5 Secrets To Successful Follow-Up Email Templates [With Tips]

Would you like to learn to write a follow-up email? If so, we have you covered! 

Email is an extremely effective communication channel that businesses across all industries use to spark engagement, build trust, and generate sales. The thing is, most of the people you reach out to won’t respond to your first email. 

That’s a problem.

If people do not open your emails, you will miss countless opportunities to connect with subscribers and improve your conversion rate.  

The mistake many new marketers make is they assume that no response means the user is not interested in their product or content. In reality, there are many reasons someone might not respond to your email. 

Perhaps they saw your email but didn’t have time to respond. Maybe they were interested but got distracted at the last minute. There’s also a chance that they get a ton of emails every day, and your message snuck into their inbox without them noticing. 

Regardless of the situation, a follow-up email is an excellent way to reach these subscribers and potentially turn them into loyal customers. Today, I’ll share several ways you can fine-tune your message and a few helpful follow-up email templates you can use to grow your business. 

Are you ready? Let’s begin!

Tips for improving your follow-up emails

Before we share the templates, here are a few follow-up email tips worth remembering:

Don’t copy and paste your original email

You may be tempted to go to your original email and forward it to the intended recipient again. There are a few reasons this isn’t a great idea. 

For starters, you probably won’t see too many people open your second email. The point of a follow-up email is to elaborate on your first email, provide additional value, and convince readers to take the next action by following your call to action. If you send the same email that got ignored the first time, it will probably happen again!

Another reason you may want to avoid copying and pasting your original email is because it can look tacky and passive-aggressive simultaneously. Your subscribers might think, “they couldn’t be bothered to write a second email?” Followed by, “it’s kind of rude for them to clog my inbox by forwarding the same message twice.” 

I advise starting your follow-up emails from scratch so you can maximize your chances for engagement.

Select the right time to send a follow-up email

When sending your follow-up email, it’s essential to consider your timing. People tend to open and engage with emails at specific times. You could see a significantly higher open rate on your second email if you’re able to capture your audience’s attention during this pivotal moment. 

Here are a few handy charts to see the best statistical time to send your follow-up message.

Source

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As you can see, Tuesday, Thursday, and Wednesday are the best days to send emails. Research shows that sending messages at 10 AM, 8 PM, and 2 PM led to the most responses.

The times and days listed above are tied to your subscribers, not where your business is based. So, you may need to schedule your emails to go out at timed intervals throughout the day so users can receive your follow-up email at the right time. 

Don’t hesitate to experiment with sending your emails at different times and days. You may find that your audience is more receptive to your messages at times other than those listed above. Instead of a definitive blueprint, I use the data as a jumping-off point when I start a new campaign. 

Write an eye-catching subject line

Your campaign's success depends on the subject line of your emails. Research shows that nearly 70% of people will report an email as spam based on the subject line alone. When sending a follow-up email, there’s an even greater chance of users reporting your message, especially if the user has never engaged with your emails before. 

One way to avoid this situation is to write eye-catching subject lines that matter to your readers. People are far more likely to open a message instead of marking it as spam if they are intrigued by your headline.

Here are a few general themes you can use for your subject line and an example of each.

• Stir curiosity

Example: “Has this ever happened to you?” 

• Confirm a decision

Example: “Are you sure you want to leave with items in your cart?” 

• Offer expert advice

Example: “Need help with (X)? Here’s what our experts say.

• Present a limited-time offer

Example: “Only (X) days left! Sign up for our webinar today!”

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Feel free to use these examples and experiment with other options that make sense for your readers. You’ll find that a compelling subject line can result in more users opening your follow-up emails. 

Tie value to your close

A mistake many marketers make is they don’t close the deal in their first email. Specifically, they don’t connect tangible value to their call-to-action (CTA). 

If your audience doesn’t have a reason to click through to your website or social media channel, most will probably hit the back button and move on with their day. 

However, if you can tie value to your CTA, there’s a much better chance you’ll win over readers and encourage them to engage with your brand. 
Think carefully about the goal of your follow-up email. For example, you may want subscribers to visit your website and take advantage of a flash sale. In this case, the goal is to explain to subscribers why they should make a purchase today. A subject line that reads, “this offer won’t be around tomorrow.” with details on the discounted products can result in more email engagement, sales, and website traffic.

5 Successful follow-up email samples

Now, let’s look at a few follow-up email templates you can use to connect with your readers. I’ll include a little information about each template so you have additional context. . 

1. The new subscriber

The first template is for new subscribers, specifically, new subscribers who didn’t open your welcome email. Study shows that welcome emails have the highest open rate out of all campaigns (82%), so it’safe to assume that most people will read your first message. 

A big part of growing your email list is keeping subscribers engaged from the moment they sign up. Here’s an example you can use to amplify your value proposition and convince new subscribers to engage with your follow-up welcome email.

The Template

Hello (subscriber name)! I want to thank you for joining our email list!

My name is (your name), and I’m the founder of (your business). 

We created (product/brand) because we want to help more people (mention core company benefits). You’ve taken the next step on your journey by joining us. We recently sent you a welcome email, but you haven’t opened it yet. 

