How to Craft a Follow-Up Email After No Response

You wrap up a promising meeting with a potential client, feeling optimistic and excited to close the deal. But the days pass by, and you have yet to receive any response. You wonder if they’ve forgotten about your conversation. Are they still thinking about your proposal? Did they find the information about your product helpful?

During moments like this, a follow-up email can be just what you need to drive a deal forward. A well-structured follow-up email cadence can help you bridge the gap between interest and action, allowing you to re-engage your leads, build trust, and guide them through the buying process. 

Discover how to craft an effective follow-up email after no response to boost your response rate and close more deals.

Your sales pipeline is like a bustling marketplace. You might initially converse with a potential buyer, but they wander off. You can’t just let a promising lead slip away. 

To bring prospects back to your offering, you must reignite their interest with a well-timed follow-up email. Here are some email marketing tips for writing a sales follow-up email after no response. 

Wait at least three business days

In Japan, the concept of “nemawashi”—laying the groundwork—emphasizes giving decisions time to mature. 

A similar principle applies to emails. By giving your recipient some breathing room, you’re allowing space for them to process your message, which can often lead to a more thoughtful response. In fact, waiting three business days before following up can yield a 31% increase in replies compared to immediate follow-ups. 

This short pause demonstrates persistence without being overbearing and allows your recipient to catch up on their backlog. Your follow-up feels less intrusive and more considerate.

Pro tip: Don’t give up after one or two follow-ups. Persistent outreach emails can increase your chances of a response and overcome common sales objections. 

Research shows that 35% of people follow up on their inbound leads with only one or two contact attempts, a far cry from the recommended 6 to 11 attempts. The 12% of people who persisted with 6 to 11 follow-ups were more likely to achieve success.

Here’s a recommended sales cadence for your follow-up sequence:

Remind your prospect about your last interaction

Reminders tap into a psychological principle called the “recency effect,” which suggests that people are more likely to remember the most recent information they encountered. 

This technique jogs your prospect’s memory and provides context, making it easier for them to pick up where you left off. Referencing the previous message also provides a quick refresher.

Follow these actionable tips to remind your prospect about your last interaction: 

Start with context 

Reminding your prospect about the last interaction should happen early in the email, ideally in the opening lines. Be specific but concise. Mention the date and communication platform—an email, phone call, or in-person meeting—and offer a quick recap of the main topic you discussed so they recognize the purpose of your follow-up.

For instance:

Subject: Following Up on Our Marketing Strategy Discussion

“Hi [Name],

I hope you’re doing well. I’m following up on our call from last Tuesday, where we discussed potential marketing strategies for your upcoming campaign. I wanted to see if you had any thoughts on our proposed ideas.”

Highlight key points 

Mentioning a specific detail or two from your previous interaction can further personalize your follow-up. It also shows that you were paying attention and valued the discussion. 

You could write something like: 

“In our last email, you mentioned wanting to explore a content strategy targeting young professionals. I’ve put together some additional resources that could help us tailor the approach to that audience.”

Pro tip: Take it further using sales video software like Loom to record a quick video walkthrough of the key points and embed it into your follow-up email. 

Let’s say you’re following up on a previous discussion about enhancing a marketing strategy. Instead of referencing it in a wall of text, you could share your screen in a Loom recording and highlight specific features you mentioned last time. 

You can also annotate your video to point directly to a chart, explain how the content strategy could attract young professionals, and showcase sample posts or visuals.

Restate your purpose

You’re standing in a busy coffee shop, trying to grab someone’s attention. You wave, and they look over—but there’s a moment of hesitation, and they return to their phone. It’s not that they’re ignoring you; maybe they just didn’t fully grasp why you needed their attention in the first place. 

Following up after a no-response email can feel similar. The key to cutting through this noise is making your purpose crystal clear.

This means reminding the recipient why you reached out in the first place and clarifying how engaging with your email will benefit them. Think of it as offering them a second chance to see the value they may have initially missed.

How do you emphasize your key message? Here are some tips: 

• Use fresh language and a clear email subject line. When restating your purpose, switch up the language from your original email. A clear, fresh subject line can set the stage, showing that this follow-up is relevant and has a purpose. Your subject line could be “Following up on your inquiry about [product/service].”

• Add value with context or an update. Provide new information or context that adds more value to your original message. For instance, if you previously reached out about a software solution, mention a recent feature update or a quick statistic on how it’s helped other companies. This doesn’t just restate your purpose—it enhances it, giving them a reason to re-evaluate your email.

Pro tip: Record and embed a quick Loom video in your follow-up email to reintroduce your purpose and personalize your sales prospecting. 

Let’s say your initial email was about introducing a new tool to help your prospect streamline their sales process. 

In your Loom recording, you could start by saying, “Hi [Recipient’s Name], I noticed from your recent case study that your team is looking to boost sales efficiency. I’d love to show you how our tool or a specific feature can help.” 

Now, the prospect sees your face, hears your voice, and feels like you’re having a one-on-one conversation—rather than reading a generic follow-up email. As you talk, they can see your screen and follow your cursor as it highlights the exact areas that matter to them.

Here’s how you can use Loom to follow up with a prospect and make your sales prospecting message more personable: 

This personal approach has proven to be effective. In fact, follow-up emails with videos can boost click-through rates by 65%. 

Add a call to action

Sometimes, the lack of response isn’t because your email wasn’t interesting—it’s simply because the recipient wasn’t sure how to respond or didn’t have time. A clear call to action (CTA) at the end of your email can simplify this process. 

This means rather than just saying, “Let me know what you think,” try something like, “Would you be open to a quick 15-minute chat next week to discuss this further?” 

