Email your network a short personal update every quarter on real work, real life and what you're into; nobody needs to reply.
The idea
Every quarter I send what might be my most important email: a personal update to my network. No pitch, no company announcement. Work projects, family chaos, books I'm reading, shows I'm bingeing. It keeps my whole circle warm without individual check-ins, which nobody can do for everyone that often. People know what I'm up to, think of me when something comes up, and answer with their own news. Most won't reply, and they don't need to. They're getting a temperature check on your life.
How to do it
Pick a cadence, quarterly or monthly, and put it on the calendar.
Share three things: real work stuff (actual challenges, insights and projects that matter to you), personal glimpses (family, travel disasters, hobbies), and what you're consuming (books, shows, podcasts).
Go a bit past your highlight reel. The odd human details are what people remember.
Send it by email or wherever you prefer. Five minutes to write.
Reuse it. My Contactually co-founder Tony Cappaert kept a few bullets on his biggest recent happenings as a template and started individual check-ins from it.
Example
This started with my high school blog. Friends joked they didn't need to catch up with me, they just read it. Since 2018 I've sent a quarterly update to my inner circle. A while back I added my mental health struggles and some big personal changes. I was flooded with replies. When a friend went silent for three years, I kept him on the list. He eventually came back, with a business opportunity.
Broadcast Rules: Anything you broadcast must be valuable on its own and fit the relationship; then watch who engages and turn that into one-to-one outreach.
Be Worth Knowing: Share your own take and what you're into; industry jargon makes you invisible, while personality and stories make you memorable.
Lead by Sharing: When a conversation stalls, share something about yourself first. Volunteering information invites them to share back.
The 15% Rule: Share about 15% more than feels comfortable to crack the professional facade. People are waiting for someone else to go deeper first.