You’re tired of sending follow-up emails that sound robotic, or worse, get ignored. Maybe you’re in sales, maybe you’re chasing project updates, or maybe you just want fewer things slipping through the cracks. You’ve heard about Lavender’s Chrome extension but aren’t sure if it’ll actually save you time—or just add another tool to babysit.
This is for you: a no-fluff, step-by-step guide to automating your follow-ups with Lavender. We’ll walk through setup, actual automation, and what to watch out for. You’ll get honest advice so you waste less time, not more.
Why Automate Follow-up Emails Anyway?
Let’s be real: following up is a chore, but skipping it means missed deals, lost opportunities, and awkward “sorry for the radio silence” emails later. The problem is, most automation tools make your emails sound like… well, a robot wrote them. And if everyone’s automating, nobody stands out.
Lavender’s Chrome extension claims to help you write better, more personalized emails faster. It gives you suggestions, scores your emails, and (big promise) helps you automate follow-ups without losing your human touch. Let’s see how that actually works.
Step 1: Install Lavender’s Chrome Extension
Before you can automate anything, you need the Chrome extension up and running.
Here’s how: 1. Open Chrome. (This extension doesn’t work on Firefox or Safari.) 2. Go to the Chrome Web Store and search “Lavender” or follow the link from the Lavender site. 3. Click Add to Chrome. 4. Approve the permissions (yes, it needs to read your email drafts—otherwise it can’t help). 5. Wait a few seconds. You’ll see a lavender-colored icon near your browser bar.
Pro Tip: If you use multiple Google accounts, make sure you’re logged into the one that connects to your work email. Otherwise, you’ll end up automating the wrong inbox.
Step 2: Connect Lavender to Your Email
Lavender works inside your email, not as a separate app. Right now, it’s best with Gmail and Outlook on the web.
To set up: - Open Gmail or Outlook in Chrome. - You’ll get a popup or sidebar from Lavender asking you to sign in and grant access. - Follow the prompts to connect your account.
Stuff to Know: - If your IT department locks down extensions, you might need approval (don’t skip this step or nothing works). - Lavender doesn’t send emails for you; it helps you write and schedule them.
Step 3: Set Up a Follow-up Sequence
Now for the actual automation. Lavender’s Chrome extension doesn’t run full drip campaigns like Outreach or Mailshake, but it does let you build, personalize, and remind yourself to send follow-ups without losing your mind.
Here’s how it works:
-
Start a New Email or Reply
Begin a fresh email or reply to a thread in Gmail or Outlook. The Lavender sidebar should pop up. -
Draft Your First Message
As you type, Lavender scores your email for clarity, tone, length, and personalization. - Aim for a high score, but don’t obsess—sometimes “perfect” means “boring.”
-
Use Lavender’s suggested edits if they make sense; ignore the ones that don’t.
-
Add a Follow-up Reminder
- After sending, look for Lavender’s “Remind me to follow up” button (usually in the sidebar).
- Set the reminder: 2 days, 5 days, next week—whatever fits your process.
-
Lavender will nudge you when it’s time to follow up. No more sticky notes.
-
Write Your Follow-up in Advance (Optional but Smart)
- You can pre-write your follow-up and save it as a template in Lavender.
- When the time comes, pull up the template, personalize, and send.
- This isn’t true “set-it-and-forget-it” automation, but it saves real time and lets you tweak each message.
What Works: - The reminders are hard to ignore—they show up in your email, not a random to-do app. - Lavender’s templates are actually usable; they don’t sound like they were written by a robot from 2011.
What Doesn’t: - You can’t schedule a series of auto-sent emails. You still need to hit “Send.” - If you want full automation (no manual touch), this isn’t the tool. Try a dedicated email sequencing product.
Step 4: Use Lavender’s Personalization Tools
Here’s where Lavender earns its keep. The extension suggests tweaks, finds icebreakers, and even pulls in recent news about your recipient (if you let it). This is how you avoid “Just checking in…” and actually get replies.
To personalize your follow-ups: - Use the “Personalize” or “Icebreaker” suggestions in the sidebar. - Lavender will scan LinkedIn profiles, recent company news, and even your previous conversations. - Rewrite in your voice—don’t blindly accept every suggestion. You want to sound like you, not an AI.
What’s Worth Using: - The “Subject Line” suggestions are strong—short, punchy, and less likely to get ignored. - The “Recent News” feature is handy for B2B outreach. If it feels forced, skip it.
What to Ignore: - Overly formal suggestions (e.g., “I hope this email finds you well”). Nobody talks like that. - Any personalization that feels creepy or too intimate. If you wouldn’t say it in person, don’t put it in your email.
Step 5: Track Replies and Stay on Top of Your Pipeline
Automation isn’t much good if you forget who replied or let threads die. Lavender helps here, but don’t expect full CRM features.
What you get: - Lavender tracks which emails have been opened and replied to, right in the sidebar. - You’ll see follow-up reminders until you get a reply (or mark the thread as done). - If you’re working a big list, you can use basic analytics to see which emails are getting traction.
What you don’t get: - Deep reporting, contact management, or deal tracking. For that, you’ll need a CRM. - Automatic pausing of follow-ups when someone replies. You have to keep an eye on your reminders.
Pro Tip:
If you’re juggling lots of prospects, use labels or folders in Gmail/Outlook to organize follow-up stages. Lavender won’t do this for you.
Step 6: Iterate—Don’t Set and Forget
Here’s the truth. No automation tool gets it right the first time. The best follow-ups are short, personal, and timely—but you’ll only know what works for your audience by trying, measuring, and improving.
Quick tips: - Review which emails get replies. Tweak your templates based on real results, not just Lavender’s score. - Don’t spam. If someone hasn’t replied after two or three follow-ups, move on. - If Lavender’s suggestions start to sound same-y, write your own. The extension is a helper, not a replacement for your brain.
What to Watch Out For
- Deliverability: Automated emails can trigger spam filters, even if they’re personalized. Avoid lots of links, attachments, or weird formatting.
- Privacy: Lavender reads your drafts and email metadata. If you’re in a regulated industry, double-check compliance.
- Burnout: Automation is tempting, but blasting everyone with follow-ups is a good way to annoy people—and get blocked.
Wrapping Up
Automating your follow-ups with Lavender’s Chrome extension is about working smarter, not harder. It won’t do everything for you, but it’ll save you from forgetting to follow up and help you sound more human when you do.
Keep things simple: set up reminders, personalize your templates, and tweak as you go. The goal isn’t to automate yourself out of the process—it’s to make sure nothing (and nobody) slips through the cracks. Start small, watch what works, and don’t let automation turn you into a robot.