Follow-up email after no reply
SDRs, AEs, and founders
Send this once, about a week after a note that deserved a reply and did not get one. Do not paste the original email underneath. Do not add a new pitch. Ask if the thread is alive.
Subject. Still open, or should I close it?
Hi — I sent a note last week and did not hear back. That happens. I cannot tell a busy week from a no.
I will not recap it. I only need to know whether to keep the thread or close it.
Should I keep this open?
- Still open
- Not this month
- Close it
In Gmail these are buttons. The recipient clicks one. The answer comes back to the thread. They do not install anything.
Before you send. If you know why you are writing again — a date they named, a hire they posted — put that in the first sentence. Otherwise leave it as a plain check.
Why this gets more replies
The usual bump restates the pitch and asks them to write back when they can. They could not write back the first time. A choice between open, later, and close is something they can do between meetings, and “not this month” is a real instruction instead of a silence you have to interpret.
FAQ
How many of these should I send?
One. If they click Still open, do the next step you promised. If they click nothing, the next email is the breakup, not a third copy of this one.
What do I do with Not this month?
Put a date on your calendar and stop emailing until then. Do not “check in” two weeks later to see if the month got shorter.
Free for 50 sends a month. The other person does not install anything.