Most follow-up emails after a show are not read. Not because the lead went cold, but because the email could have been sent to anyone. It opens with a hope that the message finds them well, spends three paragraphs on the sender's company, and ends with an invitation to "connect further". The person who receives it met forty exhibitors. They cannot tell which one you were.
The follow-up that gets a reply does one thing: it proves you listened.
The structure
Every good follow-up has the same four parts, and they fit in under a hundred words.
- Where you met, and what they told you. One line. Not "great to meet you at the fair" but "you mentioned three lines are due for upgrade next year".
- The one thing you promised. Attached, linked, or dated. If you promised a brochure, it is attached. If you promised a price, the price is in the email or the date you will send it is.
- The next step, with a date. "Would a call on Thursday suit?" beats "let me know if you would like to discuss".
- Your name and one line of who you are. They met you once. Help them.
That is it. No company history, no list of capabilities, no exclamation marks.
When to send it
Send it the next working day. Not the same evening, when they are at the exhibitor dinner and your email lands between forty others. Not the week after, when the stack of business cards has gone into a drawer. The morning after the show, while the conversation is still in their head, is the moment.
If the show runs three days and you met them on day one, still send it on day two. Waiting for the show to end only helps your competitors who did not wait.
The mistakes that get you ignored
- Opening with pleasantries. "I hope this email finds you well" is the sentence people skim past to find out what you want.
- Talking about yourself. They asked about one thing. Answer that. The rest of your range can wait for the second email.
- A vague ask. "Let me know your thoughts" gives them a job to do. "Thursday at ten?" gives them a yes or no.
- A generic subject line. "Following up from the show" tells them nothing. "The retrofit timeline you mentioned" tells them exactly which conversation this was.
- Sending it a week later. By then they have forgotten your face, and the email reads as a cold approach.
Five templates
Replace the bracketed parts. Keep everything else short.
1. They asked for something specific
Subject: The [brochure / spec sheet / reference list] you asked for
Hi [first name],
Good to meet you at [show] yesterday. You asked about [the thing] for
[their situation, in their words].
Attached is the [thing]. The section on [page or heading] covers the
[point they raised].
Would a short call on [day] suit, to go through how it would fit
[their plant / their timeline]?
[Your name]
[Company], [what you do in five words]2. They have a dated need
Subject: [Their need] before [their date]
Hi [first name],
You mentioned at [show] that [the need] has to be in place by [date].
Working back from that, the decision would need to be made by
[earlier date] to leave time for [delivery / installation / approval].
I can have [a proposal / indicative pricing] with you by [date]. Would
it help to talk for fifteen minutes before then, so it covers the right
scope?
[Your name]3. They are with another supplier and not happy
Subject: The [response times / lead times / support] problem
Hi [first name],
Thanks for being straight with me at [show] about the [problem] you
are having with your current [supplier / setup].
Here is how we handle that: [one sentence, specific]. [Optional: a
one-line example from a similar customer, without naming them.]
If it is worth a proper look, I can walk through it on a call on
[day]. If the timing is wrong, tell me when is better and I will come
back then.
[Your name]4. Early interest, no need yet
Subject: When [the topic] comes up
Hi [first name],
Good to talk at [show]. You said [the topic] is not on the plan yet
but may be [next year / when the budget resets].
No pitch from me now. I will check in around [month], and if anything
changes before then you know where I am. In the meantime, here is
[one genuinely useful thing: a checklist, a short guide, a comparison].
[Your name]5. A customer you already have
Subject: Good to see you at [show]
Hi [first name],
Good to see you at the stand. Two things from our conversation:
- [Thing they mentioned about the current setup], noted, and I will
[action] by [date].
- [Thing they were interested in], which is new since we last spoke.
Happy to show it properly if useful.
Speak soon,
[Your name]What to do after you send it
Book the follow-up before you close the email. If you said Thursday, Thursday goes in the queue with their name on it. If they do not reply by then, the next email is two lines: the original ask, and one new piece of information. Never "just checking in".
A lead that has nothing booked is a lead that will be forgotten, however good the first email was. The email is the promise; the booked next step is what keeps it.