Hot take: I used to think sending a 'checking in' email was just annoying

For years, I avoided follow-up emails after sending a pitch, thinking they made me look desperate. Then a client in Austin I really wanted to work with ghosted me for two weeks after my first email. I was about to give up, but I sent a super short follow-up with the subject line 'Quick thought on [Their Project Name]' and just added one new idea I had. I got a reply in 20 minutes, and we booked a call that same day. It turns out my first email just got buried, and the second one showed I was still engaged and thinking about them. Now I always send one polite follow-up a week later, and my reply rate has gone up by like 30%. What's your go-to subject line for a follow-up that doesn't sound pushy?

3 comments

3 Comments

angelamurphy26d ago

My buddy had the same thing happen with a kitchen remodel quote. He sent a drawing and heard nothing back for ten days. He finally sent a second email that just said "Revised layout idea for the island" in the subject line, with one small change shown. The homeowner wrote back in an hour saying the first email got lost in a vacation inbox. They signed the contract that week. Sometimes it's just about getting back to the top of the pile, you know?

patricia_hill6026d ago

Saw a thing online that said adding "reconnecting" in the subject line works well, like "Reconnecting about the design project". It sounds friendly, not pushy. That kitchen remodel story is a perfect example, it's just about being seen again. My old boss would follow up with "Circling back on this" and it almost always got a response. Guess a lot of stuff just gets lost in the shuffle.

jana50925d ago

That "got lost in a vacation inbox" thing hits so hard. It's such a simple reason but you never really think about it from their side, do you? You just assume they saw it and said no. Makes you wonder how many good chances we all miss because we're too scared to send a second email.