Rohan helps marketers with building an engaged audience and increasing their sales via SendX: Email Marketing Software.
This blog covers the different insights of sending follow up emails. Well walk through the most common mistakes made by marketers in writing their follow-up emails. By the end of this blog, youll learn about all the tips and examples to hone your follow-up skills.
You arent alone, if the thoughts of writing follow-up emails make you a little uncomfortable. Our instincts tell us that people arent interested in hearing from us, once we dont get a reply to our first email.
However, fostering healthy relationships with existing and potential clients is probably what sales and marketing is majorly focused on.
Yes, following up over email can be a mammoth and derailing task. Its only human to give up on something after several trials if you do not receive the desired response.
However, what if we told you 80% of prospects say no four times before they ultimately say YES to a follow-up email?
Luckily, writing great follow-up emails doesnt necessarily need to be rocket science. It is a matter of precision and smart content creation.
There are some common mistakes often made when writing follow-up emails. When done correctly, the chances of your conversions are bound to get higher.
We’re looking at some of these common mistakes made when writing follow-up emails, obtaining tips that can help you strengthen your email game!
Sending follow-up emails after meetings, interviews, or other important conversations is a crucial way to build relationships, demonstrate interest, and keep initiatives moving forward. However, many professionals make mistakes in their email follow-ups that end up doing more harm than good Avoid these common blunders in your own outreach efforts
Mistake #1: Having No Context in the Follow-Up Email
Perhaps the biggest email follow-up mistake is failing to provide context on the initial interaction. You should never assume the recipient remembers who you are, when you met, or what was discussed.
Without a quick refresher of those key details, your email will just confuse or frustrate the recipient. Brief context removes the burden from them having to piece it together based on limited memory.
For example, say you met someone at a networking event. Your follow-up email might state:
“It was great to meet you at the Recent College Alumni Mixer on Friday night. I really enjoyed our conversation about mentorship programs for new graduates.”
This quick opening provides context by mentioning when and where you met, as well as the topic discussed.
Mistake #2: Adding No Value in the Email
A follow-up should never just say “Thanks for meeting with me” or “Hope you’re well.” While pleasant, these generic statements add no value.
Instead your email should share useful information address action items, or continue an engaging discussion from your initial conversation.
For instance, you might:
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Provide the LinkedIn profile or resume you promised to send.
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Forward relevant articles or resources mentioned.
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Follow up on an introduction offer by connecting you with the suggested contact.
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Add more detail around a topic you discussed.
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Answer any questions asked or request answers to your own questions.
Adding value strengthens relationships and keeps dialogue going. Don’t miss the opportunity with a pointless follow-up.
Mistake #3: Sending Generic Follow-Up Email Templates
While templates can save time, over-reliance on pre-written language results in stiff, impersonal follow-up emails. Copy-pasting the same message to multiple recipients screams “mass outreach.”
Whenever possible, craft unique emails using the recipient’s name, custom context, specific shared interests, and relevant personal details. This level of personalization makes emails feel one-to-one rather than bulk outreach.
You can start from a template then customize each message. But make sure to avoid just blasting out cookie-cutter correspondence.
Mistake #4: Not Personalizing Follow-Up Emails
Building on the last point, failing to personalize follow-up emails is another common misstep. Even with original text, messages often lack personal or individualized details.
Follow-ups have the most impact when tailored to the specific person, conversation, and circumstances. Include:
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Recipient’s full name
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Where/when you met
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Topics discussed and interests mentioned
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Any next steps or requests made
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Questions based on their particular background
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References to individuals you both know
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Relevant projects or initiatives they’re involved in
This shows you’re contacting them individually, not just on your outreach list.
Mistake #5: Having No Call to Action
Don’t let follow-up emails fizzle out without a defined next step. End each message with a specific call to action, request, or question to keep conversation flowing.
For example:
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“Here is the report we discussed. Please share any feedback.”
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“I’d love to learn more about the open internship opportunities we talked about.”
Clear calls to action give recipients direction on how to engage further. Emails without them often go ignored. Define what you want the recipient to do next.
Mistake #6: Not Enough Follow-Up Sequences
Often one email isn’t enough if you don’t hear back right away. Follow up once more a few days or a week later if there’s no response.
You might say:
If you still don’t hear back after a couple polite attempts, it may be time to move on. But don’t give up after an initial unreturned email.
Mistake #7: Not Prioritizing Follow-Up Emails
Finally, a mistake many professionals make is failing to carve out time for follow-up emails. They end up put off indefinitely, resulting in missed opportunities.
Schedule time on your calendar 1-3 days after meetings and conversations to draft follow-up notes. Set calendar reminders if needed. Make it a consistent habit, not something you’ll “get to later.”
Follow-up emails show initiative, engagement, preparation, and relationship building skills. Avoid common pitfalls with these strategic best practices for polished, personalized messages that get results. Your career will benefit from following up thoughtfully.
Make sure that you have enough proof to leverage your email
Do people trust your company? Are you the industrial leader you claim to be? Chances are, your prospect is never going to research the facts.
However, things might turn out to be different if you have enough proof to back your claims up. When you want to advertise your product over follow-up emails, dont run behind proving it with your words. Instead, tell people why youre worth their time. Provide them with proof!
Take inspiration from the below examples:
- Use the banners of celebrities who have vouched for your product or service.
- Highlight the numbers behind your customer base (“XX people have been a part of our company”).
Your communication should always be offered
Every now and then, there are emails crossing our inboxes from sales executives who “just wanted to touch base,” “are just checking in,” or “circling back around.” Lets make it clear; these emails are annoying at best. These phrases are only meaningless and dont add anything to the mail.
Instead of delivering emails with zero connection, try adding value to your emails. You could try understanding your prospect or at least try to get into a conversation with them.
Take inspiration from the below example:
- Do you have any questions from our last interaction? If yes, reach out to know more.
3 mistakes to avoid with followup emails
What mistakes should you avoid when writing a follow-up email?
Usually, the biggest mistakes you need to avoid when crafting a follow-up email involve tone. You don’t want to seem pushy or demanding and also don’t want to come across as desperate. Instead, your goal should be to come across as professional and concise, as that generally works in your favor.
Should you send too many follow-up emails?
We don’t want to send too many follow-up emails, but they’re critical for leading the conversation toward a closed-won deal. Test out a few of these tactics in your follow-up outreach and watch as they make a significant difference in your response rates.
What makes a good follow-up email?
The heart of a successful follow-up lies in its balance of clarity, politeness, and timely delivery. Key is personalizing your email to show genuine interest, avoiding common mistakes like being overly persistent or vague. Remember, the timing of your follow-up, especially if it’s the second one, is crucial.
How to write a polite follow-up email?
The main things to keep in mind when writing a polite follow-up email is to be brief, focus on adding value, and include a call to action. If you follow these tips you can avoid wasted time sending follow-ups that don’t get responses and start getting answers!
