What is a follow-up email template?

A follow-up email template is a pre-written message you can customise and send when a client hasn't responded to your quote, proposal, or invoice. It saves you from writing awkward chase-up emails from scratch every time.

Following up is one of the most uncomfortable parts of freelancing, but it's also one of the most important. Most clients don't ignore you on purpose - they're just busy.

When should you use them?

When a client hasn't responded to a quote (follow up after 3-5 days), when a proposal has gone quiet (follow up after a week), when an invoice is overdue (follow up on the due date, then weekly), or when a lead has gone cold after an initial conversation.

What's included

Quote follow-up - a friendly check-in after sending a quote. References the quote, asks if they have questions, and offers to adjust if needed.

Proposal follow-up - a slightly more detailed follow-up that reiterates the key benefit of your proposal.

Invoice follow-up - a polite payment reminder. Escalates in tone across three versions: gentle reminder, firm follow-up, and final notice.

Cold lead re-engagement - a message for leads who showed interest but never committed.

Post-meeting follow-up - a template for following up after an initial meeting or discovery call.

Tone guidance - notes on keeping follow-ups professional, warm, and pressure-free.