so he sent the perfect email expecting a quick response and 4 days later… still no response. 😑
If your email has ever been ignored, a follow-up email can help get the conversation back on track. however, writing a follow-up email after no response can be tricky, as you don’t want to come across as pushy (sometimes people are busy and sometimes we all forget things), but you still need to meet your goals (there’s a reason why). the one you’re keeping track of something).
that’s what we cover in this article.
We always like to give some helpful examples up front so you can start writing your email quickly. however, if you need help with the basics of writing follow-ups, be sure to scroll to the bottom for the theory and our top tips.
- follow-up email examples
- follow-up email format
- when to send a follow-up email
Don’t worry if you’re having a hard time finding a professional and polite way to remind someone to reply. In this detailed guide, we describe how to write a follow-up email after no response and provide some practical examples you can use. Finally, we’ll introduce our follow-up email template that allows you to follow up on an email faster than ever while still being courteous.
follow-up email samples
Here, we offer some examples of how to create a polite follow-up email, a polite follow-up email, and a more formal request-to-response email. Below we provide the framework on how to track an email.
These examples illustrate best practices, but should be modified for your specific needs. If you’re having trouble finding the right words, use these examples to get you started:
1. polite follow-up email example
Here’s a sample polite follow-up email you can send if you don’t hear back. When deciding how to politely follow up on email, think about the person and understand why they may not have read your email. In this polite follow-up email example, we’ve recognized why someone may not have responded to an email: “I understand you’re busy.”
2. sample follow-up email if no response
here is a sample of a follow-up email sent after no response. It doesn’t beat around the bush, it goes straight to the point. This email is not to someone you know, but to a generic email address or to an unnamed recipient.
3. soft follow up email sample
If you’re looking for a friendly follow-up email sample, here’s one. this is much less formal than the previous ones.
what is a follow up email?
A follow-up email is an email to a recipient you’ve already communicated with once.
There are many reasons why you may want to send a follow-up email, including:
- notify a recipient about a previously sent email
- request information, a reply, or response
- remind someone of an important time or date (for an event, for example)
The purpose of a follow-up email is to act as a reminder or notice of a previous email you have sent. it is not to start a conversation but to reinvigorate it and generate a response.
The most effective follow-up emails are short, polite, professional, and (most importantly) to the point.
don’t waste time or words; advise the experts: the us-based team of researchers uu. analyzed over 2 billion emails and found that readers tend to skim through emails that are too long.
While they found that half (50%) of emails receive a response within an hour, others can be left for extended periods. the worst criminals? older adults take longer to respond and write the longest emails.
Researchers also found that emails sent during the morning of the work week were more likely to receive a response. however, those sent in the evening and on weekends were less likely to receive a response. why? researchers may have discovered the answer…
why don’t people respond to emails?
Ever wonder why people don’t reply to your emails right away?
We get so many emails that we “classify” them, the researchers say. this involves quickly reviewing them and then deferring them until such time as they can be handled properly.
Recipients can flag or label emails, archive them, or simply leave them unopened in their inboxes. workers spend up to 28% of their time reading and responding to email, so it’s understandable that we develop strategies to speed up the process. academics found that 16% of us put off responding to emails at least once a day.
what kind of emails are we ignoring? “Users are more likely to put off emails when handling them involves responding, perusing, or clicking links and attachments,” the authors say.
the crucial learning point is: if your email has been delivered, it has been seen.
Study researchers identified five main reasons emails are ignored:
- the time or effort involved in handling the email
- the identity of the sender;
- the number of recipients in the thread
- the user’s workload and context
- the urgency of the email message
Before drafting a response, try to understand these pressures the recipient is facing. For example, sending a follow-up email (even if it’s polite) can put extra pressure on the recipient, suggest Adaira Landry and Resa E. lewis writing in harvard business review.
how to write a follow up email
When writing a follow-up email, pay attention to the format of the email, especially the beginning and end. Get to the point quickly, keep it simple, and tell the recipient what you need them to do:
the perfect follow up email format
so we’ve explored the reasons why you may need to send a follow-up email (and why you may not have received a response yet). It’s time to get into the details of how to write a follow-up email.
- email subject
- greeting
- body
- closing
- approval/signature
- follow-up: email sent on xxx – this is a super formal subject line for a serious email.
- response required: email sent on xxx
- network event reminder… another polite follow-up about an event.
- thanks for our meeting, this is a different way of Follow up with a person you’ve already met. you are not demanding a response but creating a connection.
- why didn’t you reply?
- did you get my last email?
