They say the squeaky wheel gets the grease.

But the squeaky wheel can also be annoying and cause one to toss out the entire cart.

Translation: how you word your follow-up emails matters.

So in this post, I’m going to show you how to write a follow-up email for just about every scenario and then provide copy and paste templates along with examples.

Table of contents

• How to write a follow-up email
• Inquiry follow-up email template
• Content download follow-up email template
• Discovery call follow-up email template
• Quote or proposal follow up
• Invoice follow-up email template
• Request follow-up email template
• Networking follow-up email template
• Interview follow-up email template
• Follow-up email after no response
• Follow-up email words and phrases

How to write a follow-up email

There are different kinds of follow-up emails, so some of these tips will apply, others will not. And don’t forget general email copywriting best practices apply here—keeping things brief, in particular.

Be specific

If you’re following up after an interview, introduction, or meeting, personalize it by including something specific the person mentioned—ideally something that you could tell was particularly meaningful to them. This can help jog their memory while also showing that you were listening attentively.

Be genuine

Yes, follow-up emails are pretty predictable and formulaic. But that doesn’t mean you can’t be genuine in your communication. Don’t use generic, empty messaging. Actually reflect on the specific item you want to mention to jog their memory. And if it permits, keep a conversational tone if you can. This is easier to read and write, and the person won’t feel obliged to use formal tone in their response.

Include the original message

If you’re following up on a previous email, do not make the recipient search for the original email and do not rewrite the email. Reply all to your email and then remove yourself from the recipient list so the person can have all of the context they need.

Also, if the original email had an attachment, re-attach it.

Have one clear ask

With the above being said, don’t make them re-read the original email. Distill it down to the clear ask with something like, “Just following up on the request in my email below. Do you think you’ll be able to provide that data for the April 25-May 31 date range?”

Even if the original email had more than one request or data point, requesting something simple or smaller might increase your chances of a response.

Inquiry follow-up email template

Send this type of email to someone who has reached out to your business, such as through a general inquiry form on your website. If they left a phone number, call them first to leave a voicemail and then follow that up with an email like this one.

Example

Here’s an inquiry follow-up email example using the above template:

Content download follow-up email template

Of course, the contact form on your site is just one of many ways to generate leads for your business. Content downloads are another big one. Ideally, you’d have a series of subsequent lead magnets set up to help keep them moving through your funnel, like:

• a blog post or second ebook
• an event invite
• a case study
• a free trial or consult

These emails could either be a drip series where you send each one at a pre-specified time all at a set time, or a nurture series where each offer and timing of the email depends on the prospect’s preceding action.

Here’s a general template you can model after:

Example

Using this template, here’s a content download follow-up email example:

Discovery call follow-up email template

Use this follow-up email after you’ve had an introductory or discovery call with a prospective customer.

Example

Here’s an example of a discovery call follow-up email using the above template:

Discovery call follow-up email with action items

This email is for the same situation as above, but with some more specific items.

Quote or proposal follow up

Send this follow-up email if you haven’t heard back on a quote or business proposal. Depending on your business model and which number follow-up email it is, you might offer a demo and/or share a case study or resource.

Example

Here’s what that template might look like:

Here’s a different approach. You could quickly recap the quote you sent and/or end with a question.

Invoice follow-up email template

No one wants to have to send this email, but it happens. Especially for B2B businesses when you have finance departments involved. Here’s a simple way to follow up on an unpaid invoice.

Example

Here’s an example of an invoice follow-up email using the template above:

Request follow-up email template

Use this email to follow up on a request you’ve sent someone, whether that’s to a business with high domain authority asking for a backlink or to a coworker asking for a piece of information.

Example

Here’s a request follow-up email example based on the template above:

Networking follow-up email template

Building relationships within your niche is one of the most important things to do for your business. Use this email when you want to solidify a connection you made with someone. We also have plenty of networking email templates here.

Example

Here’s an example of a networking follow-up email using the above template:

Networking follow-up email to continue the conversation

Let’s say you’ve met someone that you’d like to build a relationship with or meet for coffee. Use this email template.

Interview follow-up email template

This is the most sensitive of the follow-up emails. It’s important to keep a pretty formal tone here. Not robotic, but formal. Use something like this:

Example

Here’s an interview follow-up email example using the above template:

Follow-up email after no response

It’s probably best to avoid open-ended questions here. If the person didn’t answer, they either don’t have the time or aren’t interested enough.

And here’s one that makes it super easy for the recipient to respond:

Example

Based on the first template, here’s an example of a follow-up email after no response:

Follow-up email words and phrases

I’m going to close off with some words and phrases you can use in your follow-up emails. Some terms will apply more to B2B emails, so if you’re a B2C business, take what applies and leave the rest.

• I thought I’d
• I wanted to
• I’m emailing to
• I’m reaching back out to
• Circle back
• Drop you a line
• Send over a friendly reminder
• Resurface
• Bring this email to the top of your inbox
• Check in
• Touch base
• Put on your radar
• Circle back
• Remind
• Revisit
• Bump this to the top of your inbox
• Gently remind

The post How to Write a Follow-Up Email (+12 Examples & Templates) appeared first on WordStream.