Glossary Writing and sequences
Follow-up cadence: how many and how often
Follow-up cadence is the number of follow-up emails you send after a first email and the spacing between them, for example two follow-ups on day 3 and day 7.
Too close together feels pushy; too far apart and the reader forgets the first email. A few working days between messages is a common default.
Each follow-up should be shorter than the last and add something new: a detail, a short example, or an easy way to say no.
Why it matters
- The right cadence earns replies without earning complaints.
- A clear end point (a last, polite email) respects the reader's time.
- Consistency makes results comparable across people and weeks.
How Reach Crew handles it
Reach Crew follows up on day 3 and day 7 if there is no reply, each at 9:30 am on a weekday in the reader's time zone, and then stops. There is never a fourth email.
Related terms
- Email sequence. An email sequence is a planned series of messages to one person, a first email followed by timed follow-ups...
- Send time. Send time is the moment an email is delivered to the recipient, and for cold email it matters most in the...
- Reply rate. Reply rate is the percentage of people you emailed who wrote back, counted per person rather than per email...
- Guide: How many follow-ups to send, and when
- Template: A breakup email that closes the loop politely