How to follow up on an email with no response (with templates)

When to follow up

Most unanswered emails aren't a “no”. They're a busy person who read your message on their phone, meant to reply later and then lost it under fifty newer emails. A short, friendly follow-up fixes that more often than not. The trick is timing and tone.

• Something urgent or time-bound: follow up after one working day, or sooner if a deadline is close.
• A normal work request (a quote, a file, an answer): wait two to three working days.
• A cold email or a sales conversation: wait three to five working days, then once more about a week later.
• They promised you something by a date: follow up the morning after the date passes.

Two follow-ups is a sensible ceiling for most situations. After that, change the channel (a call, a message on Slack or LinkedIn) or close the loop politely.

Five rules for a follow-up that gets answered

1. Reply in the same thread. They get the context without having to search for it.
2. Repeat the actual question. “Just following up” on its own forces them to reread everything. Quote the one thing you need.
3. Make it easy to answer. A yes/no, a choice of two dates, or “a rough number is fine”.
4. Give them an out. “If now isn't a good time, just tell me when to check back.” People reply to that.
5. Keep it under 60 words. A follow-up longer than the original email feels like pressure.

Follow-up email templates

Copy these, change the parts in brackets, and send from the original thread.

1. You asked a question and heard nothing

Hi [Name],

Just following up on my message from [day]: [your question, in one sentence]?

No rush if you need more time. A quick note on when to expect it would help me plan.

Thanks!

2. They promised something and the date has passed

Hi [Name],

Just checking in on the [quote/file/answer] you mentioned for [day]. Is that still on track?

Thanks!

3. You need an answer by a deadline

Hi [Name],

A quick one on [topic]: I need to confirm [thing] by [day and time]. Could you let me know [option A] or [option B] before then?

Thank you!

4. After a meeting or a proposal

Hi [Name],

I wanted to check whether you'd had a chance to look at the [proposal]. Happy to jump on a 15-minute call if it's easier to talk it through.

Best,
[You]

5. The last, polite close

Hi [Name],

I haven't heard back, so I'll assume the timing isn't right and won't keep nudging. If anything changes, just reply here and I'll pick it up.

All the best,
[You]

Want one written for you? The free follow-up email generator builds a version from your situation, with no sign-up.

What about the subject line?

Keep the original subject so the email lands in the same thread. If you must start a new email, make the subject say what you need: “Quote for 20,000 cartons: still on for Friday?” works better than “Following up”.

The hard part: remembering to follow up

Writing the follow-up takes a minute. Remembering that you're waiting is the part that fails, especially when the original conversation happened in Slack or on LinkedIn instead of email. Common fixes:

• Snooze or a reminder on every email you send that needs an answer. It works, but you have to remember to set it each time.
• A “Waiting for” folder or label. Move sent emails there and check it every morning.
• Let software spot it. Senvoro's Waiting on others list finds questions nobody answered and promises that went quiet, across Gmail, Outlook and Slack, and writes the nudge for you to approve. Nothing is sent without you pressing send.