How to follow up on email
Silence usually means the message was read at a bad moment and then buried. A short follow-up with the context repeated is a service to the recipient, not an imposition.
What matters here
- Give every sent message that needs a reply a follow-up date
- Keep the follow-up to three lines
- Repeat the ask, do not just bump the thread
- Offer a smaller next step if the ask is large
- Close the loop when it is resolved
The two-date rule
One date for when you expect a reply, one for the follow-up. Without the second date, follow-ups depend on remembering, and remembering is exactly what failed for the recipient too.
Repeating the ask
A three line follow-up with the request restated saves the recipient scrolling. This is the single easiest improvement to any follow-up, and almost nobody does it.
Reducing the ask
If you have followed up twice, the request may be too large or too vague. Offer to make it smaller: a fifteen minute call, a one line answer, a decision between two options.
Frequently asked questions
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Disclaimer
This page is general information, not professional, legal, financial or medical advice. It describes common ways of working and how Prysm Note approaches them. Software changes over time, so details may differ from what you see in the product. Any product, company or brand names that appear are the property of their respective owners and are used only for identification. We do not claim any endorsement or affiliation. Where we compare approaches, we aim to describe each one honestly, including where a different approach may suit you better. Try the tools that matter to you and judge for yourself.