The goal of initial cold emails is to get your foot in the door, deliver your initial pitch, and lay the groundwork for establishing a relationship with your prospects. Show
Follow-up emails, on the other hand, are sent to re-engage your non-responsive leads, strengthen the relationship, and move the opportunity toward the end goal. Unfortunately, most people struggle with getting prospects to respond even after sending a few follow-up emails. When this happens with too many prospects, you begin to wonder why.
The answer to your last question is YES! But this time, with the right approach. In this post, we’ll teach you how to write a follow-up email that generates responses and moves deals forward. In addition, we will also share plenty of follow-up email templates for different purposes (with examples) you can steal to ace your cold emailing game. How to Write a Follow-Up Email – Table of ContentsHow to write a follow-up email in 7 simple steps?Follow-up emails are a gentle reminder to re-engage the prospect, provide additional information, or request updates. However, it is essential to write each follow-up email strategically and without being perceived as pushy, aggressive, or overly sales-y. Here are the 7 simple steps you can follow to write follow-up emails that generate responses.  Step 1 – Open your email with a personalized greetingWhen you’re sending a follow-up email to a prospect, it’s always a good idea to open your email message with a personalized greeting. It helps to establish a friendly tone. So, the next time you write a follow-up email, begin with something like “Hey David” instead of launching right into the ask. If you want to sound a bit more formal, you can also say “Dear [name]” or “Hi [name].” Just make sure to add your prospect’s name as it will help to grab their attention. Step 2 – Refer to your previous interactionAfter the personalized greeting, it’s a best practice to give some context by mentioning when you last spoke such as “I really enjoyed our phone call last week discussing [topic]”. Or if it was an email exchange, then you could say “Just following up on the emails we exchanged last month about [topic]”. The idea is to briefly recap what you talked about in 1-2 sentences. It will help to remind them who you are and why you’re reaching out to them again. Don’t simply assume they’ll remember every detail or interaction they had with you previously. Step 3 – Restate your purpose for reaching outAfter giving the context, it’s time to get to the point – the reason or purpose for reaching out. Simply put, you need to tell specifically why you want to connect again. Here are some examples:
Following up with such quick context and a specific ask will make it easy for them to respond positively. So, make sure to state your purpose clearly and directly to let your prospects know how they can help or respond. Step 4 – Provide new information or re-share important detailsIn addition to stating your purpose for reaching out again, you should also consider either adding new information or re-highlighting important details that you think are still relevant to the conversation. This will show the prospects why they should re-engage in the conversation with you. Here are some options you can include:
Doing so will bring your value proposition back to the forefront and increase the chances of getting a response. Step 5 – Make your request or suggest next steps (CTA)This step is crucial in every follow-up email. So, make sure to clearly convey any requested actions or next steps that you’d like the prospect to take. This will give them a clear call to action and move the conversation going. For example: “I’d love to schedule a quick phone call to give a demo of our platform and discuss further how we can meet your needs.” Being direct about the next steps you want creates momentum and keeps things progressing. See Also – 100+ Cold Email CTAs (Call to Action) to Book More Meetings Step 6 – End your email with appreciationNo matter the reason for your follow-up, you must always take a moment to thank your prospects for their time and consideration. You may believe it or not but a simple “Thank you for your time” or “I appreciate you taking the time to discuss this further” can significantly contribute to maintaining goodwill. Here are some examples to end your follow-up emails with appreciation:
