Cold email follow up: templates, timing and what to send
A good cold email follow up goes out in the same thread 3 days after your first email, is shorter than the original, and adds one new reason to reply. Send 3 or 4 follow ups over about two weeks, the last one a polite breakup email. Stop the moment someone replies, and answer that reply with the right next step: times to meet, a note for when they're back, or an email to the person they pointed you to.
A first cold email can land on a bad day, in a busy inbox, or with an angle that misses. The follow up is your second chance at all three, and it only works if it says something the first email didn't.
This guide gives you the timing, the number to send, 8 templates you can paste into your sequencer, and the part most guides skip: what to do once a prospect actually answers.
Revbound sorts every reply, writes back to out-of-office leads when they return and follows up for about two months.
Try it free for 3 days3 days free, every featureWhat is a cold email follow up?
A cold email follow up is a short message sent to a prospect who hasn't replied to your first cold email, usually in the same thread, to give them another reason to answer. It's the second, third or fourth step of a cold email sequence.
A follow up can also come later in the conversation. When a lead says "sounds interesting" and then disappears, the message you send next is a follow up too, and it's the one worth the most.
How many follow ups should you send?
Send 3 or 4 follow ups after your first email, so 4 or 5 emails in total. Stop at one and you give up on people who simply missed the first email, or opened it on a phone and forgot.
More than 5 emails and the returns drop while the risk climbs. Each extra email is another chance for a spam complaint or an unsubscribe, and both hurt the mailbox you send from. Woodpecker's follow-up guide lands in a similar place, suggesting 3 to 5 follow ups in most cold sequences.
Stop early in three cases: the prospect replies (even with a no), they unsubscribe, or the email bounces. Check your sequencer's stop-on-reply setting before you launch, because a cheerful "just bumping this" sent after someone said no is the fastest way to a spam report.
When to send each follow up
Wait 3 days before the first follow up, then space the rest 3 or 4 days apart and finish in about two weeks. Gaps much shorter than that read as pressure. Much longer, and the prospect has forgotten your first email by the time the next one arrives.
| Send on | What it does | |
|---|---|---|
| First email | Day 0 | Your offer, tied to the prospect's situation |
| Follow up 1 | Day 3 | Short bump in the same thread, one new detail |
| Follow up 2 | Day 7 | A new angle or a result from a similar company |
| Follow up 3 | Day 10 | One easy question, or a useful resource |
| Breakup | Day 14 | Polite close that leaves the door open |
Days count from the first email. Send on weekdays, in the prospect's time zone.
Two details matter more than the exact day. Keep follow ups in the same thread (leave the subject blank in your sequencer so it sends as a reply), so the prospect sees your first email right under the new one. And send at the hour your first emails get opened, not at midnight because the queue ran late.
8 cold email follow up templates
Each template below is a starting point. Swap the bracketed parts for real details about the prospect, and cut anything that doesn't sound like you. Want help with the first email itself? Step 3 of our guide to building a cold email sequence breaks the opener down part by part.
1. The bump
Hi [first name],
Floating this back to the top of your inbox. The short version: we help [type of company] [get one specific result] without [the usual cost or hassle].
Worth a quick look, or not a priority right now?
The bump works because it restates the offer in one line and asks a yes-or-no question. Keep it under 50 words. Never write "just checking in" on its own, it gives the reader nothing to answer.
2. The new angle
Hi [first name],
Different thought from my last note. Teams like [company] often run into [second problem you solve], usually when [trigger, such as hiring or opening a new market].
Is that on your plate at all?
If the first pitch missed, the problem was probably the wrong pain. This one tests a second pain point. Pick one you can back up, not a list.
3. The case study
Hi [first name],
Quick example that might be relevant. [Similar company] had the same [problem]. We [what you did, in one line], and they [result, with the real number].
Happy to share how it worked if it's useful for [company].
Only use a result you can prove, from a client who agreed to be named or described. A made-up number gets found out on the first call.
4. The question
Hi [first name],
One question and I'll leave it there: how are you handling [the problem] today?
Short questions get answered because they're easy. Even "we do it in-house" tells you something and opens a conversation you can work with.
5. The resource
Hi [first name],
No pitch this time. We put together [checklist, teardown or short guide] on [topic they care about]. A few [job titles] found it handy for [specific use].
Want me to send it over?
Ask before you attach. A link or file in a cold follow up can hurt deliverability, and "want me to send it?" turns the reply into a tiny yes.
6. The referral ask
Hi [first name],
I may have the wrong person. Who on your team looks after [area]? If you point me the right way, I'll keep this short with them.
This one gets replies from people who would never answer a pitch. When it works, you get a name, and an introduction from inside the company is a far better opener than another cold email.
7. The breakup
Hi [first name],
I haven't heard back, so I'll assume [problem] isn't a priority right now and stop here.
If that changes, just reply to this thread and I'll pick it up.
The breakup is polite and final. Don't guilt-trip ("I guess you're not interested in growing?") and don't fake urgency. It also gives a prospect who meant to reply one clear moment to do it, because it asks nothing of them.
8. The re-engage after silence
Hi [first name],
Last time we spoke you mentioned [what they said, in their words]. Is that still on the table?
