Writing the Follow-Ups
What it does: gives someone who ignored the first message a genuinely new reason to reply.
Run it when: after the first message is written. Never before, because a follow-up is defined by what came before it.
Time: 20 minutes for both.
Depends on: SOP 09, Writing the First Message.
Before you start
The first message finalized
A second angle that is not a restatement of the first
A resource you could offer, if you have one
The steps
1. Understand what a follow-up actually is.
They saw the first message. They did not reply. A reminder is not a new reason to reply. Every follow-up must carry a new angle, a new piece of value, or a new question. If it repeats the first message in other words, it is noise.
2. Send it three to five days later.
Sooner reads as pressure, later reads as a different conversation. Three to five days is the window.
3. Write two follow-ups. Three is the ceiling.
One or two is the default and covers most of the gain. A third is allowed if you really want the full chain. There is no fourth.
4. Keep the format exact.
Two lines, blank line between, one sentence each, 20 to 40 words total, and always shorter than the first message. The chain should get lighter as it goes, not heavier.
5. Pick a different style for each one.
Five that work:
Continuation: "And {{first_name}}, ..." picks up mid-thought like a second idea you just had.
Warm restart: "Hey {{first_name}}, ..." casual reopen with a new angle.
Curiosity hook: "Quick question {{first_name}}, ..." opens a gap they want closed.
Value drop: "{{first_name}}, we just put together..." leads with something free.
Forgot to mention: frames it as an afterthought rather than a pursuit.
Use a different one in each follow-up, so the chain does not read as one script running.
6. Never use the following-up words.
"Just following up", "circling back", "bumping this to the top of your inbox", "checking in". These announce that the message contains nothing new, which is usually true when someone reaches for them. Rewrite with an actual reason.
7. Give the CTA two doors.
One easy, one slightly bigger: send the resource, or take 15 minutes. People who will not book a call will often say yes to a document, and that reply starts the conversation anyway.
8. Still no links.
The value drop style offers the resource. It does not attach it. The link goes out after they reply.
The shape
{{first_name}}, we just put together a breakdown of the three sequences that booked 150 meetings last quarter.
Happy to send it over, or if easier, grab 15 minutes and I'll walk you through what fits your setup?Do this / Not this
Do this | Not this |
|---|---|
A new angle in every message | "Just following up on my last note" |
20 to 40 words | A longer message than the first one |
A different style per follow-up | The same opener three times |
Two options in the CTA | One calendar link |
Three to five days apart | Next-day chasing |
Stop at two, three at most | A five-message chain |
Offer the resource | Paste the resource link |
Done when
Each follow-up carries something the previous message did not
Two lines, 20 to 40 words, shorter than the message before
A different style in each
None of the banned follow-up phrases appear anywhere
CTA offers two doors
Zero links
The whole chain read end to end still sounds like one person, not a sequence