Step 7 – Proofread before sendingFinally, give your follow-up email message a final read-through before hitting the send button. Proofreading will give you a chance to catch any typos, grammatical errors, or awkward phrasing. We recommend reading out loud your email message. Once you’re satisfied with the content, don’t forget to review the recipient’s name, subject line, and email address to ensure everything is accurate. It’s not just important but also extremely helpful to take an extra 5 minutes to thoroughly proofread your email message. See Also – How to Write a Meeting Request Email? [+30 Templates] When to send a follow-up email?Most experts recommend waiting at least two or three days before you send out your first follow-up email. If you’re planning to send multiple follow-up emails, your waiting period between each follow-up email should gradually increase depending on the number of follow-ups you plan on sending. Below is a chart that depicts the ideal follow-up sequence for 6 follow-up emails (ideally 6 touchpoints, including the first one is a good number to follow). Follow-Up Email Sequence Timeline: Follow-up email templates & examplesFollow-up email after no response templatesUse these templates when the recipient hasn’t replied to one or more of your emails. 1st Follow-Up Email – (Send 3 days after initial outreach email) 2nd Follow-Up Email – (Send 4-5 days after the first follow-up) 3rd Follow-Up Email – (Send 7 days after the second follow-up email) Interview follow-up email templates1st Follow-Up Email – (Send 1 day after interview) 2nd Follow-Up Email – (Send 1 week after the interview if no response) 3rd Follow-Up Email – (Send 1 week after the second follow-up email) Sales follow-up email templates1st Follow-Up Email – (Send 2-3 days after initial outreach email) 2nd Follow-Up Email – (Send 4-5 days after the first follow-up email) 3rd Follow-Up Email – (Send 1 week after the second follow-up email) Meeting follow-up email templates1st Follow-Up Email – (Send 2-3 days after initial meeting email) 2nd Follow-Up Email – (Send 4-5 days after the first follow-up email) 0 3rd Follow-Up Email – (Send 1 week after the second follow-up email) 1 Networking follow-up email templates1st Follow-Up Email – (Send 1-2 days after initial networking email) 2 2nd Follow-Up Email – (Send 1 week after the first follow-up email) 3 3rd Follow-Up Email – (Send 1 week after the second follow-up email) 4 Proposal follow-up email templates1st Follow-Up Email – (Send 3-4 days after sending your proposal) 5 2nd Follow-Up Email – (Send 4-5 days after the first follow-up email) 6 3rd Follow-Up Email – (Send 1 week after the second follow-up email) 7 Invoice follow-up email templates1st Follow-Up Email – (Send 1 day after invoice due date) 8 2nd Follow-Up Email – (Send 3 days past the due date if no response) 9 3rd Follow-Up Email – (Send 1 week after the second follow-up email) 0 Marketing follow-up email templates1st Follow-Up Email – (Send 2-3 days after initial outreach email) 1 2nd Follow-Up Email – (Send 4-5 days after the first follow-up email) 2 3rd Follow-Up Email – (Send 1 week after the second follow-up email) 3 Gentle follow-up email templates1st Follow-Up Email – (Send 3 days after initial outreach email) 4 2nd Follow-Up Email – (Send 7 days after the first follow-up email) 5 3rd Follow-Up Email – (Send 1-2 weeks after the second follow-up email) 6 Discovery call follow-up email templates1st Follow-Up Email – (Send 1 day after the discovery call) 7 2nd Follow-Up Email – (Send 3-4 days after the first follow-up email) 8 3rd Follow-Up Email – (Send 1 week after the second follow-up email) 9 Inquiry follow-up email templates1st Follow-Up Email – (Send 2-3 days after responding to prospect’s inquiry) 0 2nd Follow-Up Email – (Send 4-5 days after the first follow-up email) 1 3rd Follow-Up Email – (Send 1 week after the second follow-up email) 2 How to send follow-up emails on autopilot?Sending multiple follow-up emails is key to generating more responses and turning leads into customers. This is because following up after an initial email shows that you care about and are invested in building an ongoing relationship. Furthermore, it also gives you another opportunity to provide additional context or answer any additional questions your prospect may have. But, if you’re reaching out to hundreds of prospects every week, following up on each prospect manually isn’t possible. That’s why we recommend using cold email software that lets you automate the entire follow-up process. Saleshandy, for starters, is a leading cold email software that comes integrated with auto follow-up functionality. It lets you set up multiple follow-up emails that are sent out based on a pre-defined schedule. But more than that, Saleshandy also helps you take care of your entire cold email campaign. Let’s look at some of the key features that make Salehandy the number 1 cold email software in the market.
