How to Send a Follow-Up Email in 10 Steps with Examples

You’re staring at the draft, wondering if your follow-up sounds confident or just awkward. Let’s fix that.

Whether you’re chasing a project update, nudging a job application, or reminding a client about a proposal, follow-up emails can be the difference between silence and progress. The challenge is finding the right balance between professionalism and persistence.

In this guide, you’ll learn how to send a follow-up email in 10 clear steps, avoid common mistakes that kill your chances, and use 10 ready-to-adapt examples for different contexts, so your message actually gets a reply.

Key Takeaways:

• Use a clear, direct subject line that signals your purpose.

• Wait the right amount of time before following up—too soon can feel pushy.

• Keep your tone polite but confident, focusing on shared goals or benefits.

• Avoid vague openers like “Just checking in”—add context and value instead.

• Personalize your follow-up using specifics from your last interaction.

Steps to Send a Follow-Up Email

Follow-ups appear to improve response rates significantly, and emailing the same contact multiple times can lead to twice as many replies. To help you craft an effective and professional follow-up, here are 10 clear steps you can follow from start to finish.

Step 1: Identify the Purpose of Your Follow-Up

Before writing a single word, decide exactly why you’re following up. Are you trying to get a reply to an unanswered question, confirm a meeting, provide extra information, or simply thank the recipient? A clear objective shapes your tone, structure, and call-to-action.

Best Practice: Stick to one goal per email. Mixing multiple requests (“Can you confirm the meeting and review the attached document?”) can overwhelm the reader and delay their response.

Step 2: Choose the Right Timing

The timing of your follow-up can determine whether your email feels helpful or intrusive. In most professional settings, waiting 2–5 business days after your initial email works well.

For job interviews, send a thank-you within 24 hours, then follow up in about a week if you haven’t heard back. In sales or client discussions, a slightly longer gap, about 5–7 days, can prevent your follow-up from feeling rushed.

Always adjust based on context. If a deadline is approaching, a quicker follow-up is acceptable. If it’s a casual inquiry, give more space to avoid appearing impatient.

Step 3: Write a Clear Subject Line

Your subject line is the first thing the recipient sees, and it often decides whether your email gets opened. When sending a follow-up email, reply under the same thread as your initial message. This keeps the conversation organized and provides instant context.

You can use the same subject line as your initial email—it’s not a bad practice! This helps the recipient quickly connect your follow-up to the original discussion. If you want to make it clear you’re following up, simply add “– following up” at the end of the existing subject line.

Examples:

• Website redesign proposal – following up

• Meeting agenda for Friday – following up

• Question on your recent presentation – following up

Pro Tip: Keep subject lines short (under 8–9 words) and specific. Avoid vague phrases like “Checking in” or “Touching base” that don’t provide context.

Step 4: Start with a Personalized Greeting

Open your follow-up email with a greeting that feels personal and intentional. Use the recipient’s name and, if appropriate, acknowledge your last interaction. This small step immediately signals that your message is meant for them—not just a copy-paste template.

If you’re writing to more than one person, make sure your greeting is professional and inclusive. You can read our detailed guide on How to Professionally Address Multiple People in an Email for examples and etiquette tips.

Examples:

• Hi Sarah, I hope you enjoyed your weekend.

• Hello Mr. Alvarez, it was great meeting you at the conference.

• Hi Priya and team, thank you for your feedback on the proposal.

Avoid overly generic greetings like “Dear Sir/Madam” or “To whom it may concern.” These can make your email feel cold and impersonal, especially in a follow-up where building a relationship is key.

Step 5: Reference the Previous Conversation or Email

After your greeting, briefly remind the recipient why you’re reaching out again. This is especially important if some time has passed since your last email—the reminder provides instant context and makes your message easier to respond to. Keep it short, ideally one sentence.

Examples:

• I’m following up on the email I sent last Tuesday regarding the Q3 budget proposal.

• I wanted to follow up on the meeting request I sent on March 3rd regarding the new software rollout.

Best Practice: Avoid re-pasting your entire previous email. Instead, summarize the key point or request so the recipient doesn’t have to scroll back to remember what it was about.

Step 6: Add Value Before Asking Again

A follow-up shouldn’t just repeat your earlier request; it should give the recipient a reason to re-engage.

Before you ask them to respond, provide something valuable, like an update, a helpful resource, a new insight, or a piece of information that makes it worth their time to read your email.

This approach shifts your follow-up from a reminder to a value-add, which increases the chances of getting a reply.

Examples:

• Since we last spoke, I’ve attached a revised proposal with updated pricing based on your feedback.

• I came across this industry report that addresses some of the challenges we discussed, linking it here for your reference.

Step 7: State Your Request Clearly

Once you’ve re-established context and provided value, tell the recipient exactly what you’d like them to do next. A vague “Let me know” is easy to ignore—be specific about the action you want, whether it’s confirming a date, reviewing a document, or providing a decision.

Examples:

• Could you confirm if the proposed meeting time on Thursday at 2 p.m. works for you?

• Please let me know by Friday if we can move forward with the updated contract.

Best Practice: Stick to one clear call-to-action per email. Multiple requests can overwhelm the recipient and reduce the likelihood of getting a prompt response.

Step 8: Keep It Short and Readable

Follow-up emails work best when they’re quick to read and easy to scan. Aim for 50–125 words—enough to provide context and value without overwhelming the reader.

Use bullet points to break down multiple points or updates. This makes your message visually digestible, especially on mobile devices.

