Crafting the Perfect Cold Email Follow-Up + Templates

According to a McKinsey study, email is one of the most effective channels to generate new customers, and is a whopping 40 times more effective than social media. However, not every cold outreach email you send will receive a response.

In these situations, it’s crucial to create a high-quality follow-up email to increase your chances of soliciting engagement and — hopefully — a new customer.. This guide will take you through everything you need to know about cold email follow-ups, including their importance, how to write one, templates you can use, and more.

The Importance of a Cold Email Follow-Up

It’s impossible to overstate the importance of following up on your cold emails. Research shows that it can drastically improve response rates, as emailing the same contact more than once leads to two times more responses.

Even when your initial message didn’t yield a response, a follow-up email is still the right choice, as most potential buyers prefer being contacted via email as opposed to over the phone. Of course, both cold calling and cold emailing are still viable strategies as part of your collective marketing campaign.

Following up helps ensure your message actually reaches the potential customer, as it’s very easy for your cold email campaigns to get missed or lost in a flooded inbox. It also gives you new opportunities to present more information or value, and shows that you’re serious and willing to be persistent. A good follow-up email also builds familiarity and keeps you at the top of your potential client’s mind.

However, despite the importance of a follow-up, 70% of cold emails don’t get followed up on at all. As a result, many businesses are missing out on valuable leads and even sales by disregarding the importance of following up when their initial cold emails are ignored or missed.

When to Send a Follow-Up Email

In general, it’s best to send a follow-up email two or three days after sending your initial message. This gives the recipient enough time to see, consider, and respond to your email if they want to, without feeling like you’re rushing them.

If you send it too soon, it may come off as annoying and spammy, and your follow-up may end up hurting you more than it helps you. But if you wait too long, you may miss your opportunity altogether, as the customer may have gone with another solution or completely forgotten about you.

As for the best time to send cold emails during the day, you generally want to stick to the working hours of 9 am to 5 pm, with the period between 10 am and 4 pm having the highest open rates.

When deciding which day to send these follow-up emails, research shows that any weekday is generally a safe bet, as all have around a 21.5% to 22% open rate. This is compared to around 20.5% at best on the weekend.

At UpLead, we use buyer intent signals to determine when prospects are actively researching solutions. This intent-driven approach has helped us achieve 2x higher response rates compared to standard 2-3 day follow-up schedules.

How to Write a Cold Email Follow-Up in 5 Steps

Here are a few simple steps to help you learn how to write a cold email with the best chance of delivering results.

Step 1. Start With an Irresistible Subject Line

The email subject line you use for your cold email follow-up is often the first thing your target sees and plays a major role in whether they open your email. In fact, according to a SuperOffice study, 33% of recipients open an email based solely on the subject line.

The best subject lines for a follow-up email are generally brief (under 60 characters), relevant to what the email is about, and reference your last/initial interaction. You may also want to build curiosity with your subject line to further entice people to click.

Don’t be afraid to get personal with your subject line by incorporating their name, their company name, or other relevant details. In fact, data shows that personalized subject lines can increase open rates by 50%.

Some examples of subject lines you may want to use in your follow-ups include:

• Hi [Name]
• Quick question about [Company]
• [Name] – following up
• Re: [original subject]
• Quick favor to ask

Complex or ‘marketing-y’ subject lines consistently underperform because they trigger spam filters and look automated.

Step 2. Explain the Reason You’re Emailing

You also need to reiterate the reason why you’re reaching out again. Generally, this is to reinforce the messaging you had in your initial email, remind recipients of a past interaction or message, or encourage them to respond by providing additional information.

You don’t want to simply send a dull message that says, “Hey, I saw you missed my last message, please respond when you get the chance”.

Instead, remind them of the topic and propose a specific course of action: “I know you’re busy, but I wanted to circle back and see if you were interested in that meeting next week at [X time] to talk about [topic]? If not, is there a better time that works for you so I can explain how [product benefit or solution to target pain point]?

