Follow-up email
What is a follow-up email?
A follow-up email is a later message in the same conversation, sent when the first one got no reply or after a meeting. A good follow-up is short, adds something (a relevant example, an answer to a likely question) and keeps the ask easy.
Follow-ups are usually part of a sales cadence of two to four touches.
Why a follow-up email matters
Busy people miss emails. A polite follow-up often gets more replies than the first message; endless follow-ups annoy and get you marked as spam.
Related marketing terms
A sales cadence is a planned sequence of outreach touches, such as emails, calls and messages, spread over days or weeks for each prospect.
Cold emailWhite hat
A cold email is a first message sent to someone you have no prior relationship with, to start a business conversation. It must follow anti-spam law.
Cold outreach is contacting people who do not know you yet, by email, phone, social message or in communities, to start a conversation.