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How to Create the Perfect Follow-Up Email

How to Create the Perfect Follow-Up Email

Introduction

We all have been there waiting for a reply, thinking if it's appropriate to send a follow-up email. Almost everyone feels awkward and uncomfortable while sending a follow-up email. We know one might think that it is a big deal, but it's not. It is because not everyone gets a reply in the very first email. If we look at the statistics, the percentage of people who got a response on their first email is lower than those who sent follow-up emails.

Sometimes, people don't get a reply even on their second or third follow-up email. Sending a follow-up email is a big deal because you are not only looking for a response. There is a reason why you send follow-up emails, and you most certainly want to accomplish it.

The most important thing about writing a follow-up email is that you want the addressed person to open it. Not many people get a reply even after the third or fourth email, so crafting an excellent follow-up email is essential.

You don't have to wonder about how to write your follow-up email, here is our guide on writing the best follow-up email.

A Guide on Writing the Best Follow-Up Email

What is your objective?

While writing a follow-up email, it is best to collect your thoughts and write with a focused objective. There are several reasons to write a follow-up email; here are some of them.

To Catch-up

It is essential to send a follow-up email if you haven't talked with a contact for some time. This will let you know if they need your services due to changes in their business. It can be fruitful because business always changes and maybe they need your services.

Please make sure you tell them precisely what you are looking for, and how much you care about them. Don't just send something vague and lazy-looking.

Looking Forward to Meeting

So you and your contact have had your introduction, and you pass the informational stage. Now, as you start working, there are a few things you want to ask in person.

Try to write an email with your exact prospect, and mail it to them. Tell them as precisely as you can why you want to meet them. It will increase their interest, and you are most likely to get a response.

A Thank You

This is the most critical follow-up message of all. After you are done providing someone with your service, you should craft a thank you follow-up email. It will work as a promotion to your services or product.

This type of follow-up messages don't get you a reply, but your contacts will end business with you on a pleasant note. Who knows, they might even come back or refer you to other people.

Information

If you want some information from a client or your contact, make sure to be as precise and on point as possible. Being precise and specific ill save you and your contact a lot of time, and they will be able to help you much more efficiently.

What is Your Context?

We all receive hundreds of emails every day, and we don't open all of them, but only the important-looking ones. So provide your contact with a short but attractive context or personal relation. Make sure your context makes them open your follow-up email.

This part is essential if you haven't had a conversation with this person before or if you guys are not that close.

What is the Purpose of your Follow-Up Email?

As we said before, there is always a purpose for writing a follow-up email. So make sure you are not vague about it. When people are unclear about their purpose for sending an email, it makes them look not-so-genuine.

State accurately and as precisely as you can about the purpose of your email. It will be easier to gain their attention this way, and you won't be wasting anyone's time.

Do you Add Subject in your Follow-Up Emails?

We all know how important it is to write subjects in a letter, right? Having a subject line on emails is just as important.

While writing a subject for your follow-up email, make sure they are attractive, and grab the person's interest as soon as they see. It is best to write a good subject after you are done crafting the rest of your email. In this way, you will have a specific and summarized subject in your mind already.

The rate of opening an email because of an attractive subject line is more than the ones that don't have a good subject.

Don't use the word 'quick' in your subject, it sounds aggressive, and people don't tend to open it. However, starting your email with 'tomorrow' or using it in your email makes people open your email more.

What's the Perfect Timing for Follow-Up Emails?

Based upon different scenarios, there are different times for sending follow-up emails in each of these scenarios. This timing is essential because it makes your follow-up email more relevant, and people tend to reply faster if it's the right time.

Thank You Emails – you have come from a meeting, and you want to send a thank you email, the best time is within 24 hours.

Employment or Work-Related Request – you can send a follow-up email after 48 hours of submitting some important documents. You can be specific about why you are urgently sending a follow-up email.

Feedback – after one or two weeks of a meeting, you want feedback on your employment request to send them a follow-up email.

Catching-up – if you want to catch up on one of your previous contacts to see if their business has changed or not. The perfect time for sending a follow-up email is three months.

Conclusion

People tend to respond more to a follow-up email then your very first email. The lead conversion rate on a follow-up email is far more than the first email.

Make sure you take care of the points mentioned above. You don't want to send a vague and spam-looking email to your contacts or clients. Make your email more specific, purpose-focused, and with a clear objective in mind.