Second Follow-Up Email After No Response: 5 Examples

You’ve sent the original email and a reminder. Before writing a second follow-up, read both from the recipient’s perspective. Can they answer without opening another document, checking with someone else, or guessing what you need?

If the answer is no, fix that obstacle in your next message. Repeating “just checking in” won’t make the decision any easier.

Start with a smaller question

Suppose a client hasn’t replied to a six-page proposal. Asking “Any thoughts?” leaves them with the whole review. Asking whether the proposed scope is right gives them somewhere to start.

Subject: Re: Website proposal

Hi Priya,

Following up on the website proposal I sent last week. Before we get into the schedule, could you confirm whether the three-page scope covers what you need?

If the project is on hold, please let me know and I’ll pause the planning.

Thanks, Alex

This is a fictional example. Adapt the names and project details to your situation. The useful change is the single question about scope; the reader doesn’t have to approve the whole proposal at once.

When should you send it?

Use any date the recipient gave you. If they said they’d review the proposal on Friday, wait until that review window has passed.

Without an agreed date, a few business days after your first reminder can be a reasonable starting point for an active project. A new introduction may need more space. A safety issue or a same-day operational problem calls for the team’s urgent contact process, not a scheduled email sequence.

Check for an out-of-office reply and local holidays. Avoid treating silence over a weekend as two missed working days. Our first follow-up guide covers earlier stages of the conversation.

If a colleague’s decision is blocking your work

Subject: Re: Approval needed for the onboarding copy

Hi Sam,

I still need your approval on the welcome email before I can schedule Tuesday’s release. The only outstanding question is whether to include the pricing paragraph.

Could you confirm by 2 p.m. Monday? If you’re unavailable, who should review it instead?

Thanks, Lee

Name the effect on the work. Avoid turning the message into a record of how many times you’ve asked. If you need to involve a manager, explain the decision you need help resolving rather than copying them in as a surprise reprimand.

If you may have contacted the wrong person

Subject: Re: Supplier registration documents

Hello Morgan,

I’m following up on the supplier registration form. Does your team handle this, or should I contact procurement?

I’ve attached the form again for reference. A contact name would be helpful if it belongs elsewhere.

Kind regards, Casey

Before saying “attached,” check the attachment. If it contains private information, confirm that the new contact is authorized to receive it.

If the reader expressed interest but never chose a time

Subject: Re: Conversation about the reporting project

Hi Dana,

Are you still interested in discussing the reporting project? I can make Wednesday at 10 a.m. or Thursday at 3 p.m., both London time.

If this month is too busy, we can leave it here and reconnect when you have a date in mind.

Best, Noor

Offer times you can actually keep available. Include the calendar dates when there could be any ambiguity about which week you mean.

When you’re ready to close the conversation

Subject: Re: Workshop proposal

Hi Chris,

I’ll close this inquiry for now, as I haven’t heard back about the workshop. If you’d like to revisit it later, you’re welcome to reply to this thread and we can check availability then.

Thanks for considering it, Robin

Send a closing message only when it helps the reader understand what happens next. An unsolicited pitch rarely needs a ceremonial final email. If someone has declined or asked you to stop, stop.

For a request that still needs a decision, see how to ask for an update. If only the subject needs work, use the subject-line examples without manufacturing urgency.