Most companies do not reply to the first message from an unknown sender. That does not always mean „no”: the email may have arrived at a bad moment, got lost among others or been put off for later. That is why follow-ups, the messages that come after the first one, matter in B2B cold email. Below we describe how to plan and write them so that you remind people about yourself instead of annoying them.
What a follow-up in cold email is
A follow-up is a short message sent to a person who did not reply to an earlier email. It does not repeat the first message word for word; it refers to it and adds something new. A good follow-up can be read in a dozen or so seconds and says clearly what it is about.
Why one email is usually not enough
- The recipient may not have noticed the message in a full inbox.
- They may have read it, meant to reply later and then forgotten.
- A buying decision in a company often takes time or a conversation with someone else.
There is no single number of follow-ups that always works. More important than the number is that every next message has a reason to be written and that the sequence has a clear end.
How to plan the sequence
- First email. Short: who you are, why you are writing to this particular company and what you can offer it. One request, for example a short conversation.
- First follow-up. After a few working days. Refer to the first email and add one new element, for example a specific benefit or an example of use.
- Second follow-up. Show a different aspect of the offer, for example a different form of contact: a short phone call instead of a meeting, or a quote for a smaller scope.
- Closing message. You politely say that this is the last email on the subject and leave the door open for contact. This way the sequence ends and the recipient does not feel they will keep receiving reminders forever.
Spacing and time of sending
The intervals between messages should be long enough for the recipient to react, but not so long that they forget the previous one. It is sensible to send follow-ups during working hours and on working days, because the message then reaches people who are at their inbox at that moment. Weekends and public holidays are better skipped.
How to write follow-ups
- Refer to the previous message. The recipient should not have to wonder what it is about.
- Add value. A bare „did you see my email?” rarely helps. It is better to add new information, a question or a simpler proposal for the next step.
- Write briefly. A few sentences and one clear request.
- Keep a polite tone. No pressure and no suggestion that the recipient neglected something.
- Rely on facts about the company. A message tailored to a specific company does better than a generic template.
When to stop sending
The sequence should stop immediately when:
- the recipient replies, even if it is a refusal,
- the message bounces because the address is inactive,
- the recipient asks you to stop contacting them.
Sending further reminders to someone who has already replied is not only rude but also harms the sender’s reputation. It is also worth giving the recipient a simple way to opt out, for example a one-word reply.
Auto-replies and out-of-office messages
An automatic out-of-office reply is not a refusal. It does show that the address works and that the person will return to their inbox on a given date. A good habit is to move the next message to a time after their return instead of sending it straight away.
The most common follow-up mistakes
- Repeating the first email unchanged.
- Intervals that are too short and look pushy.
- No end to the sequence: reminders without a limit.
- Continuing to send after a reply or a bounce.
- Promises that cannot be kept, for example a guaranteed result.
A sample follow-up skeleton
A simple layout of four elements works well:
- Reference. One sentence reminding the recipient what the previous email was about.
- New element. Information that was not there before: a different example, a specific question or a narrower proposal.
- One request. For example for a short conversation, or for the name of the person who handles the topic in the company.
- Easy way out. A sentence saying that if the topic is no longer relevant, a short reply is enough and the contact will end.
The last point is often left out, yet it is what makes the message fair to the recipient. A simple refusal is better for both sides than silence.
Personalisation without overdoing it
A follow-up does not have to be written from scratch, but it should show that the sender knows who they are writing to. It is enough to refer to a fact from publicly available information about the company: its offer, its industry or the way it presents itself online. Avoid claims you are not sure about, because a mistake in the first sentence usually ends the reading. It is better to write less, but truthfully.
How to check whether the sequence works
Instead of judging everything by one email, observe the whole sequence: how many messages bounced, how many people replied, what the replies were and after which email they came. If addresses bounce often, the problem lies in the contact list, not in the content. If the replies are mostly refusals, it is worth improving the offer or the target group. Change one thing at a time, otherwise you will not establish what affected the result. With a small number of messages sent, avoid hasty conclusions from a few replies.
It is also worth noting down the assumptions for each sequence: who was written to, what the offer was and what the intervals between emails were. After a few weeks such notes let you compare campaigns with one another and not base decisions on memory.
How it works with us
In our B2B lead generation service based on cold email, every contact receives a first message, two follow-ups and a closing message. Subsequent emails refer to the previous ones and show a different aspect of the offer. The sequence stops after a reply, a bounce or a change of the contact’s status, and follow-ups go out during working hours on working days. Every sequence includes a simple note on how to opt out. We do not promise a specific number of replies or clients, because the result depends on the offer, the market and the reputation of the domain. If you want to discuss your situation, get in touch. We write about preparing the domain for sending in the article SPF, DKIM and DMARC for cold email.
This is not legal advice. Rules on sending commercial messages to companies and on processing contact data are worth consulting with a lawyer.