The best part? – Using Saleshandy to send personalized initial & follow-up emails automatically is pretty straightforward. Here are the steps you need to follow to set up an automated initial + follow-up email sequence from Saleshandy. Step 1 – Sign up on SaleshandyFirst of all, go to Saleshandy’s website, click on the Sign Up for Free button, and create your account. Once you’ve created your Saleshandy account, you’ll receive an automated verification email. Make sure to verify your account by clicking on the verification link. Step 2 – Connect your email account(s)After verifying your Saleshandy account, the next step is to connect your email account to Saleshandy. Log in to Saleshandy, go to the ‘Settings’ section, and open the ‘Email Accounts’ tab. Here, locate the ‘Add Email Account’ button from the top-right corner and click on it. On the next screen, input your email address and password and hit the ‘Add Email Account’ button. Once done, your email account will be successfully linked to Salehandy. IMPORTANT NOTE – You can connect unlimited email accounts to Salehandy. Step 3 – Authenticate your email domainOnce your email account(s) is connected, what you need to do next is authenticate your email domain. For the uninitiated, email domain authentication helps to establish a good sender reputation and achieve high email deliverability, which is important for making sure your emails land in the Primary inbox of your recipients. The good news is it’s quite simple to authenticate your email domain. You just need to set up SPF (Sender Policy Framework), DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail), and DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance) records. Step 4 – Warm up your email accountAfter email domain authentication, it’s time to warm up your email account before launching your email campaign. Email ramp-up is a critical part of the process because it also contributes to establishing a good sender reputation. The process basically involves sending a small number of emails from a new email account and gradually increasing the number of outgoing emails each day. Best part? – Saleshandy lets you warm up your email account automatically. Go to the ‘Email Warm Up’ section and click on the ‘Go To TrulyInbox’ button. Saleshandy has partnered with TrulyInbox to provide email warm-up service to all its users for free. So, go ahead and sign up on the TrulyInbox website using the email account you’d like to warm up automatically. After that, click on the ‘Add Email Account’ button. Next, select your ‘Email Service Provider’, enter the requested information, and click on the ‘Connect & Save’ button. Upon clicking the button, TrulyInbox will start warming up your email account. Step 5 – Add your prospectsWhile your email account is warming up, you can start uploading your prospects to Saleshandy. Open the ‘Prospects’ section and click on either ‘Add Prospect’ to add your contacts one by one or select ‘Import Via CSV’ to upload them in bulk. On the next screen, click on the ‘Choose File’ button, select your CSV file, and hit the ‘Next’ button. Now, follow the instructions that show up on the next few screens to finish uploading your prospects to Saleshandy. Step 6 – Write your initial emailOnce you’ve uploaded your prospects to Saleshandy, you can finally start drafting your initial email copy. Go to the ‘Sequences’ section and click on the ‘Create Sequence’ button. After that, click on the ‘Add Step’ button as shown below. Finally, start writing your initial email copy on the pop-up screen. Once you’re done writing the email copy, hit the ‘Save’ button. Step 7 – Set up an automated follow-up sequenceAfter writing the initial email, you can also set up an automated follow up email sequence that will be sent based on pre-defined criteria. Open the ‘Sequence’ section and click on the ‘Add Step’ displayed below your initial email. Note that you can add multiple automated follow-up emails in Saleshandy. Step 8 – Activate your email campaignFinally, it’s time to activate your email campaign. For this, go back to the ‘Sequence’ section and toggle the ‘Activate Sequence’ switch as shown in the screenshot below. As soon as you activate the sequence, Saleshandy will start sending your emails to each prospect individually while keeping an appropriate time interval between each outgoing email for higher email deliverability. Step 9 – Monitor your response rateAfter activating your email sequence, wait for a few days to monitor your campaign performance. Saleshandy has a built-in performance monitoring analytics feature that lets you check how many prospects have opened your emails, clicked on the links provided in the emails, and responded to them. Reopen the ‘Sequence’ section and you can see your performance metrics of each email right there. Best practices for sending follow-up emails1 – Be timely but not pushyWhen sending a follow-up email, you want to strike a careful balance between contacting the recipient soon enough that your initial outreach is still top of mind. But at the same time, you should make sure to avoid bombarding their inbox to the point of annoyance. A good rule of thumb is to follow up 3-5 business days after your initial email if you have not received a response. This shows you are eager to connect without being overzealous. Ideally, you should give the prospect about a week or so to reply before considering a second outreach attempt. This is because people are super busy nowadays and they may need time to review your request or gather information before responding. So, don’t barrage your prospect’s inbox with multiple unanswered emails over a short period. Sending too many follow-up emails will only increase the risk of coming across as aggressive or desperate. 2 – Add value to each follow-up emailAnother best practice to keep in mind is to not simply send the exact same email repeatedly. Instead, always make sure that each follow-up email you send provides new value to the recipient. In simple terms, you should strive to give them a reason to open it and be motivated to engage. For this, you can consider including a relevant article, white paper, or industry report that would interest them based on their role. Furthermore, you can also share new company news or updates since you last connected. Most importantly, if you have a recent testimonial from a shared connection or existing customer, make sure to highlight it. Alternatively, you can also offer an exclusive discount, trial, or sneak peek at your product. Remember, the goal is to add something fresh and compelling that catches their attention. Don’t just rehash the same talking points or generically say “checking in.” Instead, give them something useful to consider, which also encourages them to respond. 