What is a Cold Email Follow Up Template?
A cold email sales follow up email template is a pre-written email template you send after your first email to someone who hasn’t replied. It's like leaving a voicemail or gentle reminder to encourage a response.
Regular cold email follow ups ensure that your prospects remain engaged with your sales process. When you send a cold email, not everyone replies right away. Sometimes, they forget or miss your initial cold email. A follow-up helps remind them and shows you’re serious about connecting.
For instance last conversation, imagine you emailed a potential client about your new software. They might have missed it due to their busy schedule. Sending a follow-up can bring your email back to their attention.
According to Yesware, follow-up emails can increase response rates by 22% compared to response rate from a single email.
Why Follow-Up Emails Matter for Higher Responses
When you send an email, your job is not done. The real thing often happens with follow-up cold emails. These are the emails you send after your first one to remind people about your message.
Your cold emails should provide immediate value to pique the interest of the recipient. Solving pain points should be a key focus in your follow-up strategy to demonstrate value.
1. People Get Busy
People receive many emails daily, so they can easily miss yours. A follow-up email helps remind them about your message. It gives them a gentle nudge to check your email again. A trigger event such as a new product launch, customer journey, or a market shift should prompt a tailored follow up.
- Why it matters: People are often busy and distracted.
- How it helps: A follow-up brings your email back to their attention.
2. Shows You Care
Sending a very polite follow up email shows right person that you are serious about connecting. It tells the recipient that you didn’t forget about them and that you value their response. This can make them more likely to reply.
- Why it matters: Demonstrates your commitment and seriousness.
- How it helps: Suggesting a quick chat in your follow up can expedite decision-making processes. Shows you value the recipient’s response, increasing reply rates.
3. Increases Your Chances
Not everyone responds to the first email. Research shows follow-up emails can increase reply rates by 30%. This means you have a higher chance of getting a response with a follow-up. Create visually appealing emails to stand out in your prospect’s crowded inbox.
- Why it matters: First emails often go unnoticed.
- How it helps: Increases the likelihood of getting a reply.
4. Builds Relationships
Follow-up emails help build a relationship with the recipient. When you keep in touch, people feel more connected and remember you. This is especially important in sales. Tailor your follow-up emails to suit the job function of the recipient to increase relevance.
- Why it matters: Building relationships is key in sales.
- How it helps: Strengthens your connection with the recipient.
5. Perfect Your Timing
Timing is crucial. Sometimes people don’t reply because they are busy. A first follow up email sequence can reach them at a better time when they are more likely to respond.
- Why it matters: Timing can affect response rates.
- How it helps: Increases the chance of catching the recipient at a better time.
6. Answer Questions
Your first email might not answer all their questions. Every follow-up should aim to move the conversation forward, building towards a decision point. A follow-up gives you a chance to provide more details or clarify any doubts, helping the recipient make a decision.
- Why it matters: First emails can leave questions unanswered.
- How it helps: Provides clarity and additional information.
Ask questions in your follow ups to better understand and address specific pain point.
7. Stay Top of Mind
A follow-up email keeps you in the recipient’s mind. They might forget your initial email, but a follow-up helps them remember you, which is crucial in a crowded inbox. Utilize email tracking software to better understand the impact of your follow-up efforts.
- Why it matters: Helps you stand out in a crowded inbox.
- How it helps: Keeps your message and name fresh in the recipient’s mind.
20 Examples of Cold Email Follow Up Templates
1. Follow Up Email: After Cold Call
Following up with an email after a cold call is a way to remind the prospect of the previous conversation and maintain ongoing communication. This reinforces the main points discussed during the the initial meeting or contact call and demonstrates your attentiveness and proactive approach.
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2. Follow Up Email: The Friendly Reminder
A friendly reminder email is sent to jog the recipient's memory about a previous email or meeting. It is gentle and non-intrusive, designed to keep your message at the top of their mind.
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3. Follow Up Email: The Value-Add
This email provides additional value, such as a helpful resource or relevant information, to keep the prospect engaged. It demonstrates your willingness to help without expecting anything in return.
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4. Follow Up Email: The Case Study Approach
Use a case study to demonstrate how your product or service has helped other clients with similar challenges. This approach uses real-world examples to build credibility and show the effectiveness of your solution.
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5. Follow Up Email: The Problem Solver
This email identifies a specific problem the recipient might be facing and offers a solution. It shows that you understand their challenges and have a way to address them.
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6. Follow Up Email: The Social Proof
Use social proof, such as testimonials or reviews, to have sales reps build credibility and trust. This approach shows that others have benefited from your product or service, encouraging the recipient to take action.
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7. Follow Up Email: The Limited Time Offer
Create urgency by offering a limited-time discount or promotion. This encourages the recipient to act quickly to take advantage of the offer.
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8. Follow Up Email: The Event Invite
Invite the recipient to an other networking event, such as a webinar, workshop, or conference. This networking event can be a great way to engage them and provide value through educational content.