- waiting for your reply…
- i know that you’re busy, but…
- I just checked in…
- resend the original email (see reasons above why this is not a good idea)
- provide the initial email (as an attachment or pasted below your email from follow-up)
- provide a reminder of crucial points (meeting details, for example)
- provide an external link to essential information (an event website or an invitation)
- I would like to follow up on my previous email.
- I would like to follow up on my meeting request.
- wanted to follow up…
- just following up…
- I am following the email below.
- I am following my previous email.
We’ve covered how to create professional business inquiry emails in previous blog posts, so we’ll heed our advice and keep this section focused.
1. how to write a follow up email subject line
It’s essential to keep the subject short, sweet and simple, advises Rebecca Zucker in Harvard Business Review. she suggests that 47% of all emails are discarded for having lousy subject lines. don’t make that mistake!
Writing a follow-up email subject line that gets results is challenging (we’ve been there). we should aim (when possible) for subject lines with five words or less. The reason is that 56% of emails are read on mobile, where the fewer words, the better.
You may or may not be explicit about your request. Here are some examples of follow-up email subject lines:
again, a serious subject line for a serious email.
- you know.
Don’t use the title you used earlier when deciding the subject heading for a follow-up email. there may be a reason the recipient missed (or ignored) your previous email. sending the same subject line again could result in it being ignored once again.
It can be awkward to send a follow-up email, but avoid being funny in the subject line for a follow-up email. some people may not share your sense of humor or even find it offensive.
some examples of bad follow-up email subjects include:
2. email greeting tracking
In the professional world, focus on formality. that means always using professional greetings unless you’re on first-name terms with the recipient. Do you want to learn how to start an email professionally and properly? check out our feature on how to start an email.
3. body of a follow-up email
A reminder email is a quick and formal way to publicize an email you’ve previously sent.
You need to provide some context with the first line of your email, which we cover in our section on starting a follow-up email.
We will assume that the previous email contained important information that you want the recipient to see.
There are several ways to approach this:
The choice of how to transmit the email or information is up to you. how you choose to do this will affect the structure, focus, and length of your email.
4. close a trace
You have politely requested a response, but you must also tell the person how you will use the information and what you will do if you do not receive a response.
if you are requesting their attendance at a meeting, for example, will you contact them by phone or will this be the last correspondence you will have?
In another example, if you’re asking someone to respond to an invoice request, for example, will you take further action if you don’t get a response?
don’t leave your reader confused about your next steps.
5. follow-up close/signature
a polite and professional farewell is essential. Don’t know how to properly end an email? Read our guide on how to end an email.
how to start a follow up email
The opening sentence is possibly one of the most essential parts of your email. so let’s take a look at some of the most common email openers and see if they are suitable or not:
formal email introductory lines:
these are formal sounding approaches. We’ll assume here that you don’t know the person and are writing in a professional context. these are standard lines suitable for all contexts (email reply reminders, meeting reminders, etc).
informal email introductory lines:
These are less formal approaches and suggest that you know the person you are writing to. We caution against using these when contacting someone you have never met or spoken to.
Proper introductory lines when including email:
These examples are suitable for requesting a reply when you have provided the original correspondence, either by forwarding the reply, pasting it under a new email, or as an attachment. Looking for more creative email opening sentences for your follow-up email? You’ll find ten more examples in our Top 100 Email Opening Lines feature.
when to send a follow-up email?
Before I describe how to write a follow-up email, how soon should you send a follow-up email?
A crucial consideration is whether the email response is urgent. take as an example; you are inviting someone to an event. you may have a deadline for a response. in this case, you may need to send a polite follow-up email quickly, which is acceptable.
If you know the person professionally, you have more freedom when it comes to following up on an email. you may choose to submit a professional request quickly, with the understanding that this will not damage your reputation or relationship.
Suppose you’re sending a follow-up email to someone you’ve never met or don’t have a professional relationship with. in that case, we recommend waiting about five days (a business week).
While it can be frustrating to wait for a response, keep in mind what we’ve learned about evaluating emails and be patient.
follow-up email template: flowrite style
flowrite is an artificial intelligence writing tool that converts short instructions into ready-to-send emails and messages. however, for emails such as follow-ups after no response, you can write the entire email for yourself.
Try it for yourself below to see how to follow up on an email with one click using our follow up email template.
Feel more confident about following up on an email after reading the blog post? we hope so. The next time you need to write a follow-up email after getting no response, just remember the best practices we covered in this guide or check out our follow-up email examples. better yet, try flowrite and our follow up email template.