In this era of cold email campaigns, follow up emails are essentially very important.
Sending just an email is not enough to close a sales deal, you need to periodically follow up.
Stats show that you can triple your reply rates by sending more follow-up emails.
50% of sales happen after the fifth follow-up email.
60% of customers say no four times before they say yes.
These are a few of the many reasons why follow up emails are very beneficial in email campaigns.
Anatomy of writing a Follow-Up Email
How do you write a follow-up email that will get you a positive reply?
A lot of salespeople have to deal with constant rejection or no replies that they get from recipients.
When writing a follow-up email, you should not write too much and too little.
Write what is most important for your recipient.
What makes up a perfect follow-up email?
This must be the question in your mind right now.
We are going to show you what makes a perfect follow-up email that will get you a Yes response.
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Use a Compelling and Eye-catchy Subject line
A compelling and eye-catchy subject line has already done the work by 50%.
Data showed that 47% of email recipients open their emails based on subject line alone.
Emails with subject lines have 22% more chances of been opened more than emails without subject lines of only 8%.
A compelling subject line determines to a great extent if an email will be opened or not.
It is important to use subject lines that are of interest to your recipient.
Subject lines that they can’t ignore will get your follow-up email opened.
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Provide a Clear value
Your recipient should know what he/she will gain from you?
You need to know that even though you are the salesperson, your recipient needs to get a value from what you are selling.
How will your product benefit your recipient?
Does your prospect need your product or not?
What value is your product going to add to your recipient?
Though, you might have written all these in your first email, reiterate them in your follow-up email.
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A Follow-up Email should be Concise
A follow-up email should not be too long and it should be well-written.
It should be a summary of your valuable points.
Go straight to the points and make it easy for your recipient to read.
An average office worker receives tons of emails every day.
When your email is too long, most people won’t read it.
So, to get more response, make your email as short as possible.
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Add a Call-to-Action
A call-to-action (CTA) is very important in a follow-up email.
It prompts a recipient into taking actions.
A CTA can be a question or something you want your recipient to do.
If you want to schedule a meeting, you can say it as a CTA.
A CTA increases your chances of getting a response.
A CTA is always written in the last part of an email.
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A Follow-up email should be sent via the same email thread as the previous email
When you want to send a follow-up email, do not send it via a new email thread.
It should be sent via the same email thread as the initial email.
This will easily remind your recipient of what you are talking about.
Your recipient will easily relate your initial email to your follow-up email.
If you send your follow-up email in a separate email thread, your recipient may find it difficult to search for your previous email.
How do you start a Follow-up Email?
A follow-up email should always start with a subject line.
Your subject line should make reference to your previous email.
Joggle the memory of your recipient back to your previous email with your subject line.
This will draw the attention of your recipient and increase the chances of getting your email read or replied.
Here are some examples of how you can start a follow-up email;
- “Following up on my last email which I sent to you on [insert the day and week you sent the email and what the email was about].”
- “What do you think about my proposal on [insert topic]?”.
- “I am still waiting for your response to my previous email.”
- “I am aware you read my previous email, what do you think?”
- “Let me know if you are interested in our exciting offers!”
These are some of the many subject lines you can use to start your follow-up email.
They reference your previous email which reminds your recipient of it.
After writing the subject line, you can then continue with the other part of your content.
How to send a Follow-up Email?
After the body of your follow-up email, a call-to-action should be written at the end of it.
a)A Call-to-Action
A call-to-action will prompt your recipient into taking necessary actions.
Here are some examples of CTA:
- “I will like to schedule a meeting with you, how to do [insert date] sounds?”
- “Will you be available by [insert time and day] for a 15 minutes’ call?”
- “We could schedule a meeting for a product demo. How do [insert day and time] sounds?”
These are some of the examples of CTA.
You are informing your recipient of what you will like him/her to do.
This will better prompt him/her into taking necessary actions.
After writing a CTA, the next thing to write is a closing remark.
b)A closing remark to appreciate your recipient.
A closing remark shows your recipient that you are appreciative and well-mannered.
Examples of closing remarks are yours sincerely, regards, best wishes, and thanks.
c)Your Name
After writing a closing remark, your name is the last thing that you should write.
Your name informs your recipient of who the sender of the email is.
However, adding your name is optional since this is a follow-up email.
Your recipient mostly likely already know who you are from your previous email.
How to write a Follow-up Email after a Meeting?
After having a meeting with a client or customer, the next reasonable thing you should do is to follow up.
Following up after a meeting depends on the discussion you had with the other person.
