14 follow-up email example templates & mistakes to avoid

Writing the perfect follow-up email that guarantees a response can be difficult. You might have effectively introduced yourself in a previous email, but now feel it’s time to ask for a reply politely. 

It’s also important to remember that people don’t usually respond to emails straight away. On the one hand, we can all be reached more quickly and respond anywhere — but on the other hand, we’re still humans who have other things to do. 

Maybe your recipient saw your email but hasn’t had time to respond or is out of the office. 

Whatever the reason, a follow-up email is the perfect way to get yourself back on a recipient’s radar and get a reply. That’s why you need to feel comfortable sending follow-up emails. 

5 follow-up email mistakes 

Before we present our proven follow-up email examples, here are five mistakes many people make when writing their follow-up emails and why you should actively avoid them. 

1. Using buzzwords in the subject line 

As with any email, the subject line is one of the most critical elements. Using buzzwords is a surefire way to annoy a recipient. Terms like “touching base”, “game changer”, and “Let’s get our ducks in a row” are all meaningless in the context of email. 

Instead, use conversational language when writing your follow-up email. Otherwise, you’ll come across as robotic, using terms that sound clever but don’t tell people what you want them to do. 

2. Giving no context to the email 

Your follow-up email needs to jog a recipient’s memory. Even if they don’t remember the first email you sent, you’ll get a more positive response if they’re reminded that you’ve been in contact with them before. However, if you don’t say why you’re emailing them, they have no reason to act. 

That’s why your follow-up email needs to add value compared to the first message. Show the recipient what you can do for them and how you can solve a problem they might have. Or add more information about what you’re offering so they can make an informed choice. 

3. Offering no call-to-action 

If you don’t tell the recipient what you want them to do in your follow-up email, it shouldn’t surprise you when they don’t do it. 

People don’t have time to figure out what you might want. They need to know exactly what you want. If you want them to call you back, say so clearly. If you want them to book a meeting with you, tell them explicitly. 

4. Waiting too long to send your email 

Sending a follow-up email two weeks after your first message will have minimal impact. The recipient will probably have forgotten your first email and what was asked of them. Generally, two or three days is the perfect amount of time to wait before sending your first follow-up email. 

Any further emails you send should have an increased wait period, so you don’t bombard them. So, send a second follow-up email after five days, a third after seven days, and so on. 

5. Using funny images 

Now, this can be very subjective. Many think adding memes and GIFs to emails is great. However, we’d argue that you should make a judgment based on your audience. Corporate email should always keep a level of formality, even when sending a follow-up message. 

Sending an animated GIF to a recipient might amuse you but could backfire and offend someone. You can’t gauge what someone does or doesn’t find funny over email. 

Keep your follow-up email polite and friendly without relying on gimmicks. 

14 follow-up email example templates 

Below are 14 follow-up email examples you can use for various occasions. Feel free to use this content for any stage of your personalized email outreach.

They’re designed to increase your response rates no matter how well you know the recipient. 

1. The simple check-in email 

This follow-up email example assumes that the recipient read your earlier email but hasn’t gotten back to you yet. 

This gentle reminder lets them know you’re here to help if they have any questions, which is more likely to get a response. 

2. Following up after a meeting with next steps 

When it comes to any meeting, it’s helpful to summarize everything you’ve discussed in a follow-up email to all participants. 

This provides everyone with a clear overview of the main discussion points, the benefits of choosing your company (if the meeting was a sales pitch), and the next steps that have been agreed. 

3. Requesting action to be taken 

There’s a fine line between reminding someone they need to do something and pestering them. 

A follow-up email of this nature should be as brief as possible. You want to ask if they looked at the thing you sent them and if they have any questions about it. 

4. Asking for the right contact 

Sometimes you email someone and then find out they’re not the right person to talk to. When sending this type of follow-up email, it’s important to let the recipient know who it is that referred you to them and what you can do for their company. CC the colleague you originally emailed but focus primarily on the value that you can provide. 

You can add further credibility by adding links to your social media profiles and corporate website via your email signature. This gives the recipient an easy way to learn more about what your company offers. 

5. Having left a voicemail 

When you can’t reach someone over the phone, sending a follow-up email is the perfect way to get a recipient to notice your message. You should send this email right after leaving a voicemail, making the copy as brief as possible. 

6. Following up a product demo 

These are people that have shown a serious interest in what your company offers. They have also invested their time to learn more about what your product or service can do for their organization. So why send a follow-up email? 

Until the prospect has bought, there’s still a risk they might forget about what you offer or lose interest. Your follow-up message should briefly explain what happened in the demo and outline the next course of action. You can also address any concerns the prospect might have and gently nudge them further along the sales cycle. 

7. Chasing an unpaid invoice or late payment 

Chasing an overdue payment is never easy. That’s why the follow-up email you send should be brief but direct. 

Never use confrontational or dramatic language. If you frame the email as more of a casual inquiry, you’re less likely to make the recipient feel harassed. 

8. The follow-up email after no response 

You’ll always come across people that don’t respond to your emails. So, rather than just sending the same email again, give more value to the recipient. 

You could offer more information on what your company does or supply some product resources. At the same time, you want to make it as easy as possible for them to answer you, so a strong call to action is critical. 

9. Email template for contract signing 

When there’s something that requires contract signing, a signature email template can work wonders too. Any kind of follow-up email for contract signing such as a tenancy agreement, or an email template for contract signing for something like a new job may be needed. 

In this template example, you can understand how to email back a signed document that will read in a professional manner, but still get the point across.

10. Following up after an event 

Events like trade shows and exhibitions are great places to find people interested in your product/service. However, after the event has taken place, it’s common for attendees to forget who they spoke to. 

To be sure that this potential lead doesn’t get lost, send a prompt sales follow-up email to get their attention while the event is still fresh in their memory. 

11. Following up at a later date 

There are lots of reasons why someone might ask you to contact them later. It might not be the right time in their purchase cycle, they might not need what you offer, or your product might not have a feature they need. 

This follow-up email sample gives a reminder of what was discussed previously, offers them new content, and asks to set up a time to talk further. 

12. The breakup email 

If a contact goes completely silent over email, there’s only so much you can do before you start harassing them. That’s where the breakup email comes into play. 

Now using this type of follow-up email template doesn’t necessarily mean you’re giving up on a recipient. In fact, a good breakup email can be highly effective in reigniting a conversation. It refreshes a recipient’s memory by telling them that you have contacted them a few times, you haven’t been able to get a response, and this will be the last email they’ll receive from you. 

The wording is deliberately designed to provoke a response from them. You can either confirm that there’s no need to communicate with them again or that they’re still interested but have just been busy. 

Summary 

Writing a good follow-up email that prompts a response isn’t easy. We all have busy inboxes and many priorities to deal with. At the same time, you don’t want to bombard recipients with constant messages to the point where you become an annoyance. 

Using the follow-up email examples presented here is easier than writing your messages from scratch. The important points to remember are that a follow-up email should be brief, give added value to the recipient, and offer a strong call to action.

By following these guidelines, you’ll quickly be able to start conversations with your prospects and customers over email.