3 – Be concise and directYour follow-up emails should be short, politely worded, and direct because ultimately, the purpose of sending follow-up emails is to jog their memory, not overwhelm their inbox. So, start by briefly reminding them who you are, your company, and why you are reaching out. Mention your previous communication such as an introductory phone call or emailed proposal. Also, highlight any key details or requests you made that are still relevant. The goal here is to check if they need any other information from you. Therefore, you should ask if they would like to schedule a meeting or reiterate clear next steps for both parties. While you’re at it, make sure to avoid overly formal language or lengthy messages. The email should be focused and scannable. 4 – Always personalize your follow-up emailsWhen sending follow-up emails, always avoid blasting out identical generic mass emails. Instead, make a practice to personalize each follow-up with the individual prospect’s name, company, role, or other unique details. Mentioning something like “Hi [name], I know as Director of [company] you’re likely busy with [initiative]…” shows this is not a blind copied template email. The extra effort makes it clear you sincerely want to connect with that specific person, not just anyone in their role. This personal touch, in turn, helps to build rapport. Common mistakes to avoid while sending follow-up emails1 – Don’t be a pushoverFollowing up with prospects is important, but there’s a fine line between being persistent and a pushover. Therefore, I always recommend refraining from bombarding someone’s inbox with repeated, frequent emails, especially if they are not responding. Sending too many follow-ups in a short period of time can come across as desperate or pushy. That’s why you should give people reasonable time to review your outreach and gather information before responding – typically 7-10 business days. 2 – Don’t get overly sales-yThe goal of a follow-up email is to continue an active conversation, not amplify sales pressure. This is why always make sure that you’re not being overly promotional about your product, service, pricing, or capabilities. What I’m trying to say is – do not treat a follow-up solely as a chance to pitch or close the deal. This aggressive approach is a major turn-off. Therefore, focus on providing value through useful information and addressing their needs, not just selling. 3 – Don’t just say “Checking In”Merely saying you’re “checking in” or “touching base” adds little value and gives the recipient no incentive to respond. Follow-up emails should aim to further the conversation in a meaningful way. So, you should always try to share useful articles, address concerns brought up initially, or outline clear next steps. This will give your prospects a compelling reason to open up and respond beyond just saying hello. 4 – Don’t make demandsLast but not least, don’t use phrases that seem entitled or bossy like “I need you to provide pricing immediately” or “Let’s get this scheduled ASAP.” Instead of this, you should allow your prospects autonomy to engage on their own preferred timeframe. To do this, consider using polite requests like: “When you have a chance, let me know if you need any additional details from me.” or “If you’re interested, I’d be happy to set up a call at your convenience.” Doing so will make your prospects less defensive and increase the likelihood of getting them to respond to your follow-up emails. Key TakeawayFollowing up with potential clients or leads via email can be an effective way to spark engagement and move deals forward. But with the right balance of courtesy, consideration, and compelling content, you can craft follow-up emails that spark positive connections and drive real results. FAQs1. How many follow-up emails should I send? When it comes to follow-up emails, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach on how many to send. But a general rule of thumb is sending between 3-9 strategic follow-up emails to get prospects to respond to your emails. 2. Why send follow-ups? Sending follow-ups helps to reconnect and continue conversations, which will eventually lead to more fruitful connections and closed deals over time. 3. How often should you send follow-up emails? For first follow-ups, 1-3 days after your initial outreach is ideal. For cold contacts, space out follow-ups progressively. Try 1 week after the initial email, 2 weeks after the 1st follow-up, then 3-4 weeks for any additional notes. The goal is to remain top of mind without being overbearing. 4. What should I do if I still don’t get a response after multiple follow-up emails? If you still don’t get a response after multiple follow-up emails, it’s best to shift your energy to other prospects after a couple of attempts. 5. How do I automate a follow-up email in Gmail/Outlook? Gmail and Outlook don’t provide the auto follow-up feature natively. You will have to use a third-party email outreach tool like Saleshandy for sending automated follow-up emails. How do you write a followHow to write a follow-up email in 7 simple steps?. Step 1 – Open your email with a personalized greeting. ... . Step 2 – Refer to your previous interaction. ... . Step 3 – Restate your purpose for reaching out. ... . Step 4 – Provide new information or re-share important details. ... . Step 5 – Make your request or suggest next steps (CTA). How do you politely say followYou could try:. “I'm following up on the below” or “Following up on this [request/question/assignment]”. “I'm circling back on the below” or “Circling back on this [request/question/assignment]”. “I'm checking in on the below” or “Checking in on this [request/question/assignment]”. How do I followTo create a follow-up email, follow these steps:. Start with a polite greeting. It's polite to start written correspondence with a greeting. ... . Thank them for the interview. ... . Ask about a timeline. ... . Confirm your next steps. ... . Repeat your thanks. ... . Proofread your email. ... . Asking for a formal offer. ... . Declining the offer.. Is it correct to say a gentle followIn many cases, gentle follow-ups and friendly reminders are far more effective. Without your presence and ability to use nonverbal cues, aggressive sales pitches can often come across poorly. However, there's something to be said for being blunt and direct, especially if you've sent multiple emails that were ignored. |
