How to Follow Up on That Unanswered Meeting Request

You met someone useful, asked for a meeting, and heard nothing. Wait four or five business days, then reply in the same thread so your first note sits right underneath. Keep it to three sentences and ask a yes/no question with two specific times. If that gets nothing, send one more a week later, then a short last note. All three emails are below.

(If you haven’t sent the first request yet, start with how to ask someone you don’t know for a meeting.)

Say you were at an event last night and met Brett. He had some great ideas for your startup, and he suggested you get together soon. The next day you email him to set it up, and you never hear back. You know you need to follow up, but you don’t want to annoy him into not helping at all.

Photo by Vagaro on Unsplash

Why they didn’t reply

Maybe Brett never meant to help. That’s unlikely, and even if it’s true, a follow-up can’t make him any less likely to answer. The more common reasons:

• He never saw your email among the hundreds in his inbox.
• He started to reply, got sidetracked, and forgot.
• He has a long list of things to do, and meeting you isn’t near the top.

So it’s fine to follow up. Usually it’s necessary.

How long to wait before following up

Give it four or five business days. Any sooner reads as pressure; much later and he’s forgotten the conversation that made him say yes. Reply in the original thread rather than starting a new one, so Brett can see what you asked without digging.

What to put in the follow-up

1. Keep it short

Three to five sentences, max. People answer short emails first. So would you.

2. Make it easy to say yes

You break your own work into small pieces (or you should, if you follow GTD). Do the same for Brett. Ask a specific yes/no question with times attached: “Can we have a quick call on Tuesday? I’m free from 9 to 12.”

3. Give them a reason to help

You’re the one asking for a favor. Remind him what’s in it for him, or make him smile. Offer something small and real, like an intro to someone he’d want to meet, or a look at the data you mentioned when you talked.

Follow-up email templates

Here’s the first follow-up, sent four or five business days after the original request:

Subject: Re: Lunch Thursday or Friday?

Hi Brett,

Looking at my calendar, I’m open for lunch this Thursday and Friday. Can you get together either of those days around noon?

I’d love to hear more of the ideas you had at [event name], or just use it as an excuse to get out of the office for a free lunch on my company.

Thanks!

It’s short and specific enough that he can answer with one word. If Brett is someone you don’t know well, it also shows him you’re serious, which makes him more willing to spend time on you.

If a week goes by with nothing, send the second one in the same thread:

Subject: Re: Lunch Thursday or Friday?

Hi Brett, bumping this in case it got buried. Would a 20-minute call Tuesday or Wednesday morning work instead? Happy to fit around your calendar if neither does.

And if that gets nothing, a last note a week or so after that:

Subject: Re: Lunch Thursday or Friday?

Hi Brett, I know things get busy, so this is my last nudge. If now’s not the time, no problem at all. If it frees up later, I’d still love to hear more about [the idea you mentioned].

A last note takes the pressure off, and people who meant to answer often do once they’re told they don’t have to.

Tools that remember to follow up for you

If the hard part is remembering to follow up at all, these help.

Boomerang

Boomerang adds reminders to Gmail and Outlook. You can schedule an email to send later, hide a message from your inbox until you need it, or get a reminder when nobody replies to something you sent.

FollowUpThen

FollowUpThen works a lot like Boomerang, without an install. You add a formatted “@followupthen” address to your email and it reminds you on the date you picked.

Calendly

Calendly lets people pick a time slot on your calendar, which helps when you can’t see the other person’s availability. When you’re the one asking the favor, offer specific times in the email instead of sending a booking link, so the scheduling work stays on your side.

Some people are too busy, and no follow-up will change that. Most of the time, though, one short, specific email is all it takes.

The same goes for after the meeting, once people are walking around with commitments they made out loud. If that’s the follow-up you’re stuck on, we have email templates for following up on action items: the recap you send everyone within a day, plus five ways to chase a late item without sounding like a nag.

PS - While writing this post I found a great post that makes it easy to know when to hyphenate “follow up”: if it’s a verb, leave a space; if it’s a noun or can be preceded by “the”, add a hyphen. My trick is: Noun = No space.

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