Follow-Up Email After No Response: 8 Versions to Copy
Eight follow-up emails for a proposal, a quote, a call, a meeting request or an invoice that got no answer, with the day to send each.
Robbert Veer, Founder
10 min read
A follow-up email after no response should do three things in under 100 words. Name what you sent and when, add one new reason to answer, and ask a question the reader can answer in one line. After a proposal or a quote, wait 3 business days. Here is a version you can copy now.
Subject: Re: [subject of your last email]
Hi [first name],
I sent [the proposal, the quote or my notes] on [day]. Since then I looked at [the thing you discussed] again, and [what you found today].
Would [option A] or [option B] suit you better?
[Your name]
Eight versions follow, one for each moment an agency goes unanswered by someone it has already spoken to. Each follow-up email template uses square brackets for the parts you replace.
When should you send a follow-up email after no response?
Wait 2 to 3 business days in most cases, and match the wait to what is at stake.
| What went unanswered | First follow-up | Second follow-up | If still nothing |
|---|---|---|---|
| A proposal | 3 business days later | 1 week after the first | Call, then the last email |
| A quote | 3 business days later | 1 week after the first | Call, then the last email |
| A discovery call recap | 3 business days later | 1 week after the first | The last email |
| A meeting request | 2 business days later | 4 business days after the first | Call |
| "Get back to me next month" | On the date they named | 1 week after the first | The last email |
| An invoice | The day after the due date | 1 week after the first | Call |
These waits are our rules of thumb. No study sits behind them.
The best figure we know covers outreach of all kinds, link requests included. In a 2019 study of 12 million outreach emails by Backlinko and Pitchbox, one follow-up brought 65.8% more replies than a single email (Backlinko). That study did not single out warm contacts, so we give no number for them.
The 8 versions
The business in the examples, Harbor Street Plumbing at harborstreetplumbing.example, is made up. So are the prices, the dates and the invoice number.
1. After a proposal
You sent a proposal 3 business days ago and heard nothing.
Subject: Re: Proposal for [company]'s website
Hi [first name],
I sent the proposal on [day]. Before writing this I opened [company]'s site again, and [the problem you discussed] is still there. [One sentence on what that costs them this week.]
Two questions would help me. Is the scope right? And is [start date] still the start you have in mind?
[Your name]
Filled in.
Subject: Re: Proposal for Harbor Street Plumbing's website
Hi Maria,
I sent the proposal on Tuesday. Before writing this I opened harborstreetplumbing.example on my phone again, and the "Request a quote" form still fails on the last step. Anyone who tries it this week leaves without reaching you.
Two questions would help me. Is the scope right? And is March 3 still the start you have in mind?
Sam
Why it is built this way. It reports something true about today, and it asks two questions that each take one line to answer. If the proposal itself needs work, start from our web design proposal template.
2. After a quote
A quote is shorter than a proposal, and silence after one can be about the number.
Subject: Re: Quote for [project]
Hi [first name],
Did the quote for [project] reach the right person? I sent it on [day].
If the total is the sticking point, I can split the work into two phases and price each one. Shall I?
[Your name]
Why it is built this way. It makes price safe to mention, and it ends on a yes-or-no question. Our guide to sales objections covers the conversation that follows.
3. After a discovery call
The call went well, you sent a recap and then nothing came back.
Subject: Re: Notes from our call on [day]
Hi [first name],
On our call you said [their goal, in their words]. The next step we agreed was [next step].
I've held [day and time] for it. Does that still work, or should I move it?
[Your name]
Filled in.
Subject: Re: Notes from our call on Thursday
Hi Maria,
On our call you said you want the phone to ring for emergency jobs, and that callers keep asking whether you cover Riverside. The next step we agreed was a one-page plan with a price.
I've held Wednesday at 2:00 PM to walk you through it. Does that still work, or should I move it?
Sam
Why it is built this way. It quotes the owner back to herself, which shows you listened. A held time is easier to confirm than to invent. Better calls make this email easier to write, and our discovery call questions help with that.
4. After a meeting request
You asked a warm contact for a meeting. A referral, a past client or someone who replied once.
Subject: Re: [original subject]
Hi [first name],
I asked for 30 minutes last week. That is a lot to find in a working day.
Would a 10-minute phone call do instead? I can ring you on [day] at [time] or at [time]. Pick one and I'll call [their number].
[Your name]
Why it is built this way. It cuts the ask to a third and removes the scheduling work. The owner only has to pick a time.
5. After "get back to me next month"
They asked you to come back later. You did, and they have not answered.
Subject: Following up, as you asked
Hi [first name],
When we spoke on [date], you asked me to come back in [month]. So here I am.
Has anything changed on your side? On mine, [one new thing, such as a finished project for a similar business or a fresh look at their site].
If the timing is still off, name the month that suits you and I'll write then.
[Your name]
Why it is built this way. It reminds the owner that this follow-up was their idea. It also offers a way to postpone again, which keeps the door open.
