Connecting with someone you’ve met doesn’t end when you shake hands and say, “It was nice to talk to you!” If you wish to maximize the effect of a meeting and build a meaningful relationship with a person, make sure to invest some time after the meeting itself. The easiest way to do so is to send a follow up email. Although this doesn’t require much time and energy, a simple follow up email after a meeting can do a great job in building your network.
Below you’ll find a number of follow up email examples for different occasions: Sending a thank you email after a meeting, asking for an introduction, strengthening a connection with a potential client, and much more. But first, let’s take a look at the main tips to make any follow up email effective.
Follow up email after meeting: Main rules to succeed
1. Have your goal in mind
Just like any email, your follow up message should have a clear objective. Do you want to thank a recipient and offer your help in return? Are you going to agree on the next steps to take? Would you like to ask for an introduction or feedback?
Defining the goal helps you frame your email appropriately and achieve the actual result. If you’re not sure why are you writing an email, it’s better to avoid sending one at all.
2. Be genuine and specific
It’s tempting to prepare one generic email template and fire it up at every new connection you’ve met. But it doesn’t work that way. You need to personalize your message and show a person your genuine interest.
Mention what particularly have you enjoyed about a meeting, refer to the topic you’ve discussed, highlight what you have in common. The person on the other side of the screen should feel that you care about them.
3. Keep it short
Value your reader’s time and go straight to the point. Prune all the lengthy introductions, repetitions, extra details, and everything that doesn’t help you achieve your goal (that’s why it’s important to have one).
The shorter your email, the more likely the recipient is to read and act on it.
4. Follow up in a timely manner
Send a follow up email within 24 hours after a meeting while you’re still at the top of a person’s mind.
Follow up email after meeting templates
It’s time to practice. We’ve prepared a bunch of follow up email templates for different occasions. Please keep in mind that these examples are for reference only so you should always personalize and customize them for your needs.
1. Follow up email after a conference or networking event
Sending a follow up email after a conference or other event is a great way to remind a person who you are and how you can be helpful for them. If you promised a person to share some helpful resources or introduce them to someone in your industry, make sure to do it in your follow up email. This is a great way to stand out, and your new connection will appreciate your help.
Subject: Thanks for the meeting at [Event name]! Here’s the list of tech media for you
Hi [Name],
It was great to meet you at [Event name] yesterday. I especially enjoyed learning about the upcoming launch of your startup. As promised, here’s the list of journalists covering your industry: [link]. I suggest reaching out to them a month before the launch.
If you’ll need an introduction to anyone in tech media, let me know. I’m also happy to chat more about PR for startups.
Once again, thank you for an insightful meeting. Let’s keep in touch!
Best,
[Your name]
2. Follow up email after meeting a potential employer
Have you met someone you’d just love to work with? Use your follow up email as an opportunity to provide value for a potential employer. If you have any ideas that can benefit their company, please share them in your email. This is a great way to deepen your connection with a recipient and show how you can help them.
You can also mention your relevant experience in the industry, but keep it short. This is not your CV so avoid listing all your skills and projects there.
Subject: Thanks for the meeting! I’d love to contribute to your website
Hi [Name],
Thank you so much for meeting with me today. It was great to learn more about your news media [Website name]. I especially enjoyed your recent piece on EdTech startups and shared it with my connections in this industry.
I remember you mentioned looking for reporters, and I’d love to contribute to your website. I’ve been writing about privacy and data protection for 5 years, and my articles appeared in [Media names]. Here is the list of my best texts: [link].
I have a few article ideas for [Website name], and I’d love to discuss them with you. Would you like to meet at the end of the week?
Best,
[Your name]
3. Follow up email after meeting a potential customer
In your follow up email, show a potential client how you can solve their problem and why you’re a good fit for them. If you already helped similar customers, make sure to share their story with your new connection.
Subject: Thanks for the meeting! Can we help you with the Chinese market?
Hi [Name],
It was a pleasure to meet you yesterday and learn more about [Company name]. I was impressed with how you grew from 10 to 200 team members in just a year.
As you’re going to promote your app on the Chinese market, I’d like to share the story of our client who grew their Chinese user base by 200%: [link].
Their company has many similarities with yours, and I believe our team can help with localizing the app and implementing the best ASO practices.
Would you like to jump into the quick call to chat more about it?
Best,
[Your name]
4. Follow up email asking for an introduction
The person you’ve just met may know someone else you’d love to connect with. A follow up email is a perfect place to ask for an introduction. To help your new connection introduce you to other people, you can add some short info about you or your company.
Subject: Could you introduce me to [Name]?
Hi [Name],
It was great to meet you at [Event name] on Monday. I was impressed with the insights about user acquisition you shared. It was especially helpful to learn about your experience with TikTok ads.
While we chatted, you mentioned that you knew [Name] from [Company], with his exceptional expertise in user acquisition. I would appreciate it if you could introduce me to him.
I know how busy you are these days so I’ve prepared a short message to make an introduction as easy as possible:
[A short info about you and your company/product]
Could you please take a moment and introduce me?
Thank you!
[Your name]
5. Follow up email after a business meeting
After a business meeting, it’s helpful to summarize everything you’ve discussed and send a follow up email to all participants so everyone knows what’s next. Make sure to list the next steps you’ve agreed on, mention the deadlines and responsible people.
Subject: Launching the new website: Meeting recap
Hi team,
Thanks, everyone for a productive meeting this morning. We’ve agreed on launching a separate website for [Product name].
Here are the next steps we need to take:
• Finalize the wording and positioning: [Responsible person]
• Create the Home page structure: [Responsible person]
• Prepare a design for the Home page: [Responsible person]
• Make the list of other pages we need: [Responsible person]
The next meeting is on Friday, November 8 at 11 AM.
Please let me know if you need help with anything.
Best,
[Your name]
6. Thank you email after meeting
We constantly learn from each other, and sending a thank you email after a meeting is a perfect opportunity to express your gratitude. Be specific about how a person helped you and why it’s important. Offer something valuable in return to demonstrate that you’re also a giver, not a taker.
Subject: Thank you for meeting with me! I think you’ll love this book
Hi [Name],
Thank you for meeting with me today. It was a pleasure to chat with you about the best UX practices for dating apps and learn about your experience in this industry. I really appreciate your advice on how to improve user onboarding. I’ve shared your tips with our team, and they’re eager to try them.
As you mentioned that you wanted to add some gamification elements to your product, I’d love to share my favorite book on the topic. Here’s a PDF version: [link].
Thanks again for your help and advice! Let’s keep in touch.
Best,
[Your name]
A simple follow up email after meeting can do a great job in building your network. As we’ve seen above, writing such an email isn’t as complicated as it seems. Just keep your goal in mind, show your genuine interest, and provide value to your new connection.
Writing a perfect follow up email is even better with Spark. It provides you with email superpowers like templates, snoozes, email scheduling, and follow up reminders so you can enjoy working with your inbox.