Of course, the information you include here depends on what the initial email was about and what you’re trying to get them to do. For example, your reasoning for sending a recruiting email to a potential candidate is much different than your reasoning for sending a sales email to a potential customer. Regardless, be specific with your request and remind the potential customer of the value you can provide.

Step 3. Lead With Value

Each follow-up should be unique, but brevity is critical. Our most successful follow-ups follow the same 3-sentence structure as our initial emails:

1. Brief, personalized opener
2. One clear value statement or question
3. Soft, low-pressure CTA

Adding ‘quick tips’ or article links makes emails feel like marketing content rather than personal outreach.

Also, if you use a tool that gives you access to intent data, you could use it to learn more about what the prospect is searching for or is curious about. This lets you tailor your value proposition to their interests.

For example, if intent data shows that your target is searching for terms like “easy to use SEO tools” or “which software is the easiest to adopt,” it shows they’re very interested in solutions that are user-friendly and simple.

As a result, you could add details about what makes your solution so easy to use, or link to a guide you had published that covers everything someone needs to know when getting started with your platform.

The more you know about what the target wants or needs, the better you’re able to craft an email that paints you as the right solution for them.

Step 4. Include a Tempting Offer

To entice the reader even further, consider including an appealing offer of some kind. This could be a discount, a special deal, or even a free product or service if they agree to a meeting or product demonstration. You could also include some exclusive content, like a relevant e-book or whitepaper.

Once again, you could also use valuable intent data to learn what a potential customer is most interested in, and then create an offer that’s specifically designed to get them to respond or convert.

For example, if your intent data shows they’re frequently looking at a certain product page on your site or a competitor’s site, you could offer them a discount or an extended free trial on that product if they agree to meet with you and/or become a customer.

Step 5. Finish With a Strong Call to Action

The last part of properly formatting an email is to always finish it off with a strong call to action (CTA). This is a concise, actionable, and clear statement that guides the email recipient to a specific action, whether it be responding to the email, booking a meeting, providing feedback, answering questions, or reviewing your proposal.

When you end an email with a CTA, it often moves someone from simply being a passive reader to someone who’s engaged with whatever action you’ve suggested or proposed.

The most effective CTAs are conversational and low-pressure:

Are you open to trying it out at no cost? 

Worth a quick 10-minute chat?

Who would be the best person to discuss this with?

Should I stop reaching out?

Avoid calendar links, downloads, or multiple options. One simple question works best.”

Cold Email Follow-Up Templates to Use in Your Sequence

Now that you know what goes into writing a cold email follow-up, let’s look at a few examples of simple cold email templates that you can use to help you develop the perfect follow-up.

1. Intent-Based

The Intent-Based Follow-Up. This follow-up leverages buyer intent data to reach prospects when they’re actively researching your category. It’s our highest-converting template because timing beats discounts every time.

Use this when UpLead’s intent signals show a prospect is researching solutions in your space.

Subject Line: Hi [name]

Hi [name],

Noticed [Company] has been actively researching [relevant category] solutions lately.

Are you evaluating options to [specific use case]? We just helped [similar company] [specific result] using [key differentiator].

Worth a quick 10-minute chat to see if there’s a fit?”

2. Referral Request

The Referral Request Follow-Up asks for a referral. This removes pressure while often getting your email forwarded to the right person internally.

This template consistently outperforms generic check-ins because it assumes they might not be the right contact, making it easier to respond.

Subject Line: Quick favor to ask

Hi [name],

Happy [day of week]! Quick favor to ask.

Who on your team would be the best person to discuss [specific capability related to their business]?

Worth a 5-minute intro call with the right person?

3. Helpful Resources

This follow-up email template focuses on providing additional information or resources that you didn’t include in your first message.

The hope is that one of the resources or pieces of information you share here (that was left out of the first email) entices them to reach out or continue the conversation. This could be additional features of your product, a relevant case study, or even customer testimonials.

This type of follow-up is useful when trying to sell a product, as you can highlight even more features that it offers to see if they resonate more with the target audience than the features you called attention to in the previous email.

Subject Line: Even more ways [product/service name] can help [target business or customer] succeed.