6. After an invoice
The due date has passed. Assume the invoice was missed and make paying easy.
Subject: Invoice [number] for [project], due [date]
Hi [first name],
Invoice [number] for [amount] was due on [date], and I can't see a payment yet. I've attached it again.
Could you tell me the date it is scheduled to be paid? If something on it needs correcting, say so and I'll fix it today.
[Your name]
Filled in.
Subject: Invoice 1042 for the website rebuild, due October 30
Hi Maria,
Invoice 1042 for $2,400 was due on October 30, and I can't see a payment yet. I've attached it again.
Could you tell me the date it is scheduled to be paid? If something on it needs correcting, say so and I'll fix it today.
Sam
Why it is built this way. It states the facts with no blame, and it asks for a date instead of a promise. Use a new subject line here, because an invoice is its own matter.
7. After a voicemail
Two follow-ups have gone unanswered, so you called and reached voicemail. Send this within the hour.
Subject: I left you a voicemail a moment ago
Hi [first name],
I tried you on [their number] and left a message. In short, [the one question you need answered].
You can reply here with one word, or call me on [your number] until [time] today.
[Your name]
Why it is built this way. Two channels in the same hour show that a real person is trying to reach them. The email carries the question, so the owner can answer without calling back.
8. The last one
Send this once, after the call. Never use it for an invoice.
Subject: Shall I close this out?
Hi [first name],
I've written a few times about [project] and haven't heard back. I'll take that as a no for now and close the file on my side.
If I've read it wrong, one word brings it back. The proposal stays valid until [date].
[Your name]
Why it is built this way. It hands the owner a decision instead of another reminder, and it puts an end date on the offer.
What should you change before you send?
Change four things, and spend most of your time on the first.
- The new reason. A warm follow-up needs one fact that was not in your last email. For an agency, the best source is the owner's own website. Open it again on the day you write. If the problem you discussed is still there, say so. If they fixed it, say that and adjust your offer.
- The question. Ask for something the reader can give in one line. A date, a yes or no, or a choice between two options.
- The thread. Reply to your own last message, so the proposal or the quote sits right below.
- The details. Check the name, the day and the amount. A wrong date in a reminder undoes the reminder.
Naming a specific problem is the habit to keep. In our test of 3,570 cold emails, businesses with weak websites replied positively 2.35% of the time when the email named the problem and 1.60% when it did not. That gap was not statistically significant, and the test covered cold emails to Dutch companies. Read it as a hint, and see the full write-up for the rest.
How is a warm follow-up different from a cold one?
A warm follow-up is a message to someone who has already dealt with you. A cold follow-up is a message to a stranger who never replied. The difference changes what you refer to, what you ask for and when you stop.
| Cold follow-up | Warm follow-up | |
|---|---|---|
| Who gets it | A business that has never replied | Someone who took a call, asked for a quote or owes an invoice |
| What it refers to | Your own earlier message | Something the two of you did |
| What it asks for | A first conversation | A decision, a date or a payment |
| When you stop | After the third follow-up | After the last email. An invoice is the exception |
| Who sends it | A sequence can | A person, by hand |
For strangers, use our cold email follow-up templates. In Leadodo, your Outbound Machine runs that cold part, six steps over 19 working days, and the sequence stops for a business the moment it replies. From that reply on, the conversation is yours. So are the emails on this page.
When should you stop emailing and call?
Call after two follow-ups have gone unanswered. Another email in the same thread tells the owner nothing the earlier ones did not.
A call can settle in two minutes what a week of email has not. If nobody picks up, leave a message and send version 7. For a proposal that matters, a short note in the post is the other route. A posted letter lands on the owner's desk, where your emails do not.
Then send version 8 and move the deal out of your active list. Silence costs less when other conversations are open, which is the case for keeping new ones starting.
Questions
How long should you wait before sending a follow-up email after no response?
Wait 2 to 3 business days for most business emails. Give a proposal or a quote 3 business days, and chase an invoice the day after its due date. Those are rules of thumb, so shorten them when a deadline is close.
How do you politely follow up on an unanswered email?
Reply in the same thread and say what you sent and when. Add one new piece of information, then ask one question that takes a line to answer. Leave out "just checking in" and any count of how many times you have written.
How many follow-up emails should you send after a proposal?
Two, then a phone call, then one last email. After that, stop and move the deal out of your active list. Three emails and a call are enough to learn whether the owner is still interested.
Should a follow-up be a reply or a new email?
A reply, in most cases. The earlier message sits below it, so the reader does not have to search. Start a new email when the subject has changed, as it does with an invoice or a voicemail.
How do you follow up on an unpaid invoice?
State the invoice number, the amount and the due date, attach the invoice again and ask for the date it will be paid. Send that the day after the due date and again a week later. Then call. Keep every message factual.
Next step. One unanswered proposal matters less when new conversations keep starting. See how your Outbound Machine opens them with a letter, three emails and two LinkedIn steps. Outbound Machine.
