5 Strategies for Event Follow-Up Emails

You’ve just returned home from a networking event, pockets filled with business cards. Your mind is buzzing with the possible opportunities arising from the new connections you made.

Maybe you’ve even met a great new contact that can help you level up your career, and you’re giddy about the possibilities!

Before you start daydreaming about a job with that startup founder you just exchanged business cards with, remember that it’s still on you to do the groundwork to build these connections.

But how?

With a killer event follow-up email.

Nurture the energy

As exciting as it is to make a great initial connection, don’t forget to use that energy to move things forward and prevent an opportunity from fizzling out!

A direct and well-timed event follow-up email can be the ticket to cultivating a powerful relationship that lands you your next dream job.

Above all, it’s on you to make sure that your new connections are memorable and sustainable—not fleeting and forgettable!

Networking events can be an stellar way to plant the seeds for ongoing professional relationships, but afterward, the ball is in your court to nurture that connection into a solid relationship. And the best way to do that is by mastering the event follow-up!

The good news is: taking your new connections from initial contact to blossoming relationship doesn’t have to be complex or overwhelming. In fact, it can (and should) feel natural and straightforward.

Here are some great strategies to help you use a killer follow-up email to water the seeds of your new connections:

1. Make the first move with an event follow-up email

After making new connections, don’t wait to reach out with that first email! Your new contacts are as busy as you are, which means that after a few days or a week goes by, the impression of your meeting will be vague in their mind. Sending an event follow-up email within 24 hours asserts you as someone who knows what that want, and isn’t deterred by hesitation.

Compose a short follow-up email the day after meeting to follow up, simply letting the person know you enjoyed meeting them and would love to stay in touch! If you talked about a potential job, let them know you’re excited about the opportunity, and suggest a follow-up action step, like setting up a time to meet for coffee to connect further.

Feel free to attach your resume if that makes sense as a follow-up to the conversation you’ve already started.

2. Be a great note-taker

There’s nothing worse than receiving a cookie-cutter email from someone who clearly didn’t remember a single personal detail about you. Don’t be that person!

You can bring along a small notepad to events or use your phone to jot down memorable details about people you’d like to connect with further. It’s great to remember what you talked about, so you can have a point of reference in your event follow-up email! People are much more likely to read your emails when they contain specific details about your interaction with them.

3. Keep it short and sweet

No one likes being bombarded with long, rambling emails. Keep your event follow-up email short and to the point, with a clear email subject line such as “Great to meet you, NAME.”

In your email, express appreciation at meeting the person and offer a clear action step for moving forward. Remember, the connection is what counts, and it’s often a relief for people to receive a brief email that they can easily reply to!

There’s no need to overthink it. For example, you could say:

“I really enjoyed meeting you the other day. It was great discussing x, and I would love to connect more! Are you free to meet for coffee one day next week?”

4. Give without expectation

Relationships are built by reciprocity. If you’re seeking help from your connections, don’t forget to ask how you can serve them, too. Listen carefully during your interaction and you’ll likely hear of things your connection needs.

Did they mention feeling overwhelmed by all the tasks on their plate? Send them a referral for a great virtual assist you know. Are they new in the area and looking for new yoga studios and restaurants? Send them a list of some of your favorite hot spots in town.

Your thoughtfulness creates a memorable impression that you care about your professional relationships.

5. Connect via LinkedIn

You want to make it as easy as possible for your new connections to access your professional profile. Include a link to your LinkedIn profile in your email footer, or send them a LinkedIn request. That’s a convenient reminder of who you are and what you do.

Connecting on LinkedIn increases your chances of talking again about a great career opportunity now or in the future.

Closing thoughts on event follow-up

The important thing to remember when crafting your event follow-up email is to take initiative! Be both genuine and interested! Interested people are interesting people, so show a sincere desire to know more about the people you meet and how you can help them.

The best connections happen when you build them in a genuine and authentic way. Take a few moments to follow up quickly after an event. 

Don’t know where to start? The easiest way to start writing your event follow-up email is with MANGO’s Event Follow-Up Email Builder.

MANGO, the free networking tool, will guide you through writing your event follow-up email step-by-step. With prompts and examples to guide you, your event follow-up email will have all the right ingredients, and will be easy for your contact to respond to.

Start writing your event follow-up now. You’ll soon see your professional network overflowing with high-quality people eager to help you on the way to reaching your dreams.