This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Agnes Scott chapter.

A beautifully written follow-up email can be the edge that sets you apart from others. It can also serve to further solidify a connection that you made with a potential employer or possible networking contact. Whether you’ve just heard a person speak on a panel or made a connection at a networking event, a good follow-up shows that you appreciate their time and are able to communicate professionally.

Make sure you send the email as soon as possible, either the evening of the event or the next day. The longer you wait, the farther away you get in their memory and the less motivated you will seem to them.

Make the connection.

If possible, always try to make an initial, in-person connection with them after they speak by introducing yourself or asking a quick question. You should also thank them in person for taking the time to speak or present at the event. At some larger events, this may not be realistic. In these instances, make sure you listen attentively and take note of a few of the best things that they say. These will come in handy later.

Start with a direct subject line.

You want your subject line to tell the receiver exactly what you’re emailing them about. It can also provide a preview of what you’re going to say in the body of the email. Possible subject lines may include: “Thank you for speaking at Her Conference” or, “It was a pleasure to meet you.”

Open with a professional greeting.

Maintain a professional distance but also be cordial. You should also avoid putting just their name followed by a comma. “Hello ____,” and “Dear ____,” are good greetings. Make sure you are referring to them by their appropriate title, only using first names if you’ve established that kind of relationship or they have indicated that it’s acceptable. If you do not know what title to address them by, do a little research to figure out if they have the credentials to be addressed as “Dr.” If not, go with the generic Mr. or Ms. in order to avoid offending or assuming someone is married.

*Quick Tip: When using titles, only last names are needed. (Ex: Ms. Thomas, NOT Ms. Denise Thomas)

Introduce yourself and remind them who you are.

After an event or a busy day, your recipient will likely need a bit of a reminder of who you are. Provide your name, your job title, if applicable, and where/when you interacted with them.

Provide specific details of your interaction.

In order to show them that you’re not just sending a generic follow-up, you should mention particular things that you found interesting or useful that they said. For example, if you asked them a question afterward or during the Q&A session, let them know that you liked their advice. By doing these things, you put a face on your email and let them know that you’re not just shooting off cookie-cutter follow-ups to make any connection you can.

Thank them for their time.

This one goes hand-in-hand with the last tip. These two parts of your email can be combined for a smoother-sounding email. The last thing you want is for your message to read like a template you grabbed offline. Quickly thank them for taking the time to share their advice and experiences. The primary purpose of your email should be to thank them and indicate your appreciation. Any connection that may follow is just an awesome bonus.

Close the email with reference to the future.

This is where you’ll need to get creative. Here, you need to preview the possibility of interacting with them in the future. Depending on what they do, this can be done in a number of ways. You can tell them you look forward to seeing what they do in the future or even suggest that you may meet again. This leaves the relationship open in their mind and will allow for a more comfortable interaction later if you ever need to reach out to them again.

Close with a final note of thanks.

Finally, thank them a second time to emphasize the reason that you are sending them this email, which is ultimately to thank them for their time and experitse. Then, close the email with a professional and genuine sign-off such as “Best wishes.”

BONUS: Measure the tone.

If you feel like you are a pro emailer and are able to craft the email with ease, you may also consider playing around with tone where appropriate. If you have established a more informal relationship with the recipient, you may want to consider a lighter, friendlier tone.

See below for an example of both a professional and a friendly follow-up.

Professional:

Hello Ms. Bryant,

My name is Natalie Networker and I’m a freelance writer in New York. We chatted briefly after you spoke on the Book Publishing panel at the ALC Women in Journalism conference yesterday. I really enjoyed our conversation about the effects of e-readers on the publishing industry, during which you shared advice with me on how to get an internship in publishing.

I just want to reach out and thank you for contributing your time and experience to speak at the conference and for recommending that I contact Bethany Church about the internship. I appreciated your frankness and honesty about the publishing industry, as well as your obvious passion for the work that you do. I hope that we will meet again in the future. Thank you again for the advice.

Best wishes,

Natalie

Informal:

Hello Adrienne!

I’m Natalie Networker, a freelance writer in New York. This morning, I chatted with you and your friend Christine as we waited for the keynote speech to begin. I also attended your panel on Ditching the 9-5, where I asked if you had any advice on giving effective pitches.

I’d like to thank you for taking the time to speak on the panel and share your invaluable experiences with the eager girls in that room. I especially appreciated your advice on the importance of creating a personal brand (I see that pink-themed Instagram, girl). I’m a big fan of your blog and your incredible ability to hustle for what you love. I look forward to seeing where you go in the future.

Thank you again,