Follow-Up Email Templates
A good follow-up adds something new instead of asking whether they saw your last email. These templates run from a day-3 reply in the same thread to a day-18 yes-or-no question, each with its send day. Follow-ups matter: Belkins found they brought in 58.6% of replies, and that step 3 of a sequence booked the most meetings.
When the first email gets no reply. Every follow-up adds something new, and the send day is on each one.
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{{Purple}} fields are merge fields your sending tool can fill. [Amber] lines are the part you research and write for each person. That part is what gets the reply.
Download all 68 as a PDFFollow-up emails
Day 3: add one detail
Three days after your first email, as a reply in the same thread.
Subject: send as a reply in the same thread
Hi {{firstName}}, One thing I left out: [a detail that makes the first email more relevant, e.g. "teams usually hit this once they pass 20 reps"]. If [the problem] isn't on your list this quarter, say so and I'll leave it there. {{senderName}}
Why it works: A one- or two-line reply in the same thread keeps the context in view. 30 Minutes to President's Club says short bumps like this can double reply rates when done well, and Gong found guilt lines like "I never heard back" cut booked meetings by 14%. (43 words)
Day 6: a different problem
When the problem in your first email didn't land. Lead with a second one.
Subject: {{companyName}} and [second problem]Or try: a different angle
Hi {{firstName}}, Different angle from my last note. Teams like {{companyName}} often feel [problem 2] before [problem 1], for example [one concrete symptom, like "reps rebuilding the same list every Monday"]. We fixed that for [similar customer] by [what changed, in one line]. Is that closer to what you're dealing with? {{senderName}}
Why it works: If the first problem wasn't theirs, a second one might be, and a new reason to reply beats a reminder. Belkins found step 3 of a sequence books more meetings than any other step. (52 words)
Day 10: a peer's result
When you have a result from a company that looks like theirs.
Subject: what [similar company] changedOr try: [similar company] and [problem]
Hi {{firstName}}, [Similar company] had the same setup as {{companyName}}: [one detail they share]. In [timeframe] they went from [before] to [after]. The change that mattered most was [one specific thing], and it took [how long or how little effort]. Is [problem] something you're seeing too? {{senderName}}
Why it works: Put the proof in the email itself. 30 Minutes to President's Club found that offering to send a case study in a follow-up can cut replies by up to 47%, while social proof placed after the problem lifts them by 41%. (47 words)
Day 14: something useful, no ask
Midway through a sequence, to stay in touch without asking for anything.
Subject: [topic] for {{companyName}}Or try: [resource] for [their team]
Hi {{firstName}}, No pitch in this one. Here's [a benchmark, template or teardown] on [topic they care about]: [link] The part worth your time is [section or number], since {{companyName}} [reason it applies to them]. {{senderName}}
Why it works: Josh Braun calls these deposits: each follow-up gives something instead of checking in. Paste the link as plain text and keep open tracking off, since Hunter saw 7.4% replies without it against 4.4% with it. (36 words)
Day 18: a yes-or-no question
When longer follow-ups haven't worked. It can be answered in one tap on a phone.
Subject: [topic] this year
Hi {{firstName}}, Is [problem] something {{companyName}} is working on this year? A one-word reply is perfect: yes, no, or later. {{senderName}}
Why it works: It's the smallest possible ask. Lavender found mobile-friendly emails get 83% more replies, and this one can be answered with a thumb. (21 words)
Right after a voicemail
Straight after you leave a voicemail, so the call and the email land together.
Subject: voicemail from {{senderName}}Or try: called about [topic]
Hi {{firstName}}, I left you a voicemail a minute ago, so here's the short version in writing. [One line on why you called: what you noticed at {{companyName}} and the problem it points to.] Which is closest? 1. Worth a conversation 2. Not now, try me in [month] 3. Not for us A number is enough. {{senderName}}
Why it works: Josh Braun pairs a voicemail with a multiple-choice email so replying takes seconds, and says the pairing gets a 40% response. In Saleshandy's data, email plus calls got 2.5 times the positive reply rate of email alone. (57 words)
How to use the Follow-Up Email Templates
- 1
Pick the template
Each one says when to send it. Choose the one that matches what just happened with this prospect.
- 2
Fill in the gaps
Your sending tool fills the purple merge fields. Write the amber lines yourself for each person: that research is what earns the reply.
- 3
Copy and send
Copy the subject and body into your email or sending tool, read it once out loud, and send.
More cold email templates
The full set of 68 cold email templates has every situation on one page, with a six-step follow-up sequence and the research behind each rule. Or jump to another situation:
- First-Touch Cold Email Templates
- Trigger Event Email Templates
- LinkedIn Follow-Up Email Templates
- Referral and Intro Email Templates
- Breakup Email Templates
- Event and Meeting Follow-Up Templates
- Re-Engagement Email Templates
- Sales Reply Email Templates
- Cold Email Templates for Agencies
- Founder and Partnership Email Templates
Get all 68 templates as a PDF
One file to keep next to your sending tool: every template with its subject lines and when to send it, plus the six-step follow-up sequence.
Need the address first? The Email Permutator lists every likely format for a name, and the Company Email Pattern Finder works out the one a company uses.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should I wait before following up on a cold email?
Two to four days for the first follow-up, then a little longer between each one. The templates here go out on days 3, 6, 10, 14 and 18, and Instantly advises spacing touches three to four days apart.
Should a follow-up use the same subject line?
For the first one, reply in the same thread so the context stays visible. Start a new thread with a new subject when you change the angle, as the day-6 and day-10 templates do.
What should I write in a follow-up after no response?
Something they didn't have before: a detail, a different problem, a peer's result or a useful resource. Avoid guilt lines like "I never heard back"; Gong found they cut booked meetings by 14%.
Should I offer to send a case study in a follow-up?
Put the result in the email instead. 30 Minutes to President's Club found that offering to send a case study in a follow-up can cut replies by up to 47%, while social proof placed after the problem lifts them by 41%.