Are you still sending just one email to your prospects? Or are you sending 5 consecutive emails, badgering your leads to read your initial email?

None of these approaches is going to increase your positive reply rates.

The best way to reach your goals is to combine a valuable product with a carefully designed outreach campaign with strategic follow-ups.

What is a follow-up?

A follow-up message is every message or email in the same thread you send after you have sent an initial email to your lead.

Cold emails typically won’t be answered on the first try. Leads may feel they are just another name on a list, also, emails are easy to get lost in inboxes.

By sending more than one email on the same topic, you are proving you have a real interest in doing business with your leads.

For a follow-up to truly work, you need to add value with every message. Simply saying, “Hey, did you see my last message?” will be pointless because there is nothing in it for your lead. Sure, maybe they didn’t see your last message, but maybe they did read it and saw nothing relevant, so with every new message, you need to step up your game and prove you are a valuable asset and a potential solution.

How many follow-ups should you send?

According to our research, the ideal number of follow-ups should be around 4-10 and no more than 12.

80% of sales occur when you’ve sent around 5-12 emails, while sending only one message, chances are your conversion rate will be around 2%.

However, if you send more than 12 emails in a single sequence, you would be risking being flagged as spam and therefore hurting your deliverability, which will essentially slow down your reply rate much more than sending fewer emails.

Don’t forget to space your follow-ups correctly.

Why should you send follow-ups?

Having a follow-up schedule in place offers many different benefits.

  • Progressively prove your value and establish yourself as a thought leader

The goal with every follow-up is to add more value. You can do this by including resources, sharing a similar experience, offering a solution you offered to someone else, mentioning other relevant problems your leads may face, or proving your knowledge on the subject.

Leads may not be convinced that you are the right person when they read the first email, but if you play your cards right, by the end of the sequence, they should know how valuable your solution truly is.

  • Prove interest and commitment

If you simply appear once in your leads’ inboxes, they may just save the message and not give it a second thought, but if they see several other messages from the same person, they will see that you are committed to being in business with them.

However, don’t spam your leads every day!

  • Avoid missing deals due to unseen messages

It’s happened to everyone. You log into your email and find it’s flooded, so you simply sift through a couple of emails you were expecting and completely forget about the rest.

However, with a reminder every now and then, your leads have the chance to actually read your email and check the entire thread from one spot.

  • Reach your leads when they have the time

You can’t know your leads’ workload at all times, therefore, even if you time your cold emails perfectly, you may catch your leads when they’re busy.

By sending several messages, you’ll be able to assess the best time to reach your leads and perfect your schedule to get replies.

  • Increase your conversion rates

Last, but by no means least. All of the previous reasons build up to your ultimate goal: close deals!

By sending follow-ups, you will receive more replies, begin more conversations, book more meetings, and, ultimately, increase your conversion rates.

How to write a follow-up

The structure of your follow-ups will depend on the number of steps you want to include in your sequence.

The added value follow-up

As mentioned earlier, in your follow-ups, you want to release or show your resources slowly to catch your leads’ attention.

Therefore, you will be adding value with every message.

The best thing about this approach is that by the end of your sequence, you will have added everything you want to add while managing to keep your messages short and sweet.

But how do you go about it? Simple.

  • Email 1: You mention you noted your leads’ pain points and helped a competitor solve the issue.
  • Email 2: Include a quick video explaining how you could deal with the issue.
  • Email 3: Include an ebook or webinar related to your leads’ pain points.
  • Email 4: Send a case study of how you solved the issue for your competitor
  • Email 5: Offer a product demo

This system will help you to guide your lead through your management process until you reach the demo.

This follow-up can be done in 2 different ways:

  • Either your solution solves different problems, or you will focus on one and only one problem per email.
  • Or, you can vary the format in which you bring value about a specific problem (e.g., a playbook, a case study, a template, an actionable plan, etc.).

The reminder follow-up

Essentially, what you’re doing is reminding prospects about your previous message.

This approach is particularly useful when you’re using multichannel outreach.

