How to fix a blocked draft in Rainmaker

Every fact in a Rainmaker draft has to come from a source it found, such as a news article, a job post or your own website. When a sentence breaks that rule, the draft is Blocked: nobody can approve it and it can never send. You either fix the sentence or ask for a new draft.

1. Read why it is blocked

In the sidebar, click Review and open a batch. A blocked draft has a red Blocked badge, a greyed-out Approve button and an Approval blocked box that says which sentence is the problem and why:

• Sentence 2 is not supported by its source, followed by what the source leaves out. The sentence cites a real source, but the source doesn't say it.
• Sentence 3 states a fact with no source — add a sourced claim or remove it.
• Sentence 2 cites a source that does not exist.
• Sentence 4 is uncited and is not an approved greeting, closing, or ask.
• This draft is 140 words (limit 120) — trim it down.
• Sentence 3 asks for a meeting. This campaign's goal is account signups, so drafts can't ask for a meeting — rewrite it or request a redraft.
• Sentence 2 reads like a follow-up, but this is the first message to this person — rewrite it or request a redraft.

LinkedIn drafts have a few more. A message to someone already in your network is blocked when a sentence suggests you know them beyond your LinkedIn connection, or reads like a first introduction although you're already connected. A connection note over LinkedIn's character limit is blocked with a reason that starts This connection note is longer than LinkedIn's and gives the limit.

The sources under the message show what Rainmaker actually found. Read the quote before you change anything.

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2. Edit the sentence

Click Edit. Each sentence gets its own box, and the one at fault is outlined in red with the reason under it. Rewrite it so it says only what the source says, or trim the draft under the word limit shown at the bottom.

Rainmaker checks the edited draft again for its sources and its length when you save. It does not re-read the source for your new wording, so the accuracy of what you write is up to you.

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3. Save, then approve

Click Save edit. You see Draft updated, the badge changes from Blocked to Review and Approve works again. Approve it as usual, or click Edit again to make more changes.

Editing can fix a sentence its source doesn't support, an uncited sentence or a draft over the word limit. It can't fix a sentence that states a fact with no source, or that cites a source that doesn't exist: for those, use step 4.

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4. Or ask for a new draft

To have Rainmaker write the person's sequence again, click Request redraft at the top of their drafts. Pick the language under Redraft in, say what to change in the note, for example "Drop the line about London: nothing we found says it.", and click Redraft sequence. The new drafts come back to Review when they are ready.

To drop just one step instead, click Reject on it.

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For the rest of the review flow, see approve drafts before they send, and for how sources are found and scored, see check sources and fit score.