Cutoff rules
The cutoff is the earlier of two moments: when the copy stops being true, and the last moment an invite is still useful for this kind of event. Choose it before writing any copy. A cutoff is a judgment, so write down the reasoning next to it.
Rule 1: what the copy promises sets the cutoff
Every relative time phrase in the copy has a moment it becomes false. The sequence must be dead by then.
| Phrase in the copy | Becomes false | Cutoff |
|---|---|---|
| "next week" (event is next week) | The first day of the event week | End of the last working day of the week before the event week, at the latest |
| "this week" | The event day, or earlier if the day you mean has passed | The last send window before the day you name |
| "tomorrow" | Midnight at the end of the send day | The last send window of the day before the event |
| "tonight" or "today" | The start of the event | The cutoff for the event type below |
| A named day ("see you Thursday") | The moment that day starts | The last send window before that day |
| A date or time | When it passes | Cutoff for the event type below |
The safest fix is copy with no relative phrase. Use the actual date and time, and the cutoff then follows from the event type alone.
Rule 2: event type sets the useful window
Starting points. Final judgment is made at the time of the event, by the owner.
| Event | Starting cutoff | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Dinner (same-day top-up after cancellations) | 2 hours before it starts | People need time to say yes and arrive. After that, an invite is noise. |
| Webinar | 30 minutes before it starts | Sign-up is one click, so the window can be short. |
| Pre-event meeting outreach for a conference | Decided by the copy (Rule 1). Often the last working day before the event week if the copy says "next week". | After that you are in event week and the ask is stale. |
For any other event type (a workshop with travel, a closing offer), there is no tested value here. Ask what the earliest moment is at which a message stops being useful or true, set the cutoff there, and record the reasoning.
Rule 3: channel changes the cutoff you can afford
LinkedIn messages wait for a connection to be accepted. If the cutoff is hours away, a new connection request will rarely be accepted in time, so use LinkedIn only for people already connected, or use email. With days of runway, run both and let the kill end whatever is still waiting.
Judgment at the time of the event
- The dinner moved or filled: stop the group now and disable the kill job.
- The event time changed: move the kill job to match. If it already ran, build a new one.
- More cancellations arrived late: a new group with its own, later cutoff is better than extending one that already died.