You could use phrases like, “If now isn’t a good time, please let me know when might work better,” or “Would you like to schedule a quick call to discuss this further?” 

A CTA clarifies and tells your audience how to proceed, keeps the conversation going, and gives them an easy way to engage with you.

Stay concise

The customer’s  inbox is filled with emails and texts. So, sending a concise follow-up is a sign of respect. It can get overwhelming if every email reads like a mini novel. By stripping away unnecessary words, you make your message easier to absorb.

Instead of saying, “I was hoping that you could take a moment to review the proposal at your earliest convenience,” opt for, “Could you review the proposal when you get a chance?” It’s the same message but requires much less effort from the reader.

If you need to convey multiple ideas, you can use bullet points to make your message more digestible. 

Maybe you’re working with a client on a campaign and need their feedback on a few things. In that case, your email could read like this: 

Subject: Quick Follow-Up: Feedback on Campaign Ideas

“Hi [Name],

Just checking in to see if you had a chance to review the following:

1. Design concept for the social media posts

2. Suggested ad copy variations

3. Proposed timeline for content rollout

Please let me know your thoughts when you can!

Thanks,
[Your Name]”

This format helps you stay concise while making it easy for the recipient to respond.

Here are some follow-up templates for different situations to help you re-establish contact and encourage a response.

Follow-up after a meeting or a call 

Subject: Excited to Explore Next Steps From Our Conversation on [Specific Topic]

Hi [Name],

I hope you’re doing well! I wanted to follow up on our chat from [date/last week] about [topic discussed]. I appreciated your insights, especially when you mentioned [specific detail].

I’d love to build on our discussion and share a success story from [Company Name]. They implemented our solution and experienced [specific results, e.g., a 30% increase in efficiency]. This could help you with your goals for [specific project or need].

How about a quick chat next week to discuss how we can adapt these strategies for your team? Just let me know what works for you!

Looking forward to hearing from you,

[Your Name]

After sending a proposal

Subject: Proposal Walkthrough: How We Can Help You Achieve [Specific Benefit]

Hi [Name],

I hope you’re doing well! Just following up on the proposal I sent over on [date]. I wanted to share a quick Loom video where I walk through the key points—this should give you a clearer picture of how we can support your goals.

[Insert Loom video link]

During our last conversation, you mentioned [specific detail], and I think we have a great opportunity to help you achieve [specific benefit]. In fact, [another client or company] recently saw [specific outcome] with a similar approach. I’ve highlighted some of these strategies in the video, which you may find particularly valuable.

If you have any questions or want to discuss how we can fine-tune the proposal, I’d be happy to hop on a call this week to go over it together.

Looking forward to hearing from you,
[Your Name]

For prospective leads who haven’t responded

Subject: Let’s Boost Your [Specific Goal]: Quick Check-In

Hello [Name],

I hope you’re doing well! I wanted to touch base since I haven’t heard from you regarding [specific topic or inquiry].

Since we last connected, my team has introduced [mention new feature or update] that could help you achieve [specific benefit].

To make it easy for you to explore, I’d like to extend [mention incentives, like a free demo or trial offer]. This way, you can see our value without any initial commitment.

Cheers,
[Your Name]

Ultimately, the best follow-up emails share a few characteristics: They are concise, remind the reader about the last interaction, and restate the purpose early on in the email. 

• Personalize your subject line. A subject line is the first point of contact the prospect will have with your email—use it to grab their attention. Instead of something generic like “Follow-up,” try “Following Up on Your Interest in [Specific Topic].”

• Offer something valuable with your email. Rather than making it just another follow-up, accompany it with an additional resource, like a relevant ebook, an article, a webinar, or even an offer tailored specifically for your prospect. For example, “Hi [Name], I thought you might find this article about [relevant topic] interesting. It discusses how [product/service] can help with [benefit]. Let me know if you have any questions.” 

• Embed a Loom video to add a human touch. Your prospect opens your email, and rather than facing a wall of text, they play your video and see your smile as you say, “Hi [Name], I wanted to quickly show you how our tool can help you increase efficiency.” Since you're demonstrating the product features, they’re not just reading about it—they’re visualizing how it could work for them.

• Add an anecdote. Adding a touch of humor or sharing a personal anecdote will help you build a more personal rapport with your prospect. For example, “I hope your week has been smoother than my last Zoom call—where I forgot to mute my mic!” Something like this will help you break the ice, and if they find it relatable, they’ll feel more compelled to respond to your email. 

• Use relevant testimonials or case studies. Share testimonials or case studies relevant to their situation for social proof and to make the message more personal. Focus on something like, “I recently worked with a client in your industry who saw a 40% increase in revenue after implementing our solution. They faced similar challenges, and I think their story might resonate with you.” 

Pro tip: To enhance social proof and make it more personalized, record a Loom video where you elaborate on a case study that directly aligns with the prospect’s pain point and display key stats on-screen. 

After an initial conversation, a thoughtful follow-up can make all the difference between a lost opportunity and a successful partnership. It’s not just about sending gentle reminders—it’s about delivering tailored, timely touchpoints that resonate with prospects and compel them to engage with you. 

Traditional email follow-ups can sometimes feel bland or overlooked, though. To stand out, consider recording a personalized Loom video and embedding it into your follow-up email. 

Loom allows you to record video messaging that conveys tone, enthusiasm, and clarity far better than text alone. Imagine sending a brief video where you can explain your proposal, express your excitement about the potential collaboration, and even address any questions they might have—all while infusing a personal touch.

Ready to create a more engaging experience for your prospects? Improve your email follow-ups with Loom. Get started now!