How to Follow Up When They Haven't Responded

You sent an email. It's been three days. No reply. Now you're stuck in that awkward place: you need a response, but you don't want to be annoying.

So you don't follow up. Or you send something weak like "Just bumping this to the top of your inbox!" And nothing happens.

Here's the thing: following up isn't annoying. Busy people miss emails. They mean to respond and forget. A polite follow-up is often a relief: it gives them another chance to reply without having to dig through their inbox.

Why People Don't Respond

Before you follow up, understand why they might not have replied:

• They're busy. Your email got buried.
• They're not sure how to respond. They need to think or check something.
• The email was too long. They didn't have time to parse it.
• They're waiting on something. They'll reply when they know more.
• They're not interested. (This is less common than you think.)

Most of the time, it's the first two. A follow-up solves both.

The Anatomy of a Good Follow-Up

Notice what the second one does:

• Brief context (which proposal, when)
• Adds value (new information about flexibility)
• Makes it easy to reply (offers a call, offers to wait)
• Gives them an out (no pressure)

The Follow-Up Formula

1. Reference the Original

Don't make them search for context. "Following up on [specific thing] from [when]."

2. Add Something New

Give them a reason to read this email, not just a reminder that the last one exists. New information, a simplified ask, an alternative approach.

3. Make It Easy to Say Yes (or No)

"Would Tuesday or Wednesday work?" is easier to answer than "When are you free?" And "Let me know if now isn't the right time" lets them off the hook without ghosting.

4. Keep It Short

Your follow-up should be shorter than your original email. If they didn't respond to a long email, a longer follow-up won't help.

How Many Follow-Ups Are Okay?

For important things: 2-3 follow-ups over 2-3 weeks is reasonable.

After that, one final email: "I'll assume the timing isn't right. No worries, feel free to reach out if that changes."

That's it. More than 4 emails without a response is pushy.

For less important things: one follow-up after a few days. If nothing, move on.

When to Follow Up

• First follow-up: 3-5 business days after original
• Second follow-up: 5-7 business days after first
• Final follow-up: A week later, to gracefully close the loop

Earlier is okay for urgent things. Later is okay for big asks (like job applications).

What ColdCheck Does Here

Instead of staring at the follow-up wondering how to phrase it, you describe the situation:

"Following up with Sarah about the proposal from last week. She hasn't responded. Want to mention we're flexible on timing and offer to chat or wait until January."

ColdCheck writes the follow-up in your voice. The more you use it, the better it gets at matching your style, so the follow-up sounds like you, not like a template.

Follow-Up Templates You Can Steal

Simple bump:

Hi [Name], wanted to make sure this didn't get lost. Let me know if you need anything else from me.

Adding information:

Hi [Name], following up on [thing]. I realized I didn't mention [new info]. Happy to chat if helpful.

Offering an out:

Hi [Name], just checking if now's the right time for this. If not, happy to reconnect in [timeframe].

Final follow-up:

Hi [Name], I'll assume the timing isn't right. Totally understand. Feel free to reach out if anything changes.

The Bottom Line

Following up isn't annoying. It's necessary. Keep it short, add value, and make it easy to respond. After 2-3 attempts, let it go gracefully.

And if you're not sure how to phrase the follow-up, ColdCheck can generate one from your description. It'll sound like you, and it'll take 30 seconds instead of 10 minutes of staring at the screen.