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9. Follow Up Email: The Survey
Ask for feedback through a survey to show that you value the recipient's opinion. This can help you gather valuable insights and make the recipient feel valued.
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10. Follow Up Email: The Complimentary Resource
This type of follow up email provides a valuable resource to the recipient. It positions you as a helpful and knowledgeable contact, rather than someone who is just looking to sell.
Offering a complimentary resource, such as a guide, eBook, or relevant article, can demonstrate your expertise and willingness to provide value.
This approach is particularly effective in building trust and maintaining engagement with potential clients who might still be in the decision-making process.
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11. Follow Up Email: The Direct Approach
The direct approach and first follow up email should be straightforward and to the point. It focuses on directly addressing the recipient and right person's needs and proposing a clear solution.
This type of cold email campaign is particularly effective when time is of the essence, or when you have a strong value proposition that you want to highlight immediately.
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12. Follow Up Email: The Personal Touch
Adding a personal touch to your follow up sequence emails can significantly increase engagement. This approach involves referencing a trigger event, previous conversation, a shared interest.
Or, personalizing the message to make the recipient feel valued. The goal is to establish a genuine connection and show that you remember and care about the details.
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13. Follow Up Email: The Customer Testimonial
Using customer testimonials in your follow up messages can provide social proof and build credibility. By showcasing how others have benefited from your product or service, you can reassure potential clients about the value you offer.
This type of follow up sequence email leverages the power of peer influence to encourage the recipient to take action.
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14. Follow Up Email: The Newsletter
Sending a newsletter as a follow-up email can keep your brand top-of-mind while providing valuable information. A follow up sales email is your chance to reiterate the value proposition to your prospect.
It’s a great way to share company news, industry insights, and updates about your products or services. This approach is less direct but can help maintain a warm relationship with your leads over time.
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15. Follow Up Email: The Warm Up
The warm-up email templates or follow-up email aims to reignite interest in a lead that has gone cold. This email often includes a reminder of previous interactions and an invitation to re-engage. It’s a gentle nudge that can help rekindle a potential client's interest in your offering.
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16. Follow Up Email: After No Response
How many follow-ups should you send the right person? This question arises when you haven't received a response to your initial cold email campaigns.
Sending a follow-up email serves as a polite reminder that you're still interested and available to assist. It’s crucial to remain professional and respectful, despite any frustration from the lack of responses.
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17. Follow Up Email: The Resource Offer
Offering an additional resource in your next follow up email template back-up email can provide further value to the recipient. This approach demonstrates your ongoing commitment to helping them solve their problem, even if they haven't responded yet. It can be a great way to re-engage a lead.
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18. Follow Up Email: The New Development
This type of follow-up email highlights any new developments or updates that might be relevant to the recipient. It’s a way to provide timely and pertinent information, which can reignite interest and prompt a response.
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19. Follow Up Email: On The Free Trial Offer
If you’ve offered a free trial and haven’t heard back, this follow up email samples can serve as a reminder and encourage the recipient to take advantage of the offer. It’s a good way to emphasize the value of the trial and how it can benefit them.
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20. Follow Up Email: The Follow-Up with Humor
Using humor in your follow up process email can make it stand out and leave a positive impression. It’s a way to show your personality and make the interaction more memorable. However, it’s important to use humor appropriately and ensure it aligns with your brand and the recipient’s expectations.
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How to Write an Effective Follow Up Email?
Writing a follow-up email can help you get a response. It shows you care and keeps your previous message as fresh in the recipient's mind.
1. Research Your Audience
Know Your Target Audience:
Before crafting your follow-up or break-up email sequence, it's important to understand your recipient's identity and needs. Understand what they like and what they need. This will help you write a message that catches their interest.
Why it matters: Knowing your audience helps you write relevant emails.
How it helps: Makes your email more interesting to the reader.
For example, if you are emailing a tech company, mention the latest tech trends they might be interested in.
Personalize Your Approach:
Make your email personal. Use the recipient's name and mention something specific about them. This shows right person that you have done your homework and care about them.
Why it matters: Personalized emails get more responses.
How it helps: Shows the recipient that you value them.
For instance, "Hi John, I saw your recent post on LinkedIn about sustainable energy. It was very insightful!"
2. Craft an Attention-Grabbing Subject Line
Keep it Short and Relevant:
Effective subject lines are clear, concise, and relevant to the recipient’s needs. Your email subject line should be short and to the point. It should tell the reader what your email is about in just a few words.
Experiment with different subject line examples to see what works best for your audience. Choose a follow up email subject that directly relates to your last conversation.
According to a study by Mailchimp, subject lines with fewer than 50 characters have higher open rates.
Why it matters: Short subject lines are easier to read.
How it helps: Increases the chance of your email being opened. Sometimes, using the same subject line for a series of emails can help maintain thread continuity.
An example could be, "Quick Question About Your Project."
Create Curiosity:
Make your email subject line interesting. It should make the reader want to open your email to learn a few more ideas. Ask a question or tease some information in same email subject line to create curiosity.
