The Simple Superpower of a Follow-Up Email
Do it right, and it only leads to good things
If there is one piece of professional advice that is wildly underestimated in its impact, it is the power of the follow-up email.
When I was a full-time reporter, I saw the power of this from both sides of the inbox over and over again.
I can’t count the amount of times a dream interview or ambitious pitch would have never come to fruition if I had not followed up on it judiciously. When I was in the freelance pitching game, I kept a spreadsheet with the dates of my initial pitch to an editor, and would tick off one week later when it was time to follow-up. If I got no response within a few days, I’d confidently move onto the next editor and the cycle would begin anew.
Equally, I can’t tell you how many times I received a tip or story idea from a source or PR I maybe wanted to write about, but didn’t have time to answer it in that moment. Then, how grateful I would be to receive a follow-up when I was less busy which prompted me to respond—rather than lose it to the morass of my inbox.
Now, of course, there are many ways to get the art of the follow-up wrong. You can use it too much, in which case you become annoying and may even provoke a curt reaction. (Like me to every PR whoemails me more…
