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A sequence is more than its first email. A good follow-up gives the reader a new reason to answer, or makes it easy to say no. These five frameworks cover the rest of the sequence. Read how placeholders work before you paste one into a step. Text in square brackets is for a person to write.

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The Nudge

Use it when your last email got no reply and you want it back at the top of their inbox. Step type: Email. Leave Start a new email thread off, so it sends as a reply to your previous email and the prospect sees one conversation. The shape
  1. One short line that adds something new.
  2. The same question as before, shorter.
Why it works. It is a reply, so your first email comes with it and they don’t have to remember who you are. The new line gives them a reason to answer that they didn’t have before. Make it yours
  • An email step that sends as a reply does not use its own subject. You only need the body.
  • Don’t write “just bumping this” or “any thoughts?”. A nudge with nothing new in it is a reminder that they ignored you.

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The New Angle

Use it when the first problem you led with didn’t land, and you have a second one. Step type: Email. Turn on Start a new email thread so it gets its own subject. The shape
  1. Drop the first topic in a line.
  2. A different problem, for the same reader.
  3. A question.
Why it works. Silence often means “that isn’t my problem”, not “go away”. A second problem gives you a second chance without repeating yourself. Make it yours
  • Choose a problem that leads to the same conversation. You are changing the door, not the room.
  • Two angles are plenty. A third starts to look like guessing.

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The Clean Exit

Use it when it is the last email of the sequence. Step type: Email. The shape
  1. Say this is your last note.
  2. Assume the best reason for their silence.
  3. Leave one easy way back.
Why it works. It gives the reader a graceful out, which is easier to answer than another ask. It also ends things on a note you can come back from. Make it yours
  • No guilt. Leave out “I’ve tried to reach you five times”.
  • If they reply “not now”, you have a date to work with. See The Not Now.

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The No-Show Rescue

Use it when a prospect booked a meeting and didn’t turn up. Step type: Email (you send it), within minutes of the missed meeting. The shape
  1. Name what happened, with no blame.
  2. Offer two new times.
  3. Offer an out.
Why it works. A no-show is often a calendar problem, not a change of heart. A fast, relaxed note catches them while the slot is still on their mind. Make it yours
  • Call once before you send it. A no-show who picks up two minutes late often takes the meeting right there.
  • Two specific times beat “let me know what works”.

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The Second Look

Use it when you are going back to an old opportunity, a closed-lost deal or a lead that went cold months ago. Step type: Email (you send it). The shape
  1. When you last spoke, and how it ended.
  2. What has changed since: on your side, or theirs.
  3. Ask whether it is worth another look.
Why it works. You are not starting from zero, and you show you remember why it stopped. The change is your reason for writing, so it doesn’t read as “just checking in”. Make it yours
  • If nothing has changed, don’t send it. Wait until something has.
  • New sequences can start from the Re-engage starting point: four steps over 21 days. See Cold email playbooks.

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Next steps

Cold email playbooks

Full sequences that chain these frameworks with call steps.

Build a sequence

Steps, timing, threads and reply actions.