So, if you have sent your lead a couple of emails and then you go in with a LinkedIn message, you may want to do a quick recap so your lead isn’t caught off guard.

A smart way to use multichannel outreach is to leverage LinkedIn to bring your prospect back to your email.

For instance, if you do some research and find something personalized about them, you can reference it in your reminder so they return to your email.

Alternatively, you can share resources that complement your email.

For example:

Hey,

following up on my last email about {{topic}}, these are my favorite resources:
{{resource1}}
{{resource2}}

Cheers!

There are several different ways to do this.

You can also rephrase the important details or add a goofy meme or GIF to spark attention.

Avoid sending messages such as “Just wondering if you saw my last email” if you’ve had no prior connection with the prospect. In most cases, it’ll only annoy them.

Every email exchange should sound human and get you one step closer to a fruitful relationship between the prospect and you.

9 Follow-up email templates

Use case: After an event or meeting

With these follow-ups, make sure your leads remember you after they’ve met you.

1. Follow-up after a webinar

Checking back in after a candidate has already interacted with you or your content is a great way to hone in on their interests and keep them connected.

Subject: {{firstName}}, yesterday webinar

Hey {{firstName}},

Appreciate you joining the webinar on revenue-driven marketing at The Sales Expert Channel. Hope it sparked some useful ideas for you.

Since {{companyName}} is in [industry], you might find these resources valuable: • Case study: How [Company] generated $300k in sales opportunities with ABM • Framework: A full-funnel approach to B2B marketing

Would it be helpful if I shared a breakdown of how [Company] executed their ABM playbook step by step?

Let me know, happy to send it over. {{signature}}

You could include an image such as this one:

Why does this email work?

  • By acknowledging their presence, they’re likely to feel valued, especially if you combine additional resources that can solve their pain points or answer any questions they may have asked during the webinar.
  • Adding a personalized image will make the additional resource stand out more.
  • Extra tip: Include a recording with a webinar recap in your email so attendees can go back and revisit any time.

2. Follow-up after a cold call

After you’ve managed to speak on the phone with a prospect, it can go two ways. Either they book a meeting or a demo, or they need a bit more nurturing.

In both scenarios, it’s wise to send a quick follow-up after your call to make sure you address any pain points, concerns, or questions that may be lingering.

Subject: I come bearing answers

Thank you for your time yesterday; it was really nice meeting you, {{Name}}.

After our call, I decided to research more on {{topic}}. I believe this {{resource}} will answer most of your questions.

We can continue to discuss this further on a quick call this week, you can book whatever time suits you.

Stay safe,

{{signature}}

Why does this email work?

  • This opens the conversation by showing appreciation and giving context to the email.
  • The objective of this email is to make sure your lead does not forget about your call and that they get as many answers and solutions as they can on your part.
  • Include a valuable and relevant resource. It can be a playbook, an article, a tutorial, etc. The resource doesn’t necessarily need to be created by your company.

3. Follow-up after a meeting or call

When you finish a meeting, a cold call, a demo, or any type of pitch, you should always follow up shortly after the call.

You can use this email to recap, send any promised resources, or simply thank them for their time.

Here’s one way you can do that:

Subject: As promised

Quick follow up, as promised! It was great to connect and talk about {{topic}} at {{companyName}}.

Should you decide to give us the green light, here are the next steps.

{{nextSteps}}

{{signature}}

Why does this email work?

  • The intro line is light, so the prospect gets the context quickly.
  • Clearly defined next steps (personalized for each prospect) to make their lives easier.
  • You can add extra value by sending them something that will help you convince them to buy your product/service.

4. Follow-up after an event or conference

If you’ve already met a prospect in person, you’ll want to send a follow-up to keep them interested.

Despite being a follow-up, it will be the first email sent in your sequence, so treat it carefully. Here’s one example to help you out:

Subject line: Thanks for our chat at {{EventName}}!

Hey {{firstName}},

It was really nice to discuss {{topic}} with you during the conference.