Keep your font size between 11–12 pt for readability, and maintain a clean, left-aligned format. Avoid large blocks of text or overly decorative fonts, which can feel unprofessional and discourage reading.

Example:

Best Practice: If your email contains multiple points, bullets and spacing are your friends. They help the recipient see key information at a glance and make it easier to respond.

Step 9: Close Politely

End your follow-up with a courteous tone and a clear call-to-action. This combination signals respect for the recipient’s time while making it easy for them to respond.

Your sign-off should match the formality of your relationship. If in doubt, keep it professional. You can explore more in our guide on How to Close an Email Professionally: Tips and Examples.

Examples:

• Looking forward to your confirmation on Thursday’s 2 p.m. meeting.

• Thank you for reviewing the attached report—please share your feedback by Friday.

• I appreciate your help and look forward to your approval so we can proceed.

Step 10: Proofread and Send

Before hitting send, review your follow-up for clarity, accuracy, and professionalism. Check that your message is concise, error-free, and consistent in tone from greeting to closing.

Ensure that you’ve spelled the recipient’s name correctly and that your message is written respectfully, even if you’re following up on something overdue.

Once you’ve confirmed everything is correct, confidently hit the Send button.

Following these steps ensures your email is polished, professional, and ready for delivery.

Mistakes to Avoid Before Sending a Follow-Up Email

Even a perfectly timed follow-up can fall flat if it’s written poorly. These are common pitfalls that can make your email less effective—and in some cases, get it ignored entirely.

1. Giving no context to the email: Always reference the original message or reason for reaching out.

2. Waiting too long to send your follow-up: A gap of more than a week can make your email irrelevant.

3. Starting with clichés like “I hope this message finds you well”: Open with something relevant to the topic instead.

4. Leaving out a clear call-to-action: Tell the recipient exactly what you want them to do next.

Now, let’s look at some practical follow-up email examples you can adapt for different situations.

10 Examples of Follow-Up Email

Crafting a well-timed and thoughtful follow-up email can turn a missed connection into a productive conversation. Below are practical scenarios with ready-to-use templates you can adapt to your own style and situation for follow-up reminders.

1. After a Job Interview

If you’ve recently attended a job interview, use this follow-up to express gratitude, restate your enthusiasm for the role, and keep yourself fresh in the hiring manager’s mind.

Want more examples? Check our examples in How to Write a Follow-Up Email After an Interview

2. After Sending a Proposal

If you’ve sent a proposal but haven’t heard back, a polite follow-up ensures they received it and invites discussion.

3. Networking Event Connection

After meeting someone at a networking event, follow up while the interaction is still fresh.

4. Unanswered Sales Pitch

If your initial sales outreach went unanswered, follow up with a fresh angle or useful resource.

5. Checking on a Payment

When an expected payment hasn’t arrived, this follow-up politely requests an update while maintaining a professional tone.

6. Following Up on a Meeting Request

If you haven’t received a response to your meeting request, this follow-up suggests a specific date and time to make scheduling easier.

7. Reconnecting with an Old Contact

When you want to reconnect with a past colleague or acquaintance, this follow-up offers a friendly check-in along with an update from your side.

8. After a Product Demo

Right after a product demo, send a follow-up to summarize key takeaways and clearly outline the next steps

9. Cold Outreach Follow-Up

When following up on a cold outreach, offer proof of your credibility or a useful resource that aligns with their needs.

10. Post-Conference Follow-Up

After attending the same conference, send a follow-up that references an event highlight and proposes a quick call to continue the discussion.

How NewMail AI Can Make Follow-Ups Effortless

Following up takes time, and the longer it takes to find the right email, the higher the chance of missing the opportunity altogether. NewMail AI eliminates these roadblocks by automating the most time-consuming aspects of the process, allowing you to respond faster and more effectively.

Features of NewMail AI:

• Smart Drafts: Automatically generates polished, context-aware follow-up replies. You can personalize them in seconds and send them while the conversation is still warm.

• Daily Briefings: Receive a morning summary of important updates, pending follow-ups, and key meeting details so you know exactly where to pick up each conversation.

• Personalized Priority: Sorts your inbox by relevance so follow-up requests from important contacts always appear at the top, no more losing them in a sea of CCs.

• Actionable Insights: Tracks promises, deadlines, and action items from your email threads in a linked to-do list, helping you close the loop on every follow-up.

• Intelligent Tagging: Groups related emails into smart folders, making it easy to locate past conversations and reference details before sending your follow-up.

• Simplified Scheduling: Delivers your daily calendar to your inbox and allows you to confirm or propose meeting times in one click, speeding up the follow-up process for appointments.

  

Get started with NewMail AI today and turn your follow-ups into a powerful relationship-building tool. Start Free Now

FAQs

1. How Should I Write the Second Follow-Up Email?

Keep it short, polite, and to the point. Acknowledge your earlier email, restate the key point or offer, and include a clear next step or deadline.

2. How do I politely send a follow-up email?

Use a friendly, respectful tone. Start by referencing your previous message, avoid sounding pushy, and end with a simple request or question.

3. How do I send a follow-up email after no response?

Wait 3–5 business days, then send a brief reminder. Restate your main point and offer value or new information to keep the conversation moving.

4. Should I include the original email in my follow-up?

Yes, keeping the original thread makes it easier for the recipient to remember your previous message and respond without searching.

5. What is the best subject line for a follow-up email?

Be direct and specific, such as “Quick follow-up on [project name]” or “Checking in: [specific request].” Avoid vague or clickbait-style subject lines.