Hi [name],

I’m writing to follow up on my message about [first email topic] on [date]. In addition to [features/benefits mentioned in the first email], I also wanted to highlight how [feature not included in first email] can help your business [benefit to the business]. [This could also include more than one additional feature/benefit, but still do your best to keep the email concise.]

I’d also like to share [case study or testimonial], so you can see how businesses like yours have benefited from [product/service name] in the past. If you have any questions or would like to hear from more past customers, don’t hesitate to reach out!

4. Personal Mention

This is a type of personalized follow-up that either addresses a pain point directly, tries to form or strengthen a personal connection, or otherwise shows your target that you’re aware of them and their specific issues.

This speaks directly to the recipient and shows that you truly care about and empathize with their struggles. You can use personalization for various scenarios, whether you’re selling a product, trying to build a partnership, asking for feedback following an event or meeting, or even following up on a customer question or concern.

There’s also plenty of data that highlights the importance of personalizing your emails, whether they’re follow-ups or not.

For example, statistics show that personalized emails have a 41% higher click-through rate and a 29% higher open rate than emails that don’t have any personalization. Also, a McKinsey report found that 76% of consumers say that receiving personalized communication was a key factor in deciding which company to consider working with.

Subject Line: Following up with [company or customer name] about [topic of first email].

Hello [name], I hope all is well with [something personal about the company or its efforts].

Just reaching back out about [solution mentioned in first email] and wondering if you have any questions about how it could help you reach [business goals of your target].

Specifically, I believe the [feature of the product] could help with [personalized and unique customer pain point] and even improve [another benefit for the company].

Don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or if you want to learn more about why we believe [target company] could benefit from [product/service].

5. The Second Follow-Up Email 

There are no guarantees that your first follow-up email gets a response, so a second follow-up may be required. As you could imagine, a second follow-up email is used in any situation when your first two attempts yielded no response, and you have additional value, resources, or information to propose that may finally foster engagement.

Within this email, restate the value proposition from your prior emails and include additional information or instructions to encourage the prospect to reach out.

Subject Line: Quick question regarding [past email or follow-up topic]

I wanted to get in touch again to ask if you’ve had a chance to see my previous messages about [previous topics]. I still believe that [product or service] and its [feature] can help your business [benefit].

If you have any questions or concerns that are holding you back, I’d love to hear from you. We’re confident that [product] is right for your needs, as it [specific feature or component that the product has that directly helps with a customer pain point].

Don’t hesitate to reach out, and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

6. The Final Follow-Up

If you don’t hear back after your initial follow-up attempts, you’ll eventually reach your final follow-up. In these emails, make sure to reiterate the reasoning for your emails and the value you can provide, but also mention that it’s your final outreach attempt for now. Sometimes, recipients need to feel like their window of opportunity is closing before they finally respond.

These final follow-up emails should only be used once you’ve tried several other follow-ups to no avail, as they may be a little too forward or pushy to be used early on in your cold email campaigns.

Subject Line: Do you still have any interest in [product/service name]?

Hello [name],

I’ve reached out several times about [topic or product] and how it can [business benefit it provides], but I haven’t heard back. Whether you’re not interested in our product or need additional guidance, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

I understand you’re busy and have a lot on your plate, but I just wanted to reach out one final time to see if there’s anything I can do to help show you how [product] can help you [reach business goal, increase X, etc…].

Thanks for your time, and I appreciate your consideration. I hope to hear from you soon!

How Many Follow-Up Emails Should You Send?

There’s no exact right or wrong answer to this question. Some research shows you should send at least five, while other experts say you should send no more than two. As long as each message is unique and provides some sort of value to the customer, and they’re not sent too quickly after one another, there’s nothing wrong with sending multiple messages to encourage a response.

At UpLead, we’ve found 3-4 follow-ups to be the sweet spot. Our most successful sequence is:

• Email 1: Simple 3-sentence introduction 
• Email 2: Intent-driven follow-up (3-5 days later) 
• Email 3: Referral request (1 week later)
• Email 4: Soft breakup email (2 weeks later)

While sending multiple emails is fine, as long as they make sense and are different, be careful not to send too many. If you send too many follow-ups, it could appear spammy and actually hurt your chances of getting a response.

