My follow-up email template used to be way too long until a prospect called it 'a novel'

I cut it down to just three lines after that, and my reply rate in Portland went up by about 30% last quarter. What's the shortest follow-up that's worked for you guys?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_lucas11d ago

Wait, are you sure it was just the shorter email that helped? I mean, Portland's market is pretty specific. Maybe the tone changed too when you cut it down, and that's what people liked. My shortest follow up is just "Hey, circling back on this." but it only works if the first message was good.

victor_nelson11d ago

Yeah the "Portland's market is pretty specific" part is what got me. I mean, shorter emails work better almost everywhere in my experience, it's not really a location thing. It's more about respecting the other person's time. Dylanwells is right that the directness helps a ton. Cutting words makes you sound sure of yourself, not like you're begging for a reply.

dylanwells11d ago

Honestly I used to think the same way about longer emails being more polite. But after testing it, the shorter ones just get way more replies for me. You're right that tone matters, but cutting out all the extra words forces you to sound more direct and less like you're apologizing for bothering them. That "circling back" line is solid because it's confident and doesn't waste their time. I guess I had to see the reply rate jump myself to really believe it.