If it helps, here are a few times that work for a quick call: [two or three real open slots].
This is the follow up most templates leave out, for a lead who said "sounds interesting" and then went quiet. Quote what they told you, offer real times, and make yes a one-word reply. If they stay quiet, keep following up on a slower rhythm rather than dropping a lead who already raised their hand.
Revbound keeps following up with leads who went quiet for about two months, and books the call when they say yes.
Try it free for 3 daysWhat to do when someone replies
Templates stop at "no reply". The real work starts when a reply lands, and each kind of reply needs a different next step. Pause the sequence for that lead first, then answer.
Answer with two or three real open times and a one-line recap of what the call covers
Note the return date and write back once they're back, in the same thread
Email the person they named, and mention who sent you
Thank them, ask when to check back, and follow up then
Interested: book the call
Interest fades fast. Reply with specific times that are actually free on your calendar, not a vague "when works for you?", which starts a back and forth that can run for days. Add one line on what the call will cover and how long it takes.
If they agree but don't pick a time, send the re-engage template above with fresh slots. A yes without a time on the calendar is still an open loop.
Out of office: wait, then write back
An auto-reply isn't a no. It usually tells you the return date. Hold the sequence, then send a short note a day or so after they're back, in the same thread so your first email sits right below it. Something like: "Hope the time off was good. Picking this back up, does [one-line offer] make sense to look at?"
Should you follow up after an out of office reply? Yes, but not while they're away. Emails sent into an empty inbox get buried under the pile they come back to. Late November and December bring the biggest wave of these, and our holiday out of office message examples include follow-ups for when prospects get back. If you're the one going away, our guide on setting up a Gmail auto reply shows how to switch yours on and off, and why to pause your own sequences while it runs. To write the note itself, try our out of office generator.
Referral: contact the person they named
"You should talk to Priya, she owns this" is one of the best replies you can get. Email Priya the same day, name the colleague who pointed you to her, and keep it shorter than your first cold email. Then thank the person who referred you.
Not now: get a date
Ask one question: "When would be a better time to come back to this?" Put whatever they say in your calendar and follow up on that date, quoting their own words back. A prospect who hears back exactly when they asked knows you listened.
Doing all of this by hand works at a few replies a week. At agency volume, across several sequencers and clients, replies slip. Revbound pulls replies from Instantly, Smartlead, Email Bison, PlusVibe, SendKit and ArcSend into one inbox, sorts each one (interested, meeting requested, out of office, referral, not interested), and drafts or sends the answer. It writes back to out-of-office leads when they return, contacts the person a lead referred you to, and offers times that are actually free on your calendar. Plans are on the Revbound pricing page.
Mistakes that kill follow ups
- Saying nothing new. "Just following up on my last email" asks the reader to scroll down and do your work. Add a detail, a result or a question.
- Starting a new thread every time. A new subject line on each follow up looks like a fresh cold email and hides your first message.
- Following up after a reply. If your sequence keeps sending after a no, or after an out-of-office, turn on stop-on-reply and check it works for every mailbox.
- Asking for too much. A 30-minute demo is a big ask from a stranger. A yes-or-no question is a small one.
- Guilt and fake urgency. "I guess this isn't important to you" and "offer ends Friday" read as pressure and get you marked as spam.
- Losing warm replies. The costliest mistake isn't in the sequence at all. It's the interested lead who replied in one tool's inbox and never heard back. If you run more than one sending tool, read how Instantly and Smartlead handle replies before your inbox splits in two.
FAQ
How many times should you follow up on a cold email?
Send 3 or 4 follow ups after the first cold email, so 4 or 5 emails in total over about two weeks. Each follow up should add something new, like a second angle or a short question. Stop as soon as the prospect replies, unsubscribes or the email bounces.
How long should you wait to follow up on a cold email?
Wait about 3 days before the first follow up, then space the rest 3 or 4 days apart, for example days 7, 10 and 14 after the first email. Send on weekdays and at the hour the prospect is likely to be working. Gaps shorter than that start to feel like pressure.
What do you say in a follow up email to a cold email?
Restate the offer in one line and add one new reason to reply, for example a result from a similar company or a short question. Keep it shorter than the first email and end with an easy yes-or-no question. Avoid an empty "just checking in" with nothing else in it.
Should you follow up after an out of office reply?
Yes, but wait until the person is back. Note the return date from the auto-reply, pause the sequence, and send a short note in the same thread a day or so after they return. Emails sent while they are away get buried under everything that piled up.
Should a cold email follow up use the same subject line?
Keep follow ups in the same thread by replying to your first email, which keeps the original subject line with "Re:" in front. In most sequencers you do this by leaving the subject field empty on the follow up step. The prospect then sees your first email right under the new one.
What is a breakup email in cold outreach?
A breakup email is the last email in a cold sequence. It politely says you'll stop reaching out and leaves the door open if timing changes. It often gets replies because it asks nothing of the prospect, but it should never guilt-trip or use fake urgency.
What should you do when a lead replies and then goes quiet?
Send a follow up about a week later that quotes what they told you and offers two or three real times to talk. If they stay quiet, keep following up on a slower rhythm instead of dropping them. A lead who already said they were interested is worth far more effort than a new cold prospect.