There are situations when you will need to follow up immediately and other situations when you don’t need to follow up immediately.
For example, if you had a meeting with a client that asked for documents or product updates, you will have to send your follow-up email immediately.
If you are waiting on a client to make a decision, you don’t need to send a follow-up email immediately.
You need to wait after some days before sending a follow-up email.
A follow-up email after a meeting reminds your recipient of the discussion you both had.
It prompts your recipient into making quick decisions.
Here is How to write a follow-up email after a meeting
A follow-up email after a meeting should include:
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A Subject line
A subject line should be included in all follow-up emails.
It is a very important part of an email.
The subject line tells your recipient a summary of what your email is all about.
After a meeting, your follow-up email subject line should reference the meeting.
Your subject line can as well be a “Thank you” or an appreciative statement for the meeting you had with your recipient.
This will joggle back the memory of your recipient to the meeting and what was discussed.
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A Thank you or appreciation
A thank you or an appreciative statement is the first statement to make in a follow-up email.
You need to thank your client, customer or whomever you had the meeting with for their time and contribution.
Just saying “Thank you”, alone can make a great change in the mind of people.
Saying “Thank you,” says a lot of who you are.
For example; “Thank you for meeting with me, I really appreciate your time”.
After thanking the person, then you can continue your email.
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Reference what you both talked about
The next thing is to reference what you both discussed about in the meeting.
You can outline the key points that were raised in the meeting.
Let your recipient know that you gained valuable insights from the meeting.
If you went for a product demo, ask your recipient what he or she thinks about your product.
Find common ground and establish a connection that your recipient can relate with.
Highlight the positive elements of the meeting.
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Provide Value
This is where you need to provide value for whatever you are offering or selling.
Your meeting may be very short and you may not have had the time to clearly explain your product.
Let your recipient know the value of your product and how it can benefit him/her.
If there are issues or problems that were raised by your client in the meeting, provide necessary solutions or how they can be solved.
The value you are able to provide greatly determines if your recipient will go further with you or not.
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Add a Call-to-Action
The next thing is to add a CTA.
If you want to request for a phone call or schedule another meeting, inform your recipient in the form of a CTA.
If you want to direct your recipient to your website, you can add the URL of your website.
When should you send a Follow-up Email?
The timing to send a follow-up email depends on different situations.
There are some situations where you need to follow-up immediately.
There are some situations where you need to follow up after 2-3 days.
In some cases, you may need to send follow-up emails after some weeks or even months.
Also, the time of the day to send a follow-up email depends on your recipient.
Some people check their inboxes and respond to emails early in the morning when they’ve just woken up.
Some other people check and respond to emails later in the day.
The key here is to know the likely time that your recipient normally checks and respond to emails.
If you don’t know when your recipient normally checks his/her inbox, it is advisable to send your email before dawn.
This is because a higher percentage of people check their inboxes early in the morning after waking up.
If you were following up on a prospect, the right time to send your first follow-up email is after 2-3 days.
If you were following up on a job or contract application, the right time to send your first follow-up email will be after a few weeks or a month.
Do not send a follow-up email too early and don’t wait for too long before sending a follow-up email.
How do you write a Follow-up Email After an Interview?
After you have attended a job interview, it will be advantageous for you to send a follow-up email.
You might want to provide added strengths and other information that you think is lacking.
This is to reaffirm your interest in the job and to increase the chances of you getting the job.
Let’s take a look at how to write a follow-up email after an interview:
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Start with a “Thank you” Subject line
It is very important to start with a “Thank you” or an appreciation for the interview.
A sense of gratitude is what is expected of all job seekers and if you are perceived otherwise, you may be declined.
Express your appreciation for the time take to interview you.
You can also highlight the things you learned during the interview session.
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Reinforce your Strength
In the next paragraph, reinforce your strength and skills.
Highlight key reasons why you should be chosen for the position.
Let your recipient know what you can do and why you are the best candidate for the job.
If there are any skills and strengths that you haven’t mentioned before, you have another opportunity for you to mention them.
You can as well respond to any issues or concerns that were raised during the interview session.
Assure your recipient that you are a perfect candidate for the job.
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Reaffirm your interest in the job
The next paragraph is where you reaffirm your interest in the job.
Let your recipient feel your sincere interest in the job.
Let him/her feel how happy you will be if the job was given to you.
Also, let your recipient know how getting the job will benefit you.
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Add a Closing
In your closing, you can add your contact information. This is optional as your contact number is already with them.
