules for solopreneurs and small teams.

Let’s trek:

🧠 Mean gets results: Scientists found that being a little rude to ChatGPT can actually make it more accurate, though it may sass you right back. 🔗 See the study

🪄 Idea hoarder’s dream: New browser extension saves every highlight you make online for a searchable second brain. 🔗 Grab the extension

🎓 Free AI skill boost: From Google to DeepLearning.ai, the best free AI courses for 2025 are out. 🔗 Start learning

💼 Freelance bots flop (for now): New study says AI agents still can’t handle real freelance jobs without human babysitting. 🔗 Read the findings

🔋 iPhone energy hack: Toggle off these three hidden setting to keep your phone alive longer. Learn the fix

☕ Final sip: When your AI reminds you to “breathe,” it’s not enlightened, it’s stalling. Close the tab and take the hint.

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Tools gone wild! 😜

Let’s end with a laugh — when AI tools take a detour off the happy path.

🧠”Summarized” into a phishing trap

You skim Gmail’s shiny AI summary to save 30 seconds—and it screams, “URGENT: Call Google Support now.” Turns out the “alert” was planted by invisible text inside the email, tricking Gemini to summarize a lie. Researchers showed hidden prompts (white-on-white, tiny fonts) can hijack summaries to push fake warnings and phone numbers. (TechRadar)

📌 Lesson learned: Open the actual email, verify links and numbers, and only then send your check-in. 

🧭 What’s Next?

More tools, fewer tabs. Next week, we’re diving into AI automations that quietly handle your follow-ups, updates, and busywork. Know someone who can benefit? Have them:
👉 Subscribe to Tool Sherpa AI: Join the climb

—Your Sherpa team 🏔️