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How to Write Anything
The Follow-Up Is the Most Important Email You’ll Ever Write
How to master the art of the nudge
This story is part of Forge’s How to Write Anything series, where we give you tips, tricks, and principles for writing all the things we write in our daily lives online, from tweets to articles to dating profiles.
I once waited eight months for a job offer. That’s 240 days from interview to “Let’s talk salary.” While this delay was partly due to the cumbersome budgets and org charts of big media companies, I’m convinced the offer eventually came because of one reason: I kept following up.
Crucially, my follow-up emails to HR were light, not accusatory. They were the gentle poke of a single finger even though my brain was screaming “Put me out of my misery.” Most importantly, these notes kept me on their mind.
Handled properly, the follow-up email is a crucial weapon. Learn how to craft it well, and you’ve mastered the art of emailing.
Yes, you might feel like a nag. That’s because, well, you are. “Just checking in” causes pinpricks of anxiety for the…
