Follow-up Email Templates

How do I write the perfect follow-up email?

So you’ve sent out an initial email to your audience. You haven’t heard back yet, or maybe you’ve seen they haven’t opened it. The next step is to send a follow-up email, either to remind them of what you have to offer, or to catch them if they missed the first message.

It’s quite a tough job to nail your follow-up email and not seem like you’re pestering the recipient. Here’s a few tips on following up:

• Remind them of your first email A follow-up email should be just that – it should follow up on the first one you sent. Because of that, it’s always a good move to reference the first email and what you were saying, so that it jogs their memory and creates a connection between you and them.

• Include new information Any follow-up email is an opportunity to expand on what you said in the first email. With that in mind, consider include some new information about you, your service or your business, such as a case study for example or some promotional material.

• Personalize, personalize, personalize Just as with any email, the personal it is, the more the recipient is likely to want to read it. With that in mind, be sure to reference bits of common knowledge about your reader – name and business for example, anything you can find on their public LinkedIn page is great.

• Add a clear call to action Every follow-up email should give the reader a clear direction to head to next – a lack of a CTA in your initial email might be what caused them to not get back in contact so it helps to be sure.

How many follow up emails should I send?

When it comes to follow-up emails, it’s really important to know when enough is enough.

Too many follow-up emails can lead to you getting blocked by your potential sales prospects. That action can also send an alert to email providers if it happens enough times, which can in turn lead to your account getting blacklisted.

Generally, email sales experts recommend sticking with a maximum of 7 follow-up emails, ideally sent over an extended time span. That gives enough time between your initial email, and keeps you away from overreaching.

What kinds of emails should I write a follow up email for?

Realistically, you can send a follow-up email to any email you send — especially if you really need a reply.

But when it comes to professional email communications, you’ll want to write and send a follow-up email to things like:

Sales emails

Writing a follow-up to a sales email gives you the opportunity to bring your product or service back to front-of-mind for your customers, and keeps your brand name one step ahead of your competitors.

Event sign-ups

If you’re hosting an event, a follow-up email to an initial information email is a great idea to remind attendees of the event and to ensure they have everything they need to get to where they need to be on time.

Pitch emails

When you’ve done a pitch to another business, a follow-up email demonstrates intuitive and proactive thinking, and also shows your willingness to collaborate — all things that any partner or client will be looking for.