Add a “Thank you” or an appreciation for the time taken to read your email.
Add a closing remark before adding your full name
How do you write a Follow-up email after applying for a Job?
You have applied for a job and sent your CV but you are yet to get any response from the HR after a long wait.
The waiting time is the most difficult part.
You are in uncertainty, not sure if you will be called for an interview or not.
The best thing to do after waiting for so long with no response is to send a follow-up email.
A follow-up email after a job application is tricky because you don’t know if it will increase your chances or not.
If you are perceived as an impatient candidate, that will spoil your chances of being called for an interview.
You must wait for some time, at least 2-3 weeks for them to review your application.
If you have waited for up to or more than a month, just waiting in uncertainty may not be the right thing to do.
It is advisable to send a follow-up email to inquire about the status of your job application.
It is advisable that you send your follow-up email directly to the hiring manager or HR in charge.
Tips on how to write a Follow-up email after applying for a Job
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Use a clear subject line
Your subject line should reference your job application and position.
The hiring manager or HR should know immediately what your email is about via your subject line.
An example of a good subject line is; “Following up on my job application for [insert specific position]”.
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Say when you sent the Job Application and Reason for your Email
In your first paragraph, let the hiring manager know when you applied for the job.
State clearly the position you applied for.
Ask reasonable questions and the status of your application.
Ask when an update on your application will be most likely sent to you.
Be very polite and don’t let the hiring manager perceive you as impatient or rude.
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Reiterate your interest in the Job and why you are a Good Candidate for the Position.
In your next paragraph, reaffirm your interest in the job.
Give the hiring manager reasons why you should be hired.
Reinforce your strength and skills.
State what you can do and how you can help the company grow.
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Add a Closing
A closing can include a CTA.
Let the hiring manager know that you will be happy if you are called for an interview.
Appreciate him/her for the time taken to read your email.
Add a closing remark before your name below.
How do you Follow up without being Annoying?
An average office worker receives about 90 emails per day.
These are a whole lot of emails to respond to each day and week.
Excessive follow-up emails annoy people and your emails could be reported as spam even if they are not spam.
Most office workers and business people are always busy with their work.
Adding more work for them by sending them emails which they need to read and respond to is daunting.
They may see your email as annoying and delete it immediately or not respond to it.
How do you send follow-up emails without being annoying?
Tips on How to write and send Follow-up Emails without being Annoying
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Be Friendly and Cordial
You should realize that people are engaged in different tasks.
They are probably going through a level of stress.
A friendly remark or show of concern could go a long way to make them happy.
It will be great if you show a little bit of concern and ask about their wellbeing in your email.
Be friendly in your email and show a level of kindness.
You can ask about their day, how they are doing, compliment them on any form of achievement, and so on.
Show them that it is not all about what you want to sell to them.
Be polite and use suiting words in your email.
Show a bit of concern in your email and people will be happy to respond to you.
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Offer a Helping Hand
It is human nature to know what they will benefit out of a venture before going into it.
People naturally want to know what they will gain from you before moving forward with you.
What benefit will they get from you?
What can you offer?
What value are you adding to their lives and their business?
For your follow-up email not to appear as annoying, you need to offer something tangible.
Offer assistance in whatever way you can.
For example, you can inform your recipient that you detected a loophole in their website or system which you could help rectify.
Knowing that you can help solve a problem will make your recipient happy.
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Be Thankful and Appreciative
Always be thankful and appreciative even when people turn you down.
As a salesperson or a marketer, a lot of people will say no to you but that shouldn’t change your thankful nature.
Be thankful when you get a positive response and also be thankful when you get a negative reply.
When people know that you are thankful and appreciative, they will be happy to transact business with you.
For example, “thank you for taking out time to go through my email”.
A statement like this will make your recipient feel happy to read and respond to your email.
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Know what time is the best time to send your Email
Do not send emails at a time when your recipient is probably swamped with work.
Do not send emails at the wrong time of the day.
Emails received at odd hours or wrong time could be very annoying.
Emails that are sent at the wrong time of the day are usually not attended.
Know the best time to send emails to your recipient.
If possible, ask someone who knows your recipient well when is the best time to send your emails.
You can ask his/her personal assistant or secretary.
Don’t send emails at the peak period of the day or odd hours of the day.
How often should I Follow up on a Job?
After you have applied for a job, you are expected to wait.
The waiting time is for the company to review all the applications.
Companies receive tons of CV’s from applicants and they need to review all CV’s before they can decide on the applicants to call for interviews.
