Follow-up reminders for emails that never got a reply
Proposals, invoices and job applications often stall because nobody follows up. This prompt has your todo.is agent check your sent Gmail every morning, spot important emails with no reply after a few days, remind you about them and draft a short, polite follow-up for each one. It saves drafts only and never sends without your OK.
The prompt
- Every weekday at [TIME], check my sent Gmail from the last 30 days for emails that got no reply after [DAYS TO WAIT]. Only count emails about [WHAT COUNTS AS IMPORTANT], and ignore [WHAT TO IGNORE]. Send me a short list on [WHERE TO SEND]: who, subject, date sent, and days waiting. For each one, write a polite follow-up under 70 words that adds one useful thing (a new detail, a question, or an easy next step) and save it as a Gmail draft in the same thread. After 2 follow-ups with no answer, suggest whether to close the loop. Never send anything yourself.
What to change
- [TIME]: e.g. "9:00".
- [DAYS TO WAIT]: e.g. "3 working days" for sales, "7 days" for job applications.
- [WHAT COUNTS AS IMPORTANT]: e.g. "proposals, quotes, invoices and job applications", or "anything I sent to clients at @acme.com".
- [WHAT TO IGNORE]: e.g. "newsletters, thank-you emails, internal emails to my team".
- [WHERE TO SEND]: WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack or email.
Example result
- Waiting for a reply (Tuesday 9:00)
- 1. Dr. Ana Ruiz, Harbor Dental: "Website quote" sent Wed 1 Oct, 6 days
- 2. Kevin Park, Brightline Hiring: "Application: Operations Lead" sent Thu 2 Oct, 5 days
- 3. Accounts, Fennel Studio: "Invoice #214" sent Fri 3 Oct, 4 days
- 4. Jamie Ortiz: "Venue options for the March workshop" sent Fri 3 Oct, 4 days
- Draft 1: quote follow-up
- Hi Ana,
- Following up on the website quote from last week. I noticed your booking page does not work well on phones, so I added a short note on how we would fix that as part of the project.
- Happy to walk you through it in a 15-minute call this week if useful.
- Best,
- Sam
- Draft 2: job application
- Hi Kevin,
- I wanted to check on my application for the Operations Lead role. I am still very interested, and since applying I finished the vendor cost review I mentioned, which cut costs by 12%. Glad to share details.
- Thanks,
- Sam
- Draft 3: invoice
- Hello,
- A quick reminder that invoice #214 for $1,800 is due on 17 Oct. I have attached it again for convenience. Please let me know if you need anything else to process it.
- Thanks,
- Sam
- Close the loop?
- None yet. Jamie's email will reach 2 follow-ups next week. If there is still no reply, a last short message ("Should I hold the dates or let them go?") usually gets an answer.
How to do it with todo.is
- Connect your Google account in todo.is so your agent can read sent Gmail and save drafts.
- Copy the prompt, set what counts as important and how long to wait, then paste it into todo.is.
- Each morning, read the list and the drafts in Gmail. Edit them if needed and send them yourself.
- Ask for changes like "wait 5 days for clients" or "also check emails with label Leads".
Tips for a better result
- Every follow-up should add something: a new detail, a short idea, or a simpler ask. "Just checking in" is easy to ignore.
- Use different wait times by type: 2 to 3 working days for quotes, about a week for job applications.
- Reply in the same thread so the person sees the context without searching.
- After two or three unanswered follow-ups, send a polite last message and move on.
follow-up reminders: FAQ
- How long should I wait before following up on an email? For business emails, 2 to 4 working days is common. For job applications, about a week, unless the posting gives a timeline.
- Does Gmail have follow-up reminders? Gmail has "nudges" that sometimes bring back emails without a reply, but you cannot set rules for which ones. Your agent lets you choose what counts and drafts the follow-up too.
- Will todo.is send the follow-ups for me? No. It saves drafts in your Gmail. You read them and send them yourself, or approve each one before it is sent.
- How do I politely follow up on an email? Keep it short, refer to your earlier email, add one new useful point and make the next step easy, like a yes or no question.
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