Why Your Follow-Up Email Aren’t Working—And How To Fix Them
Sending that first cold email is hard enough.
Researching your prospect. Crafting the perfect message. Finding the correct contact info. Mustering up the courage to click "send."
Getting a response is even harder.
Most companies struggle to drive meaningful ROI with cold email. It’s no surprise when the average response rate is around 1%. And if your prospect didn't respond to your first email, you only have a 21% chance of getting a response to your follow-up.
There's an obvious reason for the radio silence.
Most follow-up emails suck
As someone on both the giving and receiving end of cold outreach, I've experienced my fair share of awful follow-ups. They tend to look something like this:
"Hey Matt, just circling back on my previous email below. Have you had a chance to review the deck I sent over? Let me know if you'd like to jump on a quick call to discuss further."
Or worse:
"Hey Matt… just a little nudge. Did you see my last email? Hope you're doing awesome 🙂"
The only thing worse than a bad cold email is a generic, low-effort follow-up. Weak follow-ups only make your prospects less likely to respond. Instead of circling back with something fresh and compelling, you come across as needy and annoying. And their conviction to ignore your message only grows stronger.
Why do people ignore your emails in the first place?
Before we talk solutions, let's diagnose the problem.
In my experience running an outbound agency, I've narrowed it down to three main reasons why people don't respond to cold emails:
Your first email didn’t interest them
They didn't see it
They wanted to reply but forgot
A generic follow-up email can solve #2 and #3. It might catch their eye if they missed the first message. And it could jog their memory if your email got buried. But a simple nudge can't overcome a lack of interest (group #1). If you targeted well, but your first email failed to generate interest, you’ll need to rely on your follow-up emails to give the prospect a good reason to respond. Generic follow-ups won’t work here.
A few reasons your original email might not have resonated:
Maybe your positioning wasn't right
Or they're satisfied with their current solution
Or your product isn't a perfect fit for where they are now
Or your message just wasn't good enough to warrant a response
To sway this group, it's crucial to understand the psychology of email recipients. Decision fatigue, cognitive overload from an inundated inbox, and irrelevant content contribute to disengagement. Ensuring timely and relevant follow-up while respecting the recipient's time and mental bandwidth is key to capturing their attention.
How to craft follow-ups that drive response
You can turn non-responders into engaged prospects and customers with a thoughtful, value-led follow-up strategy.
Here are three ways to improve your response rate:
1. Demonstrate credibility
In your initial email, you introduced yourself and outlined the value you provide (i.e., product, service, tool). You likely asked for a meeting or phone call. Use your follow-up message to substantiate claims and build credibility in the prospect's mind.
Here are a few ways to do it:
Share specific examples of how you've helped companies similar to theirs. Highlight the results you helped them achieve.
Share case studies, testimonials, and hard ROI stats. Show that you have a track record of delivering results.
Demonstrate your expertise through industry insights and thought leadership. Share relevant articles, podcast episodes, or research findings that align with their challenges.
Example: Customer IO
Customer IO is a marketing automation SaaS and Mailchimp competitor. Notice the length and content of their follow-up to an EdTech startup—value-add information only, zero fluff.
Reiterate how similar EdTech companies are getting results with C.IO
Point to a case study to learn how C.IO customers get better ROI with email
End with a question: What's holding you back?
2. Add additional value
Most follow-ups fall into the trap of repeating the same message repeatedly with slightly different wording.
A better approach: Add value above and beyond what was in your original email.
Here are a few ideas to inspire you:
Share high-quality resources like videos, webinar recordings, or case studies with each follow-up.
Offer incentives like a free consultation, access to exclusive content, or a sneak peek at new features. Give them a compelling reason to respond.
Offer a personalized value-add, like a custom audit, analysis, or teardown. Show that you're invested in their success.
Pose thoughtful questions that demonstrate your understanding of their pain points. Show that you're genuinely interested in helping them find a solution.
By consistently adding value and demonstrating your commitment to their progress, you'll keep their attention long enough to consume your message and increase the chances of a response.
Here's the template:
Hi [first name], Since [company name] offers [product or feature], I thought you'd be interested in a video we just put together. It shows how [company name] uses [our product] to [purpose and benefits] increase customer retention and lifetime value.
[Key statement: Address the problem you can solve] What is your team doing to reduce churn? I know it's a major issue in your industry—one that's hurt a lot of companies' longevity.
You'll see in the video that [company name] was able to reduce churn by 20% over the course of four weeks. Kind of remarkable.
Are you interested in chatting about churn-reduction tactics?
Why it works:
Effective cold emails have one thing in common: they offer something helpful. If your email doesn't help the person you're sending it to, they probably won't respond or buy anything.
Remember, your email should always show how it benefits the person reading it.
This template is great because it's all about giving value. It talks about a problem the reader might have, suggests a solution, and explains why what you're offering is the answer.
3. End with a question, not a statement
Ending your follow-up emails with a question instead of a statement can be a powerful way to spark engagement. This tends to open up more conversations that would otherwise go to closed-lost.
Here are a few hypothetical examples to illustrate this approach:
"What challenges are you currently facing in your [specific industry or role]? I'd love to explore how our [product/service] can help address those pain points and [create specific outcome] for your business."
"Have you come across any new insights or strategies since our last conversation that might change your perspective on [specific problem or opportunity]? Let's discuss how we can adapt and find the best solution moving forward."
"Considering your team's current priorities and goals, what would success look like when it comes to [specific solution or outcome]? Let's dive deeper into how we can work together to achieve those results."
By sending your follow-up emails with thought-provoking questions that are tailored to your prospect's situation, you show genuine interest and invite them to share their thoughts. This can lead to meaningful conversations and increase your chances of converting non-responders into engaged prospects.
Remember to choose relevant, specific questions that align with the core value you provide.
Follow up twice over two weeks
If you don't get a reply to your first email, follow up just two more times:
First, after 3 days
And then again after 7 days
Beyond that, it's generally not worth it. You might read advice about following up more than three times, with some sources even recommending up to nine follow-ups.
I disagree with that. When you send more than three emails without a response, you're not just being persistent; you're being annoying. This can harm your brand more than it helps, outweighing any small gains in sales.
Remember, we're aiming for self-aware businesses here. Two follow-ups should be your limit to avoid spamming. Plus, by not overdoing it, you can follow up on these leads sooner, like in 5-6 months. While some advise checking in with prospects 3 to 5 times after your initial email, in my experience, that's excessive and verges on spamming.
Better follow-ups = better ROI
Standing out in a crowded inbox requires creativity, originality, and empathy.
So, take the time to think outside the box and tailor your follow-ups to each prospect.
And if you need help with your outbound challenges, my agency, Aurora, is here to help.
Ready to make your follow-ups irresistible? Get in touch with our team, and let's bring your outreach strategy to life together.
