6 follow-up email templates you can copy

A good follow-up email is short, friendly and makes it easy to reply. Here are six templates you can copy and adapt — one for each of the situations where most of us end up staring at a blank email and postponing it until tomorrow.

What they all have in common: no apologies, one clear question, and a subject line that builds on the original thread (reply in the same thread instead of starting a new one).

1. Following up on a proposal

Hi [name],

Just checking whether you've had a chance to look at the proposal I sent on [Tuesday]? If anything is unclear, or you need to adjust the scope, I'm happy to jump on a quick call.

Should we keep [date] as the start date?

2. After a meeting — next steps

Hi [name],

Thanks for the meeting yesterday. As agreed, here's a quick recap of next steps:

[Item 1 — who does what]

[Item 2]

Can you confirm this is right — and who my contact is for [item 2]?

3. Internal reminder about a deadline

Hi [name],

Quick reminder: I'm still missing [the input/the file/your sign-off] to hit [Friday's deadline]. Can you get it to me by [Thursday noon]? If not, let me know and we'll figure something out.

4. Cold outreach — second follow-up

In cold outreach, the follow-up has to add something new — not just repeat itself:

Hi [name],

I wrote to you last week about [topic]. Since then, we've [new result/short case — one sentence]. If this is relevant for [company], I'd be glad to take 15 minutes on the phone — otherwise you won't hear from me again.

5. Chasing materials or input

Hi [name],

I'm still waiting for [the materials/the numbers/access] before I can move forward with [the task]. Can you send it by [day]? A quick "it's coming on [day]" is fine too — then I'll plan around it.

6. The final email — the "breakup" email

Once you've followed up two or three times without a reply, close the thread politely. It works surprisingly often:

Hi [name],

I haven't heard back, so I'll assume this isn't a priority right now — that's completely fine. I'll close the thread here, but you're always welcome to come back if it becomes relevant again.

Timing matters more than phrasing

Even the best template doesn't work if it's sent too late — or never. We've collected rules of thumb for when to follow up in How to follow up on an email without being pushy. And if the problem is remembering: Follow Me Up finds the emails you're waiting on in your Outlook inbox and reminds you at the right time.