How to write a follow-up email after a meeting (7 templates)

The follow-up email is the cheapest insurance in business. It takes five minutes, turns a conversation into a written record, and surfaces misunderstandings while they are still easy to fix. Yet it is the step most people skip, usually because they plan to “send it later”. This guide covers when to send it, how to structure it, and seven templates you can copy.

When to send it

Send it the same day if you can, and within 24 hours at the latest. After that, people have mentally moved on and your email reads like an archive rather than a plan. For sales calls and interviews, speed also signals that you're organised and interested.

If you took rough notes, don't wait until you have time to tidy them. Paste them into the free Action Item Extractor and use “Copy recap email”. It groups next steps by owner and lists decisions and open questions, which gives you a draft to edit in a minute or two.

The five-part structure

1. A subject line that says what it is. “Recap and next steps: Acme onboarding, 28 Sept” beats “Following up”.
2. One line of thanks or context. Keep it short. Nobody needs a paragraph of pleasantries.
3. Decisions. What was agreed, written plainly, so there's a record.
4. Next steps with owners and dates. This is the heart of the email. Each line says who, what and by when. The action items guide explains the format.
5. An invitation to correct. “Reply if I've missed anything.” This turns silence into agreement and catches errors early.

Keep the email short enough to read on a phone. If you have detailed minutes, link or attach them rather than pasting the whole thing. The meeting minutes guide covers what the full notes should contain.

Seven templates

Replace everything in square brackets. Delete any section that doesn't apply; a shorter email is better than a padded one.

Subject: Recap: [meeting name], [date]

Hi all,

Thanks for today. Here's what we decided and who owns what.

Decisions
• [Decision 1]
• [Decision 2]

Next steps
• [Name] to [action] by [date]
• [Name] to [action] by [date]

Still open
• [Question] – [who will bring an answer] by [date]

Reply if I've missed or misstated anything and I'll update the list.

Thanks,
[Your name]

Subject: Next steps from today's call – [project]

Hi [Name],

Thanks for your time today. To make sure we're aligned, here's my summary:

What we agreed
• [Scope / decision]
• [Timeline / budget]

What happens next
• We will [action] by [date].
• Could you [action they owe you] by [date]? That keeps us on track for [milestone].

If anything here doesn't match your understanding, just reply and we'll correct it.

Best regards,
[Your name]

Subject: [Company] + [Your company]: summary and next step

Hi [Name],

Thanks for walking me through how your team handles [problem]. What I heard:
• [Pain point in their words]
• [What success would look like for them]

Based on that, the part of [product] most relevant to you is [feature], because [reason tied to their pain].

Suggested next step: a 30-minute session with [decision maker] on [two date options]. Does either work?

[Your name]

Subject: Thank you – [role] interview

Hi [Name],

Thank you for speaking with me today about the [role]. I especially enjoyed discussing [specific topic], and it made me more excited about [something concrete about the team or work].

You mentioned [challenge they have]. In my previous role I [one-line relevant example], and I'd be glad to bring that experience here.

Please let me know if you need anything else from me.

Best,
[Your name]

Subject: Great to meet you, [Name]

Hi [Name],

It was good to meet you at [event / through Name]. I enjoyed hearing about [what they're working on].

As promised, here's [the link / the intro / the resource] we talked about: [details].

If it's useful, I'd be happy to [specific offer]. Either way, good luck with [their project].

[Your name]

Subject: Re: [original subject]

Hi [Name],

Bringing this back to the top of your inbox. The one thing I need from you is [single, specific ask] by [date], so we can [consequence that matters to them].

If priorities have changed, a quick "not now" is completely fine too.

Thanks,
[Your name]

Subject: Invoice [number] – [amount] due [date]

Hi [Name],

Following our call on [date], I've attached invoice [number] for [amount] covering [work]. Payment is due on [date] by [method].

Could you confirm it's been passed to the right person for processing? If you need a PO number or different details on the invoice, let me know and I'll reissue it today.

Thank you,
[Your name]

Subject lines that get opened

• Be specific: name the project, meeting or date. “Next steps: pricing page rewrite”.
• Put the ask up front when there is one: “Approval needed by Thu: Q4 ads budget”.
• Reuse the calendar invite title so it's easy to connect the email to the meeting.
• Avoid vague openers like “Quick question” or “Touching base”, which are easy to ignore.

When nobody replies

Silence usually means your email is buried, not that the person is ignoring you. Wait three to five working days, then reply in the same thread (template 6) with a single, specific ask and a reason it matters to them. If there's still no answer, try a different channel such as a short call or chat message.

Keep track of who you're waiting on. A “waiting for” list reviewed once a week is enough; the weekly review checklist includes it as a step.