- Why it matters: Curiosity drives people to open emails.
- How it helps: Increases email open rates by making people curious.
Personalized subject lines dramatically increase the chances of your emails being opened. A/B testing different subject lines can help you understand what resonates best with your audience.
For example, "Are You Ready to Save 20% on Your Next Purchase?"
3. Engage with the First Two Sentences
Personalize the Opening:
Start your email with something personal. Use the recipient's or company name here. Mention something specific about them or their company name. This shows that you care and are not sending the same email to everyone.
Why it matters: Personalizing makes your email stand out.
How it helps: It shows you have done your research and care about the recipient.
For instance, "Hi Jane, I noticed that your company recently launched a new app. Congratulations!"
State Your Purpose Clearly:
After personalizing, tell the recipient why you are emailing them. Be clear and direct. Let them know what you want or what you are offering.
Why it matters: Clear purpose helps the reader understand your email.
How it helps: It saves time and gets straight to the point, making it easier for the recipient to respond.
An example could be, "I am reaching out to see if you are interested in a free demo of our new software."
4. Present a Compelling Value Proposition
Focus on Benefits
Write a follow-up email that reinforces the key benefits of your offering. Tell the recipient how they will benefit from what you are offering. Focus on how it can solve their problems or improve their situation. Use simple language that even a fifth grader can understand.
Why it matters: Benefits show the value of your offer.
How it helps: It makes the recipient more interested in what you are offering.
For example, "Our service can help you increase your sales by 30% within the first quarter."
Be Specific
Be specific about what you are offering. Give clear details and examples. This helps the recipient understand exactly what they will get.
Why it matters: Specific details make your offer more tangible.
How it helps: It builds trust and makes your email more convincing.
For instance, "We offer a 15% discount on our subscription plan if you sign up by the end of this month."
5. Include Social Proof
Mention Relevant Success Stories
Including success stories in your follow up email templates can make a big difference. Talk about how others benefited from what you are offering. Include a brief story or example in your follow up email templates email to demonstrate how your product or service has effectively worked for others.
Why it matters: Success stories make your email more convincing.
How it helps: Shows that others have benefited, which can encourage the recipient to take action.
For example, you could say, "Our product helped Company X increase their sales by 20% in just three months."
Build Credibility
Building credibility is important. When people trust you, they are more likely to respond. Use facts and figures to support your claims. Mention any awards, certifications, or recognitions your prospect's company name has received.
Why it matters: Trust is essential in building relationships.
How it helps: Makes your email more believable and persuasive.
You might add, "We are certified by Industry Y and have won the Best Service Award for three years in a row."
6. End with a Clear Call to Action
Be Direct and Specific:
End your sales follow up emails with a clear call to action. Tell the recipient exactly what you want them to do. Whether it’s scheduling a call, signing up for a webinar, or cold emailing or visiting your website, make it clear and simple.
Why it matters: Clear instructions increase the chances of a response.
How it helps: Makes it easy for the recipient to take the next step.
For example, "Can we schedule a quick call on Thursday to discuss this further?"
Make it Easy:
Make it easy for the recipient to take action. Provide links, buttons, or any necessary information they might need. The simpler you make it, the more likely they are to respond.
Why it matters: Simplicity encourages action.
How it helps: Reduces barriers and makes it convenient for the recipient.
You could include, "Click here to book a time that works for you," with a link to your calendar.
7. Add a Personal Touch
Use a P.S. Line:
Adding a P.S. (postscript) line at the end of your follow-up email can make it more personal and engaging. This is a short message you add after your signature. It can highlight an important point or remind the recipient of something special.
Why it matters: A P.S. line grabs attention and adds a personal touch.
How it helps: It makes your email stand out and shows that you took extra time to add a personal note.
For example, you could decide on a few follow up email examples like, "P.S. I noticed your company won an award recently. Congratulations!"
Sign Off Professionally:
Your sign-off is the last thing the recipient reads, so make it professional. Use a polite and friendly closing, followed by your name. This leaves a good impression and shows respect.
Why it matters: A professional sign-off shows respect and leaves a positive impression.
How it helps: It makes the recipient feel valued and respected, which can increase the chances of a response.
Some good sign-offs include "Kind regards," "Best wishes," or "Sincerely."
Conclusion
Using a cold email follow up template can improve your sales process. It helps you stay organized and save time. When you send cold call email templates as follow ups, you remind your prospective client about your offer.
Always make sure your follow up email templates or sales email, is polite and professional. If you follow these steps, your sales team's productivity and response rate can improve. It's important to keep your follow up emails short and to the point.
Mention the previous sales email or message to jog their memory. Highlight the value proposition clearly. This way, you make your sales follow up emails and process more effective.
Using a cold email or sales follow up email template is a smart move for sales professionals. It helps you keep track of your sales and sales follow up process. Always send follow ups after initial meetings to reinforce your message and commitment. Remember to stay persistent but polite.