How many follow-up emails to send (and when)

Two or three follow-ups after the first email is a sensible default for B2B outreach. More than that tends to annoy people and increases spam complaints, which hurts your ability to reach anyone.

• First follow-up: 3 to 5 business days after the first email.
• Second follow-up: about a week after that.
• Third (if any): one to two weeks later.
• For slow-moving purchases like IT contracts or property maintenance, space them out even more.

Each follow-up should be shorter than the first email and add something: a new example, a simpler offer, or a different angle. Reply in the same thread so the reader can see the original message.

A final follow-up that politely closes the loop ('I'll stop here; feel free to reach out if the timing changes') often gets a reply on its own.

• As soon as they reply, even with a no.
• Immediately if they ask you to stop or unsubscribe. In Canada and the US you must honour opt-outs within 10 business days; doing it immediately is better.
• If an email bounces, don't keep sending to that address.

Follow-ups are easy to forget. A sequence tool can send them on schedule, in the same thread, and stop automatically when someone replies or unsubscribes. In Montegra Reach, a campaign stops for a person the moment they reply.