How do you politely follow up on an email with no response?
Wait three to five working days, reply in the same thread so the context is attached, open with one neutral line, restate the ask in a single sentence, and offer an easy out. Keep it under five sentences. Never say "as per my last email" or "just checking in" without a reason to reply.
When to send the follow-up
Timing depends on who you wrote to and why. How many days to wait before following up has the full table; the short version:
- Someone who owes you something they agreed to: 2 to 3 working days.
- A warm contact you asked a favour of: 4 to 5 working days.
- A cold or senior recipient: 5 to 7 working days.
- After an interview: ask the timeline in the room, then follow up the day after it passes.
- Invoices: on the due date, then every 7 days.
The structure of a follow-up that gets answered
- 1Reply in the same thread. The original is attached, so you never have to re-explain.
- 2One neutral opener. "Following up on this" or "Bringing this back to the top of your inbox" is enough.
- 3Restate the ask in one sentence, with a specific decision or date.
- 4Make replying easy: a yes/no question, two time options, or "a one-line reply is fine".
- 5Give an out: "If this isn't a priority right now, just say and I'll stop chasing."
Six polite follow-up email templates
Replace the brackets. Keep the subject line the original one, so it threads.
- Gentle reminder (general): "Hi [Name], bringing this back up in case it slipped. Could you let me know [the ask] by [day]? A one-line reply is fine. Thanks, [You]"
- After a meeting or call: "Hi [Name], good to speak on [day]. As agreed, I've [what you did]. Could you send [what they owe] when you get a chance this week? Thanks, [You]"
- After sending a proposal: "Hi [Name], following up on the proposal from [date]. Is there anything you'd like changed, or a timeline you're working to? Happy to hop on a 15-minute call if easier. [You]"
- After an interview: "Hi [Name], thank you again for the conversation on [day]. You mentioned a decision by [date]; is there an update, or anything else you need from me? Best, [You]"
- Unpaid invoice: "Hi [Name], a reminder that invoice [number] for [amount] was due on [date]. Could you confirm when it will be paid, or let me know if anything is holding it up? Thanks, [You]"
- Last follow-up (the close): "Hi [Name], I've not heard back so I'll assume this isn't a priority right now and stop chasing. If that changes, reply to this thread any time. All the best, [You]"
What not to write
- "As per my last email" or "as previously mentioned": reads as a reprimand.
- "Just checking in" with no ask: gives them nothing to reply to.
- A new thread: loses the context and looks like spam.
- Three paragraphs: the longer the follow-up, the easier to defer.
- Guilt: "I know you're busy, but" makes them defensive. Assume the email was missed.
When to stop
Three attempts over about three weeks is the ceiling for most situations: the original, a follow-up, a second follow-up, and the close. For invoices, keep going on a fixed schedule. For job applications, stop after the close. The close template above lets you stop without burning the relationship, and people often reply to it.
Never miss one again
The hard part is not writing the follow-up; it is remembering which of forty threads needs one. Gmail's nudges help a little. Momo AI's follow-up tracking watches every sent thread, flags the ones with no reply after your window, and writes the nudge in your own voice from your sent mail. You read the card and tap Send, or don't. Nothing goes out without you. The guide to writing a follow-up reminder email goes deeper on tone.
