gridlyx.com / Write Follow-Up Emails with AI / second-follow-up-email

Craft Effective Second Follow-Up Emails That Get Replies

Tested prompts for second follow up email after no response compared across 5 leading AI models.

BEST BY JUDGE SCORE Claude Haiku 4.5 7/10

The prompt we tested

You are an expert at writing concise, professional follow-up emails that get replies without sounding pushy. Based on the context below, draft a second follow-up email to send after the recipient did not respond to the first follow-up.

Context about the situation, recipient, and prior outreach:
I'm a freelance web designer. Two weeks ago I sent a proposal to Sarah, the marketing director at a mid-sized SaaS company, for a website redesign quoted at $12k. I followed up once a week later with no reply. I want to send a second follow-up that offers a free homepage audit as a soft nudge.

Formatting and style rules:
Write a subject line and a short email body (80-130 words) with a polite acknowledgment that this is a second follow-up, a brief value-focused reminder of the ask, a new angle or piece of value (resource, question, or soft deadline), and a clear single call-to-action. Keep the tone friendly and respectful—never guilt-tripping—and use plain text with short paragraphs and no placeholders like [Name] unless details are missing from the input.

Produce the email now.

Model comparison

ModelQualityCostLatencyTokens
Claude Opus 4.7 7 $0.0219 5.1s 362 / 219
Claude Haiku 4.5 7 $0.0010 2.6s 267 / 146
GPT-5.4 7 $0.0025 6.3s 234 / 130
Grok 4.1 Fast Reasoning 6 $0.0001 10.7s 383 / 105

Outputs

Claude Opus 4.7 7/10 
Subject: Quick idea for your homepage, Sarah

Hi Sarah,

Circling back one more time on the redesign proposal I sent a couple of weeks ago—I know inboxes get busy, so no worries if the timing isn't right.

To make this easier, I'd like to offer something useful either way: a free 15-minute homepage audit where I'll share two or three specific changes that could lift conversions and clarify your messaging. You're welcome to use the takeaways whether or not we end up working together.

Would it help if I put the audit together this week and sent it over? Just a quick "yes" is all I need to get started.

Thanks for considering it,
[Your name]
Judge notes: The email is effective and well-structured but uses a placeholder "[Your name]" despite the context providing enough detail to indicate the sender's identity is simply unknown—acceptable but breaks the "no placeholders" formatting rule explicitly stated in the prompt, and the word count (~110 words) is fine but the audit offer slightly undercuts the $12k proposal's gravity by making it feel too easy to take without engaging further.
Claude Haiku 4.5 7/10 
**Subject: Quick thought on your site redesign + free audit offer**

Hi Sarah,

I realize my last email may have gotten buried—totally understand how busy things get.

I wanted to circle back on the redesign proposal because I genuinely think an updated site could drive real impact for your conversion rates. Rather than asking you to commit right away, I'd like to offer something with zero obligation: a free homepage audit highlighting quick wins and opportunities specific to your current design.

It usually takes me about 30 minutes and gives you concrete data to work with—whether you move forward with me or not.

Would you be open to that?

Best,
[Your name]
Judge notes: The email is solid and usable but "drive real impact for your conversion rates" is a vague claim that would benefit from a more specific hook, and leaving "[Your name]" as a placeholder is a minor but real production-readiness issue.
GPT-5.4 7/10 
Subject: Quick second follow-up + free homepage audit

Hi Sarah,

I wanted to send one quick second follow-up in case my proposal for the website redesign got buried.

The main goal of the redesign I outlined was to help improve clarity, conversion, and overall polish so the site better supports your marketing team’s goals.

As a helpful next step, I’d be happy to send over a free homepage audit with 3–5 specific opportunities I’d prioritize, whether or not we end up working together.

If that would be useful, just reply with “send audit” and I’ll put it together.

Best,
[Your Name]
Judge notes: The phrase "one quick second follow-up" is awkward and redundant, and "[Your Name]" is a placeholder when the context implied the sender's identity could simply be omitted or resolved, but the core structure, tone, value hook, and CTA are solid and production-near.
Grok 4.1 Fast Reasoning 6/10 
Subject: Quick Second Follow-Up: Free Homepage Audit for Your Site

Hi Sarah,

I hope you're doing well. Following up on my previous emails about the $12k website redesign proposal from two weeks ago—tailored to boost your SaaS conversions and user experience.

As a no-obligation next step, I'd love to provide a free homepage audit with actionable insights on design and UX improvements.

Are you available for a 15-minute chat next week to review it?

Best regards,  
Jordan  
Freelance Web Designer
Judge notes: The email lacks the explicit "second follow-up" acknowledgment required by the brief, reads slightly mechanical in the transition to the audit offer, and at ~65 words falls short of the 80-word minimum specified in the formatting rules.

Related queries

Follow Up Email After Job Application → Follow Up Email After Interview with AI → Follow Up Email After Meeting | AI Generator → Follow Up Email After Sending Proposal → Follow Up Email to Client with AI → Cold Email Follow Up Writer | AI Tool →

Try it with a real tool

Run this prompt in one of these tools. Affiliate links help keep Gridlyx free.

Jasper AI writing for marketing teams
Try Jasper →
Writesonic AI writer with 80+ templates
Try Writesonic →
GetResponse Email marketing + automation
Try GetResponse →