So I wanted to pass along the original resources from our email so you don’t miss out, plus give you a little something extra! :)  

• (Link to pillar content)
• (* * * ) 
• (* * *) 
• (Discount for first-time shoppers) 

We hope to see you around! If you need anything at all, don’t hesitate to reach out so we can have a chat. 

Thank you so much for your time! 

Best, (your name)

2. The personalized offer

The next follow-up template we will go over is the personalized offer. We found that emails with a unique offer tend to get 26% more engagement than other types of marketing emails. 

If you want to make a customized follow-up email that works, I suggest using your audience’s unique preferences, goals, and pain points to create an enticing offer. Due to the diverse needs of your subscribers, personalized emails will vary greatly depending on how a user last engaged with your brand. 

One thing’s for sure; a whopping 80% of people say they want more personalized content across all marketing channels – including email! So if a subscriber doesn’t open your first message, here’s an easy email template you can follow. 

The Template

Hi (subscriber name!) 

I hope you’re having an amazing day and enjoying (product they purchased). 

We want to help you get even more value from our brand, so here’s a special offer I think you’ll love. 

You can get  (product you want them to purchase) now at a special price for a limited time. I wanted to reach out to you first because (tie benefits of the product you want them to buy to the product they already purchased). 

If you’re interested, simply click the link below, and we will get you set up! 

Our team is available to help 24/7, so don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you have any questions. 

Thank you for your time! 

- (Your name) 

3. The event invitation

Now, let’s talk about how you can get more people to respond to your event invitations. Leaders across all industries host and promote events, like webinars, to keep their customers engaged.  

There is a whole list of benefits that come with this strategy. For starters, it’s easier to grow your social media following and build trust with subscribers if you’re offering tangible value for free. All you need to do is sign up. 

You can convince users to take action using fear of missing out (FOMO) marketing. Simply put, FOMO is when people do things they would otherwise hesitate to do, like make a purchase or register for a webinar, because they don’t want to miss out on important information or offers. Believe it or not, a whopping 69% of people experience FOMO every single day. 

Let’s check out a template that uses these techniques: 

The Template

Hey there, (subscriber name)!

Do you want to learn how to (task covered during your webinar)? 

If so, have I got an event invitation for you! 

On (date), we will be hosting a closed webinar called (topic). I believe this could be extremely valuable to you because (tie webinar to their needs/pain points). I sent you an email a few weeks ago about this event, but I know it’s all too easy to lose track of time. 

Our event is quickly filling up, so now is the perfect time to grab a front-row seat! I’ve attached an invitation so you can sign up before it’s too late. 

I hope to see you there! 

Best, (your name)

4. The product demo 

If you sell digital products, there’s a good chance you have the option for users to sign up for a free demonstration.These demos serve to convince people that your product is worthwhile.

You won’t convince everyone who schedules an appointment to become a customer, but you can convert more than you think with a well-timed follow-up email. 

Here’s a simple template you can use to win over more potential customers:

The Template

Hello, (subscriber name)!

You recently requested a product demonstration from one of our experts. We hope you were impressed by (product) and have thought about how it can help you (reach goal/overcome pain point). 

I know it’s no easy choice to commit to a new brand, so I wanted to reach out to let you know that we are here to help. You can contact our support team here (include link) or simply reply to this email with your questions. 

We will do our best to get you the answers you need so you can make a well-informed purchase.

Please feel free to reach out to us when you’re ready; we would love to get you set up with (product). 

I hope to hear from you soon! 

-(your name)

5. The cart abandonment email

Finally, let’s talk about shopping cart abandonment. Research shows that a vast majority of online shoppers who add items to their cart leave before they finalize their purchase. 

There are countless reasons this can occur, such as people window shopping, finding a better offer, or getting distracted. I found that sending multiple emails to customers within a week of their abandonment led to a noticeable boost in engagement and sales. 

People are more likely to return to your site and complete their orders if you reach out to them through email. As a general rule, I send three emails to users within one week of leaving an item in their cart. 

Here’s an example of a follow-up cart abandonment email we use: 

The Template

HI (customer name)!

You recently added (product) to your cart but forgot to check out! I know we live in an age of distractions, so this probably wasn’t intentional. 

I wanted to let you know that your order is still waiting for you. In fact, I have an exclusive 15% discount you can use to save on your purchase. Use this code (code) at checkout to redeem this offer. 

Here’s a link so you can quickly get back to your cart. Please let us know if there’s anything else we can do to help. 

Cheers!

-(Your name)

Final thoughts

As you can see, many methods exist to connect with your email subscribers, even if they don’t open your initial email. We’ve used the templates discussed today across multiple brands and noticed increased sales, engagement, and traffic. At the same time, we saw a significant boost in customer retention and satisfaction. 

I believe with a bit of editing to match your business; you can see similar results. Don’t fear to experiment with different offers, closes, and subject lines until you find a format that resonates with your readers. Before long, you’ll have a list of successful follow-up email templates you can use for years to come.