Coming back to the office, I thought this {{resource}} would be interesting for you to dive even deeper into the subject since it highlights how {{solution}}.

Should we discuss it together? I can show you live how {{customer}} used it to achieve {{result}}.

Talk soon,

{{signature}}

Why does this email work?

  • When you meet in person, if you manage to tease the prospect without revealing your best secrets, this will give you the perfect opportunity to add a link that goes into more detail about what you can offer them.
  • Tailor your call-to-action to invite the prospect to reply and continue the conversation.
  • If you use this template, make sure not to wait too long to send it. Regardless of the timing, refresh the prospect’s memory of the event with the {{topic}} custom tag.

Use case: After sending your first message

5. Follow up after your first message

Buyers won’t typically be ready to purchase or commit with only one email, so after your first message, you need to prove why they should trust you.

Subject line: (same as first email)

Hi {{firstName}}, once you’ve prospected all those warm leads, the next problem is: who next?

Cold leads are less interested in your offer, so reply rates drop to <5%, and suddenly, those revenue targets are out of reach.

Could I share a video on how Authentic finds 2500 warm leads from LinkedIn, leading to $35k in deals each week?

{{signature}}
p.s here’s some ways Leads Solution and MyBrightside Agency use to scale using LinkedIn”

Why does this email work?

  • By using the same subject line as you did in the first message, it will be easier for your leads to link your previous interactions and you will seem more familiar.
  • You’re adding a problem (reply rates dropping) and an immediate solution (how to find warm leads).
  • Include social proof in your signature so your leads can do more research about you if they’re interested. This will help you prove your value without cluttering your messages.

After sending the 1st message, add a LinkedIn profile visit after 4 days and immediately send a message “I’ve just looked at your profile again and I think there’s real potential for {{companyName}}. Can we talk about it?”

Dorian Grenouilleau
Dorian Grenouilleau

CEO @Acquido

6. Follow up with valuable resources

Valuable resources can be personalized videos, case studies, articles, tutorials, and other relevant resources that could potentially solve a problem your lead is experiencing.

Subject line: quick idea for your Q1 2025

Hi {{firstName}},

Just following up on my earlier email about {{painpoint}}.

I know this can cause:

  • {{impact3}}
  • {{impact4}}

To show how others have successfully tackled this, I recorded a quick 2-minute Loom video for you:

In the video, I share:

  1. {{One specific insight from the Loom}}
  2. {{How a success case solved the painpoint}}

Is this something you’re also facing?

Why does this email work?

  • With your subject line, you’re announcing that you have a solution to make your prospect’s Q1 better, so you’re creating value right off the bat.
  • By mentioning their pain point, you’re alluding to a real problem that they need to solve, and 2 consequences if the pain point is not solved.
  • Immediately, you’re adding proof that you know the problem and you have solved it successfully several times before.

Use case: Follow-ups with a clear CTA

7. Follow-up to book meetings

This follow-up aims to book a meeting by introducing other members/experts in your team.

Subject line: We have some ideas

Hello {{firstName}},

We’ve selected {{companyName}} campaign as our weekly “What could this campaign be doing better?” round table.

In essence, we choose one very lucky company and go through it top to bottom to see what we can do to help your project grow.

We usually do a brainstorming session with 2-3 people from my team.

[PERSONALIZED IMAGE]

Erin from my team also took some notes about all the ideas that we had, so if you’re free sometime, I’d love to have a chat with you!

{{signature}}

P.S. Don’t want a follow-up? {{unsubscribe}}

You can include an image such as the following one, where you introduce your team members, you can also include company logos and personalized text.

Disclaimer: This image has been generated with AI as an example.

Why does this email work?

  • The custom image is there to grab attention and make the prospect visualize themself on the call with the team.
  • The simple call-to-action makes the prospect’s next step clear: reply to book a chat.
  • Adding an unsubscribe link is crucial to make sure that you’re not bothering your leads and you stay compliant with anti-spam laws.

8. Follow-up to find attendees for a webinar or event

If you’re hosting a webinar or an event, you can find attendees with cold outreach or using lead captures.

