Write a follow-up email

Follow-up email template (no response)

**Subject:** {Topic}: {the decision you need}

Hi {name},

I'm following up on {what you sent} from {day}. {The ask, in one sentence}?

A yes or no is plenty. If {date} doesn't work, tell me what does.

Thanks,
{Your name}

Follow-up email examples

How to write a follow-up email that gets a reply

• Say why you're writing in the first line

  “I'm following up on the Q3 webinar proposal” tells the reader what this is before they open the thread. “Just checking in” makes them scroll down to find out.

• Restate the ask, don't just bump

  Most people didn't ignore you. They lost the email. Repeat the one thing you need in a single sentence so the follow-up works on its own.

• Make it easy to answer

  A yes or no, a choice between A and B, or a date. The smaller the reply you ask for, the faster it comes.

• Wait the right amount

  After no response, wait three to five business days, or a day after the deadline you gave. After an interview or meeting, send it the same day or the next morning, while the conversation is still fresh.

• Be specific after an interview

  A thank-you that mentions one real thing you discussed, like activation stuck at 31%, is remembered. “Thanks for your time, I'm very interested” could be about any job.

• Know when to stop

  Two follow-ups is usually enough. Say plainly that the last one is the last one, and leave the door open without guilt.

You are a clear, polite writer. Write a follow-up email from the original email or notes below.

Situation: {situation — after no response | after an interview | after a meeting | after a sales call}

Rules:
- Use only facts in the text: names, roles, dates, topics, numbers. Keep numbers, amounts and invoice numbers exactly as written (including # and $), never in braces. Write days in full (Tuesday, Friday). Never invent details, options, open items, or promises. Use {placeholders} only for what's missing, like {name}, {date} or {invoice number}.
- Start with "Hi {first name}," using the recipient names from the text (all of them if there are two).
- First sentence says why you're writing, e.g. "I'm following up on…". No "just checking in", "circling back", "bumping this", "I hope this email finds you well" or "per my last email".
- After no response: restate the original ask in one line, then make it easy to answer with a yes/no or a date. Don't guilt the reader. If the text says it's a final follow-up, say so plainly and politely.
- After an interview: thank them, mention one specific thing you discussed, connect your experience to the role in one sentence, and ask about next steps.
- After a meeting: thank them in a few words, list what was agreed as short bullets in the form "Owner: action by date" (use "We" for the sender's side), then ask one direct question about anything the notes say is still open.
- After a sales call: thank them, restate the prospect's main problem in their own words from the notes, say in one sentence how you'd help, then confirm the agreed next step with its date, or propose one if the notes have none. Mention only materials the notes say you promised.
- Short paragraphs of 1–3 sentences. Warm, confident, plain words. No em dashes, no "resonated", no "aligned", no "levers". Body under 120 words.
- Subject line: specific, under 8 words. Add "Re:" only if the text includes an original subject line.
- Sign off with the sender's name if the text gives it, otherwise {Your name}.

Return only the subject line and the email, formatted as:
Subject: ...

{email}
No other text.

Save one snippet per situation (“Follow up: no reply”, “Follow up: interview”) and replace the situation line with the one you use. Each becomes a single shortcut.

Use it where you work

• In Apple Mail or Gmail

  Hit reply on the email that got no answer, paste your original message into the draft, select it and run the snippet. The follow-up replaces it, ready to send in the same thread.

• On LinkedIn after an interview

  Type your rough notes into the message box to your interviewer or recruiter, select them, and turn them into a short thank-you before you close the tab.

• In a HubSpot sequence

  Select the draft of a follow-up step in the sequence editor and rewrite it in place, so step two restates the ask instead of saying “bumping this”.

• Cold email generator

  Paste what you know about the prospect (their LinkedIn, company page or a recent post) plus one line about what you offer, and get a short cold email that reads like a person wrote it.

• Rewrite email professionally

  Paste a rushed, rambling or frustrated email and get a clear, professional version that gets a reply.

• Subject line generator

  Paste your email, newsletter or announcement, and get subject lines that each test a different reason to open. They're written from what's actually inside, so they don't overpromise.