Some companies don’t call applicants or send an email to inform them that they weren’t selected.
They only focus on successful applicants that were selected for interview.
In such a situation, you may be in dilemma and uncertainty.
You are not sure if you are selected or not.
This wise thing to do in such a situation will be to follow up.
How often and when should you follow-up?
This must be the question in your mind.
Tips on When and How often to Follow up on a Job
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Check the Job listing
When applying for a job, read the job listing very well.
Some companies will include the start date for the job.
With the start date, you will know how to plan your follow-up and when to follow-up.
If you are not called for an interview two weeks before the start date, you can send a follow-up email to inquire on the status of your job application.
In a situation whereby the company specifically says that applicant shouldn’t call or email, you must abide by the company rule and wait.
If the company says that successful or unsuccessful applicants will be contacted, you should not follow-up.
In a situation whereby neither the start date for the job or any directive were given, you may send a follow-up email within 2-3 weeks of applying for the job.
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Know when to Stop
After sending the first follow-up email and still no response from the company, leave a week or two weeks before sending the next follow-up email.
If after sending the second follow-up email and still no response, leave about 3 weeks before sending the third follow-up email.
If after you have sent the third follow-up email and still no response, stop following up.
No response from the company may imply that you were not chosen for the job.
Move on and look for another job opening.
How to write a Follow-up Email to a client after a Quotation
After sending a quotation to a client and after some weeks still no response from the client, the right thing to do is to follow-up.
There are different possible reasons why your client hasn’t responded to you.
It may be that your client is not interested anymore.
It may be that your client has been very busy.
It could also be that your client has forgotten to respond.
Whatever reason that may have caused the delay, you need to follow-up to know what is going on.
How do you write a follow-up email after a quotation?
We are going to show you some helpful tips on how to write a follow-up email to a client after a quotation.
Tips on how to write a Follow-up email to a client after the Quotation
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Use a clear subject line
Your subject line should be clear and it should reference your objective.
The objective of your follow-up email is to know the status of your quotation.
Reference that in your subject line
Joggle the mind of your client back to your quotation for quick remembrance with your subject line.
For example, “I am following up on the status of the quotation I sent to you on [insert day].
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Ask Questions
Ask questions politely. You need to inquire from your client the reason why your quotation hasn’t been responded to.
You need to know the reason for the delay.
Ask your client if there is anything wrong in the quotation and if there are any possible questions he/she will like to ask you.
The key here is to ask relevant questions in a polite manner that will get you answers.
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Don’t push it
It is understandable that it could get frustrating when you don’t get a response after weeks of sending a quotation to a client.
You might get agitated and then use a harsh tone in your follow-up email.
Don’t be harsh on your tone and don’t be pushy.
When a client feels that you are pushy and harsh, he/she may decide not to continue with you.
Be subtle and cordial.
Inquire about the health condition of your client.
You never know he/she might not be feeling well all those weeks that you didn’t get a response.
If possible, tell your client in your email that you will give him/her more time to think about the quotation you sent.
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Emphasize the value of your product
Emphasize the value of your product to your client.
Why should your client buy your product?
Of what use and benefits are your product to your client?
Does your client need your product?
You need to give your client reasons why he/she should go further with you.
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Be Concise
A follow-up email should be short.
You are following up on a quotation; you don’t need to write long notes.
Make it easy for your client to read and understand.
A follow-up is a form of reminder, just write the most important key points and ask relevant questions.
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Add a Call-to-action
A CTA is always important in a follow-up email.
It will prompt your client into taking necessary actions.
If you want to call your client, use a CTA to inform your client.
You can also add the URL of your product website so that your client can have added information about your products.
How to write a Follow-up email to a client after sending a proposal
Have you sent a proposal to a client but you still have not got any response from the client after weeks of sending the proposal?
You must know how it feels when you have to keep waiting.
The uncertainty of not knowing if your client will accept your proposal or not.
After waiting for weeks and still no response, the right thing to do is definitely to follow up!
Tips on how to write a Follow-up email to a client after sending a proposal
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Use a clear subject line
Your subject line should inform your client the reason for your email
It should reference the proposal you sent
For example, “I wanted to follow-up on the proposal I sent on [insert day]”.
This will immediately joggle back the memory of your client to the proposal.
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Ask Questions
Ask relevant questions to inquire why your client has not responded to your proposal.
Let your client know that he/she can discuss any issues or drawbacks with you.
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Add a Call-to-action
Suggest a time when you both can have a phone call to discuss further.
