Following up is one of the most crucial and powerful networking tools, but it is frequently neglected and also highly underrated. Follow-ups can transform casual conversations into long-term connections, open up or create new opportunities, show appreciation, keep projects on track, or invigorate and deepen existing relationships. Only, most of us (definitely me included) struggle to follow up consistently. Even salespeople, whose success is typically dependent upon networking to find new clients, often fail to follow up1. However, the fact that follow-ups are challenging creates an opportunity: being good at them gives you a powerful advantage, whether you are trying to make a sale, be remembered, deepen a relationship, or simply get a response.
Reasons and Opportunities for Follow-Ups
There are a wide variety of instances where follow-ups are a good idea. This is not an exhaustive list, but it shows the versatility of how follow-ups can help you:
- Cement (and build) a new connection: If you just met someone, following up is a critical step to establishing the relationship, building them into your network, and ensuring you have an open line of communication. Even if you don’t intend to communicate with them frequently, a follow-up will help them remember you.
- Provide updates and express appreciation: If someone gave you advice, made an introduction for you, recommended you for a job, or otherwise provided you with professional support, always follow up with them to give them an update and express appreciation. This person made an investment in you—don’t leave them in suspense! Let them know how it turned out! Even if the news isn’t positive (you didn’t get the job, the person you were introduced to wasn’t responsive, etc.), offer an update and express appreciation. It’s the nice thing to do, but it also increases the chances of them helping you in the future.
- Say thank you after an interview: Your mileage may vary based on country, but in the United States, a follow-up after a job interview can have a big impact. Get contact information for everyone you meet with and send your follow-up as soon as possible. Follow up to say that you are excited about the opportunity (assuming that’s true!) and thank your interviewer for their time. If you interview just as well as another candidate, but you follow up and they don’t, that will make a big difference in your favor.
- Organize action items: We frequently identify action items in a meeting, but these can be easily forgotten. Following up with notes and flagged action items can help you and others stay organized and keep your project on track.
- When you didn’t get an answer the first (or second) time: Whether it was a cold email or a request to a coworker, a quick, polite follow-up can help you get the response you need. Keeping it as simple as, “Just wanted to check back on this, thanks!” is enough to bump the thread to the top of their inbox and remind them of your request. Sometimes you might need to send multiple follow-ups to get an answer; be persistent and stay positive!
Follow-Up Success Example: A Custom-Built Job!
Once, when I was looking for a job, it became immediately clear during an interview that I was not the right fit for the role. I had done a good job with my cover letter explaining how I would be a good fit based on the description, but once the conversation got started, it was clear that I was not the right person for the job. However, I thought the work the company was doing was really interesting, and I liked my interviewers.
I followed up to say thank you and express interest in the company and the work. In response, they acknowledged I wasn’t the right fit, but that there was another role I could interview for that might be a better fit. I interviewed for that role, followed up, and the same thing happened again. I interviewed for a third role, which still wasn’t the right fit. After exchanging a few more emails, it seemed that would be the end of the conversation. However, a few weeks later, the company came back to me, offering a custom-built role for me!
Now, it helps that I had a friend who had worked with the CEO at a prior company, and he put in a good word for me. But if I hadn’t interviewed strongly, followed up, and expressed serious interest, there is no way this offer would have come, no matter how passionately my friend argued my case. (This is also an excellent example of opportunity momentum2 and how networking can help you create new opportunities!)
When the Follow-Up Doesn’t Come
On the flipside, I want to give you an example of how a follow-up not coming can be a bummer. As a former AAAS Congressional fellow3, I am proud to be part of a powerful fellows alumni network. Through this network, I have advised numerous applicants to the fellowship, both through the application process and through the post-selection office interview process.
One person I advised not only got selected for the fellowship but also went on to interview and get selected by the same office I worked in! It was such an exciting coincidence! I was so excited for him, but it was dulled a bit because he never told me (in fact, I never heard from him again). It was my former officemates who gave me the news.
I know he didn’t mean anything bad by that—getting settled into an office is a busy time with lots going on. But it was a missed opportunity; I would have loved to hear from him about it. And even though I know he didn’t mean it, the fact that he didn’t reach out to let me know the news did feel a little bit like a rejection.
When to Follow Up
There is no hard and fast rule for when to follow up, but generally, sooner is better. The more urgent the request or the more important the person you are trying to establish a connection with, the more important it is to follow up quickly. If you are sending a reminder follow-up, giving people several days to a week is a good practice. There is also a lot of research (mostly sales-focused) on the right time of day or day of the week to send messages4, and you can decide for yourself how far down that rabbit hole you want to go.
How to Follow Up
There are a ton of different mediums for follow-ups: email, messaging, social media, calls, texts, etc. The nature of the follow-up will help you determine the right medium, but generally, the best medium to use is what the other person prefers, so ask. This is especially important when establishing a line of communication with a new connection. And if you try one medium but don’t get an answer, you can always try another.
Getting Good at Following Up
Follow-ups are an incredibly powerful and versatile networking tool that can help you build sustainable networking relationships and fuel your career success. I hope the list of ways you can use follow-ups and the personal illustrations I provided inspire you to get better at and be more consistent with following up. Networking is a long game of consistent investment, much like growing an orchard, and following up is an important tool for tending your trees and helping them yield fruit. It’s not just a formality; it is a powerful act of relationship cultivation and maintenance.
First published in the Virtuous Cycles Newsletter on 11.23.2025
by Christina C. C. Willis
References
- IRC Sales Solutions. Sales follow-up statistics and process — the power of follow-ups. https://ircsalessolutions.com/insights/sales-follow-up-statistics/
- Willis, C. (2025). Opportunity momentum: ride the wave. Sustainable Networking. https://sustainablenetworking.net/2025/08/01/opportunity-momentum-ride-the-wave/
- American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Legislative branch fellowship. https://www.aaas.org/programs/science-technology-policy-fellowships/legislative-branch-fellowship
- Customer.io. Why the worst day of the week is the best day to send emails. https://customer.io/learn/lifecycle-marketing/email-sending-schedule
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