How to Write a Follow Up Email That Gets a Reply

To write a follow up email that gets a reply, give the reader a reason to answer and make answering take ten seconds. Carry something useful, such as an answer, an example or a simple choice. Never send "just checking in" or "any update?". Those ask for work and offer nothing.

How to write a follow up email that gets a reply

Look at the last follow up email you sent. Be honest. Did it say "just checking in"?

Most do. It feels polite and harmless. It is neither. It is a small tax on a busy person who owes you nothing.

Here's the test for any follow-up, applied before you hit send. Does it carry something, or does it make replying easy? If neither, the email is a nudge with no weight, and the reader will do the sensible thing and ignore it.

The rest of this post is that test, made practical.

Why the two classics fail

"Just checking in." "Any update?"

Look at what each one demands. The buyer has to stop what they're doing, work out where their thinking has got to, compose a status report, and possibly admit they haven't opened your proposal. In return they get nothing. You've asked for effort and paid with air.

Busy people don't reply to that. Not because they dislike you, but because the message costs more than it offers. So it lands in the pile of things to do later, and later is where deals die.

Flip it. A good follow-up costs the reader almost nothing and gives them something. That's the entire craft.

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The five things a follow-up can carry

You rarely need more than one of these per email. Pick the one that fits the deal.

1. An answer to a question they raised. They asked something on the call. You close the loop. This is the easiest one, and the one most often forgotten.
2. A relevant example. How someone in a similar position handled the same problem. Keep it an example, not a sales pitch.
3. A short, specific piece of thinking about their situation. One observation they can use even if they never buy.
4. A simple decision. "Would the week of the twelfth or the nineteenth be better?" Two options beat an open question every time.
5. A genuine reason the timing matters. Real, not manufactured. If there's no real date, skip this one.

If you truly have nothing to add, you can still send something short and specific about the next step. What you must never send is a vague request for attention.

Before and after

These follow up email examples are my wording, not quotes from anyone. The pattern is what matters. Each stronger version does three things: it opens with something of theirs, it adds something small, and it ends on a question they can answer in a few seconds.

Read the file first

You can't write that opening line without the history.

Two minutes before you write. What did they say last time? What did you promise? What worry did they raise? Open with it: "Last time you said you needed to see the payback period before deciding. I have brought that."

That line is worth more than any amount of charm, because it proves you listened and that you keep your word. It's also why keeping notes pays for itself. Three lines after each conversation is enough: what they said, what was agreed, what happens next. If you've never done that, how to log sales conversations as a solopreneur is where to begin.

Make the ask tiny

An email can be full of value and still fail if the ask is large.

Keep the ask to one thing. One question, one choice, one link. Don't stack "could you confirm, and also introduce me to your colleague, and let me know about budget". Each extra request is another reason to leave it for later.

And make the easiest answer obvious. A reply that is a single word should be enough. If it needs a paragraph, rewrite.

The strongest form is the choice. Two dates beat "when suits you?". Notice how that also moves the next step into your hands. You are no longer waiting for them to remember you. You are holding a dated next action, which is where the seller should always be.

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When the thread has gone cold

Everything above assumes the buyer is slow. Sometimes they're gone.

If a few emails have gone unanswered, another email probably won't land. People have blind spots: some never read their inbox and answer everything on their phone. Switch to a short call or a message where you first met, and keep the same rules. Something useful, easy to answer.

Then, after your agreed limit, send the last note. Honest, warm, with an easy exit. You haven't heard back, you assume the timing isn't right, you'll close the file for now, and they're welcome to return. It often draws the reply the others didn't, because it finally asks for something easy. The thinking behind that is in how to follow up with a prospect who goes quiet.

Templates, without sounding like one

Writing every email from scratch is how replies get slow. Keep a few short templates for the common situations: a first reply to an enquiry, a post-meeting summary, a check-in on the agreed date, the final close-out.

Then break one rule of templates: always rewrite the first line. A reply that is obviously automatic forfeits most of the benefit of being fast. The body can be reused. The opening has to prove a human read their message.

This matters most for a brand-new enquiry, where the standard is simple. Acknowledge them. Answer the easiest part of what they asked. Propose a next step, usually a conversation, with two specific times or a booking link. You don't have to answer everything in the first message. A short, human, prompt reply beats a perfect late one every time.

What a follow up email is not for

It isn't for proving you worked hard. It isn't for expressing disappointment that they haven't replied. It isn't for guilt, and it isn't for pressure.

Each of those turns the email into something about you. The reader can feel it. A follow-up that is about their problem, their decision and their next easy step is read. One that is about your anxiety is skipped.

There's a plain test. Reread the draft and ask: if I were the buyer, with a full inbox and a priority that changed on Tuesday, would this be easier to answer than to ignore? If the honest answer is no, it isn't ready.

And remember the honest limit. A perfect email cannot rescue a deal with no real problem, no budget or no authority behind it. What a well-written follow-up does is make the truth arrive sooner, in either direction. That's still a good return for a few minutes of thought.

Free guide · 21 pagesThe next move is always yours.The Follow-Up Playbook: why deals die of silence and how to keep them alive.Get the free guide →

A short checklist before you press send

• Does it carry an answer, an example, some thinking, a choice or a real reason?
• Is the ask one thing, answerable in seconds?
• Does the first line use something they told me?
• Have I avoided "checking in" and "any update"?
• Is there a dated next step in it?

Five ticks. If you miss one, fix the follow up email, not your hopes.

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Frequently asked questions

What should a follow-up email contain?

A good follow up email carries something of value or an easy way to reply. Options include an answer to a question they raised, a relevant example, a short specific piece of thinking about their situation, a simple choice of dates, or a genuine reason the timing matters.

Why do "just checking in" emails not work?

They ask the reader to compose a status report while offering nothing back. A busy person leaves them for later, and later often never comes.

How long should a follow-up email be?

Short. If you have nothing to add, keep it brief and specific about the next step. One ask, answerable in seconds, is the aim.

Should I personalise every follow-up?

Yes, at least the first line. Read the history before you write, and open with something they told you. A message that is obviously automatic forfeits most of the benefit.

The full method, with the checklists, is in The Follow-Up Playbook, a free 21-page playbook.