Schedule a meeting with your client to meet one-on-one so you both can discuss more on the proposal.
How to write a Follow-up email to blogger for Guest blogging
Have you already pitched for guest blogging on a popular blog site and haven’t been accepted by the editor of the blog?
You might be going through the uncertainty of waiting for a long time without being sure if you will be accepted or not.
The right thing to do after waiting for a while is to follow up.
But, how do I write a follow-up email to a blogger for guest blogging?
This must be the question on your mind right now.
We are going to help you out by providing you with useful tips on how to write a follow-up email.
Tips on how to write a Follow-up email to a blogger for guest blogging
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Use a clear subject line
Use a clear subject line that references your initial email.
Let the blogger know that you are following up on a guest blogging pitch that you made on a specified date.
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Inquire about the status of your pitch
Ask polite and relevant questions to know about the status of your guest blogging pitch.
Inquire from the blogger if your pitch is up to standard or not.
Ask for suggestions and corrections if possible.
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Sell yourself to the Blogger
Reaffirm that you are knowledgeable in your chosen field as a blogger.
Give reasons why your pitch should be accepted.
Provide relevant strengths and skills that qualify you as a blogger.
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Add a Call-to-action
You can request a phone call or schedule a meeting with the blogger.
Let the blogger know that you are available for any further discussions.
How to write a Follow-up email to influencers to promote your product
Influencers are people with a huge number of followers.
They are trusted and respected by their followers.
People believe in them and a lot of their followers see them as role models.
Celebrities are generally known as influencers because of their huge followership and the trust their followers have in them.
Their followers are easily influenced by them.
Did you ask an influencer to help you promote your product but you have not gotten any response after waiting for a long time?
The right thing to do in this situation will be to follow up.
We are going to show you tips on how to write a follow-up email to an influencer.
Tips on How to write a Follow-up email to an influencer to promote your product
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Use a clear and compelling subject line
Influencers receive tons of emails from people every day.
A clear and compelling subject line will set you apart in the crowd.
Let your subject line inform the influencer of the exact reason for the email
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Inquire about the status of your request
Ask questions in a polite manner to know why your request has not been granted.
Assure your level of understanding in case the influencer has been very busy to attend to your request.
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Provide Value
Reiterate the value of your product.
Let the influencer know how your product will be of benefit to his/her followers.
Influencers are well respected and trusted individuals, they wouldn’t like to promote any substandard products.
Provide valuable reasons why your product should be promoted by the influencer.
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Provide Incentives
Why should an influencer promote your product?
What do you have to offer in return to the influencer?
Give out something that will encourage the influencer to promote your product.
It could be one of your product for free, discounted price, a fee, etc.
An incentive will prompt the influencer into an agreement.
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Add a Call-to-action
You can request for a call for further discussion.
You can as well add the URL of your product website for the influencer to go through it to know more about your product.
Things to avoid when writing a Follow-up email
A follow-up email is an email to follow-up on a previous email.
It is sent to a recipient for the sole purpose of achieving your aim.
A lot of people write follow-up email in the wrong way and this is why they don’t achieve good results from it.
How do you write a follow-up email and what should you avoid?
Let’s take a look!
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Avoid writing long Follow-up emails
When your follow-up email is too long, most people will find it difficult to read it.
Shorten your email as much as possible.
Make it concise and easy to read.
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Avoid Sounding Boring
Go straight to the point.
Don’t sound like a robot. Be specific.
Avoid unnecessary speeches that will bore your recipient.
Highlights the important information you want to pass across.
Don’t be ambiguous, instead be precise.
Let your recipient understand what you are saying in a single glance.
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Avoid being too Friendly and too formal
You should realize that your recipient is not your friend, you may have not even met him/her before.
Avoid being overly friendly in your email.
Don’t joke around or say things that you think is funny.
People react to things differently, what you think is funny might be annoying to someone else.
Also, don’t be too formal or stiff.
You may be seen as a sadist or someone that is all about himself or herself.
Be cordial and polite. You can ask about the wellbeing of your recipient.
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Avoid Being pushy
Nobody wants to feel that you are pressuring him/her into doing what you want.
Avoid being pushy in your emails.
Don’t sound desperate or urgent.
Give your recipient time to think and make a decision.
When you sound pushy, you lose out.
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Avoid sending too many Follow-up emails over a short time
When sending follow-up emails, give some days, weeks or months depending on the situation.
Don’t overwhelm your recipient with too many emails over a short period of time.
You may be seen as desperate and impatient.