The follow-up when your lead has signed up via a lead capture will have to be immediate (or as quick as possible), and you simply have to thank them and include the link or address for the event.

However, if you’re inviting your leads personally, they may not have seen anything that appeals to them directly in the first invitation, so it’s wise to send follow-ups with information relevant to them.

Hi {{firstName}},

Thought it would be relevant to add more context.

{{co-funder.name}}’s Co-Founder, will host the {{eventName}}.

{{co-funder.achievement}}

Up for a productive 1.5hrs and some exclusive insights?

Please RSVP here before the weekend: {{invite.link}}

Thanks
{{signature}}

Why does this email work?

  • Make sure the achievement is related to solving a pain point.

Use case: The breakup

9. Follow-up to find the right contact

There are several reasons why a prospect does not answer your messages.

One of the reasons is that the person you are contacting probably isn’t the right person to talk to in the company. The idea with this follow-up is to have them connect you with the decision-maker.

Subject line: This will be my last

Hey {{firstName}},

Apologies for bombarding your inbox like this.

It seems like you’re not the right person to talk to about {{Topic}}. Is there any chance you could let me know who’s in charge of this?

And don’t worry, this will be my last email.

Thanks in advance!
{{signature}}

Why does this email work?

  • This shows you understand that you might have sent too many emails and that you appreciate they’ve stuck around.
  • Use the {{topic}} custom tag to make it absolutely clear what your email is referring to, so you make sure that it’s easy for your prospect to connect you with the right person.

Whether they answer or not, this message helps establish good relations for the future. You’re sending a signal that you are not too pushy and that you are only trying to address the right person.

10. The last follow-up

This follow-up email will be used as your final message. You can adapt the tone to make it more casual or more formal.

If you go for a casual approach, you could also include a personalized image.

Subject line: Gone but not forgotten

Hi {firstName}},

I understand you’re not interested at the moment, so this will be my last email about {{topic}}.

However, if you find yourself in need to solve {{painpoint}} with us, know that my inbox is always open.

Kindest,
{{signature}}

Why does this email work?

  • Even though you won’t contact them again, you’re leaving the door open for future collaborations when the time is right.
  • This email does not aim to make prospects feel guilty but simply let them know that you won’t be bothering them anymore.
  • As with the previous template, you’re establishing good relationships even if you weren’t successful.

While we have taken a more serious tone in this example, you can also go for a more humorous approach by adding a GIF.

Tips to send follow-ups

There are a few tips you should bear in mind when designing your campaigns.

  • Avoid guilt-trips

Saying things like “Clearly, you ignored my first message, so I’m forced to waste my time and write again” will fail you on too many levels.

Your time is valuable, but so is your prospect’s. Make sure you make every message worth it.

  • Be careful with the images you include

Including images that are too goofy or that don’t add any value can be annoying and make you seem unprofessional.

If you’re going to include images, make sure they’re smart and original, and add as much value as possible.

  • Space out your emails

You need to give your leads a couple of days to take in your proposal. If you bombard them daily or, even worse, more than once per day, they will delete those messages immediately.

Also, you could be flagged as spam, and no matter how many follow-ups you send, they will never reach your leads’ inboxes.

  • Include an unsubscribe link

Including an unsubscribe link will ensure you stay compliant with the CAN-SPAM act and GDPR.

Do not contact prospects again if they decide to unsubscribe. This could lead to legal issues, and you could make prospects lose all trust in your company by not keeping your word.

Should you send follow-ups?

In short, absolutely.

Sending several emails will increase your chances of getting replies that can lead to booking meetings.

However, if your email’s content is not valuable and well-written, it really doesn’t matter how many emails you send. Your reply rate will be abysmal.

Disclaimer: Every campaign is different. The number of follow-ups you can include will vary depending on different factors that you should consider before designing your campaign and follow-ups.

To see what works, we recommend you A/B test your sequences to achieve optimal results.

lemlist team
lemlist team

Your source of actionable outreach tips and strategies that will help you get replies and grow your business.