Final Tips for Sending Cold Email Follow-Ups

Here are a few final tips and cold email best practices to keep in mind when you’re sending follow-ups.

Cut to the Chase

According to a survey by Belkins, shorter emails have the highest reply rate, and the longer an email gets, the less likely it is to receive a response in most cases. As a result, cut to the chase in your follow-ups.

For example, if you’re sending a meeting request email, don’t overload it with unnecessary details or information that the recipient doesn’t need right now. Simply focus on the time of the meeting, what it’ll be about, and why it’s worth it for the potential client to show up.

If you hear back from the potential customer and they’re showing interest in your solution, and you’ve begun a dialog and relationship over time, then you can begin to provide additional details and information.

Invest in the Right Tools

Using the right types of cold email software and tools is also a great idea. This can include email verification software, outreach software, and a lead generator/data provider. For example, a B2B data provider like UpLead helps you accurately find emails, learn valuable intent data, build detailed prospect lists, and verify data in real time.

These types of tools ensure you have the right email addresses for whom you’re trying to reach and arm you with the data you need to ensure each message you send is tailored for the right audience. You may also want to use some type of email warm-up tool to give your email the best chance of reaching your target’s inbox.

Back Up Your Claims

If you make any claims in your follow-ups (such as being able to help companies increase sales or save them money on accounting costs), make sure you can back them up with either social proof, such as testimonials, or data.

Testimonials and data are among the best sales prospecting techniques as they not only substantiate what you say, but they also give potential customers more confidence in your services and overall reptuation

Some high-quality ways to back up the claims you make in your follow-up emails include:

• Including links to previous case studies
• Adding testimonials (written or video) from past customers who were happy with your solution
• Providing data from previous customers that highlight how successful they were as a result of your product
• Adding graphs or charts that highlight the growth you were able to help other companies achieve 
• Creating a realistic example or scenario that highlights how your product or service can provide value, if there’s no data or testimony to back up what you’re saying

Be Polite

Always use a polite, friendly tone in your cold email outreach. Thank people for taking the time to read the email, even if they haven’t responded to you yet. Also, make an effort to empathize with any pain points they may be experiencing (and you could even use this as a place to emphasize how you could help with it).

Also, do your best to be brief, so you don’t waste their valuable time with unnecessary details or long-winded paragraphs. While you may feel like pushing a little harder to try and get a response, part of being polite is being conscientious of people’s time and energy.

Stay Away From Spam

When designing your cold email sequence, make sure not to overdo it. Sending a few well-written follow-ups that are timed correctly is fine, but avoid sending so many that it becomes overwhelming or annoying for your target.

No one likes to be spammed, and bombarding companies with constant follow-ups when they’re clearly not interested is a good way to develop a bad reputation in your industry.

The Key to Effective Cold Emails is Verified Contact Data

Verified contract data helps ensure you’re reaching the right people and that their email addresses are still active and working properly. If your email list is littered with fake or outdated information, your outreach won’t be nearly as effective, as you won’t be able to reach as many real prospects.

The best tool for accessing verified and accurate contact data is UpLead. It has a huge database of over 160 million emails and boasts 95% data accuracy for your peace of mind. It also easily syncs with your CRM and gives you access to useful intent data.

It’s also incredibly easy to verify emails in UpLead: 

Simply log in to your account, navigate to the Verify section of the sidebar, and upload your email list. You can now begin verifying that all the emails you’re trying to follow up with are accurate and active.

If you want to try Uplead out and see if it’s right for you, don’t hesitate to check out the generous free trial.

FAQs About Cold Email Follow-Ups

Interested in learning more about cold email follow-ups? If so, check out these frequently asked questions, along with their answers.

How do you stand out in a cold email?

To stand out from competitors with your cold emails, consider adding personalization, focusing on key pain points, using a compelling subject line, and demonstrating research into the potential customer’s achievements, projects, or products/services.