Let me guess. You went to the event. You had some good conversations. You walked out feeling pretty good about it. And then you sat down to write your follow-up emails and suddenly felt like you had no idea what to say.
“Hey, great to meet you!” Too generic.
“I really enjoyed our conversation about [thing you talked about]!” Okay but then what?
“I'd love to grab coffee sometime!” Sometime? When? How? Why?
And so the email sits in your drafts folder. Or you close the tab. Or you tell yourself you'll think about it more tomorrow. And then the window closes and you've lost the momentum from a perfectly good conversation.
I've been there. Most people have. Here's the thing: following up after a networking event doesn't have to be awkward. It just has to be human.
Why It Feels Awkward (And Why That's Normal)
The awkwardness usually comes from one of three places.
You're overthinking what to say.You're treating the follow-up like it needs to be a perfectly crafted pitch or a memorable piece of writing. It doesn't. The person you met isn't expecting a masterpiece. They're expecting a human being to do what they said they were going to do — follow up.
You're not sure what you want from the conversation. If you don't know why you're reaching out, it's hard to write a follow-up that feels purposeful. Getting clear on what you're actually hoping for makes the email a lot easier to write.
You're worried about being too salesy.This one I understand completely. Nobody wants to be that person who immediately pivots to a pitch the second the event is over. But here's the thing — a genuine follow-up isn't salesy. It's courteous. The pitch comes later, if it comes at all. The follow-up is just about continuing a conversation.
Once you understand why it feels awkward, it's a lot easier to get out of your own way.
The Follow-Up Formula That Actually Works
There's no magic script that works for every person in every situation. But there is a structure that works pretty consistently, and it's a lot simpler than most people make it.
1. Reference something specific from your conversation.
This is the single most important thing you can do. “Great to meet you at the Chamber event” is forgettable. “Great to meet you at the Chamber event — I've been thinking about what you said about how hard it is to stay in touch with referral partners after the initial meeting” is not forgettable. It tells the person you were actually listening, which immediately separates you from 90% of the other people who were at that event.
Pro tip:This is why adding notes to your contacts immediately after an event is so valuable. When it comes time to follow up, you've got something specific to reference instead of a fuzzy memory.
2. Keep it short.
Your follow-up email does not need to be long. In fact, the longer it is, the less likely it is to get a response. Two or three short paragraphs is plenty. You're not trying to close a deal here — you're trying to continue a conversation. Leave room for them to respond.
3. Have a clear, low-friction ask.
Every follow-up email should have some kind of next step, but that next step should be easy to say yes to. “I'd love to grab coffee sometime” is too vague. “Would you be open to a 20-minute coffee or Zoom call sometime in the next couple of weeks?” is specific and easy to respond to. Even better if you give them an easy out: “If the timing isn't right, no worries at all — I just wanted to make sure I reached out.”
4. Make it about them, not about you.
The follow-up isn't the time to lead with your pitch or your offerings. Lead with the connection you made and what you found interesting about them. The relationship comes first. Everything else comes later.
What to Say Based on the Type of Contact
Not every follow-up email is the same, and it helps to think about who you're writing to.
Potential referral partner
Your goal here is to set up a one-to-one conversation where you can get to know each other's businesses well enough to start referring each other. Keep the email focused on that — express genuine interest in learning more about what they do and suggest a coffee or call. Don't over-explain yourself or your business in the email. Save that for the conversation.
Potential client
This one requires a little more finesse. You don't want to immediately launch into a sales pitch, but you also don't want to be so vague that the purpose of the follow-up is unclear. Lead with the connection, reference something specific they mentioned about a challenge or a goal, and make a gentle suggestion that it might be worth a conversation to see if there's a fit. Low pressure, clear intent.
Someone you just genuinely connected with
Sometimes you meet someone at a networking event and there's no obvious business opportunity, but you liked them and you'd like to stay in touch. That's worth a follow-up too. Keep it simple — “I really enjoyed our conversation and I'd love to stay connected” is enough. People remember the ones who made the effort.
The Timing Question
Send the follow-up within 24–48 hoursof the event. Not a week later. Not “sometime this week.” Within 24–48 hours.
Here's why: the conversation is still fresh for both of you. They remember who you are. You remember what you talked about. The connection is warm. Every day that passes, that warmth fades a little bit — for both of you.
If you can't send a personalized follow-up to every single person you met within that window, prioritize. The high-value contacts — the potential referral partners and clients — go first. Everyone else gets a more general but still timely follow-up.
What If You've Already Waited Too Long?
It happens. Life gets busy and suddenly it's been two weeks since the event and you still haven't followed up. Don't let the embarrassment of waiting too long be the reason you don't reach out at all.
A late follow-up is always better than no follow-up. Just acknowledge it briefly: “I apologize for the delayed follow-up — things got a bit hectic after the event.” Don't overexplain or over-apologize. Say it, move past it, and focus on what you're actually reaching out to say.
Most people will appreciate that you reached out at all. We've all been on the receiving end of a late follow-up. It's not disqualifying.
Making This Easier on Yourself
The real secret to not feeling awkward about follow-ups is having a system so that you're not starting from scratch every single time. When you've got a set of templates you trust — a solid opening, a clear middle, a simple ask — you're filling in the specifics rather than staring at a blank screen trying to remember how to be a human.
And when that system is automated? When every new contact you add gets a timely, personal follow-up without you having to remember to send it? The awkwardness disappears entirely. Because you're not manually crafting each email under pressure — you're just making sure your system has the right information to work with.
The conversation was the hard part. The follow-up should be the easy part.
If you want a follow-up system that handles the timing and sequencing automatically — so every new contact gets a consistent, personal email in your voice without you having to think about it — that's exactly what the Mission Suite Networking Engine is built to do. Get the Networking Engine for $30 →