If you’re in B2B sales, you already know: following up is half the battle. The other half is actually getting a reply. If your inbox is a graveyard of “just checking in” threads, it’s probably time to automate. This guide is for sales reps, founders, or anyone who wants to stop chasing prospects by hand and start using tools that do the boring stuff for you.
We’ll walk through how to set up automated follow-up emails using Closershq, cut through the hype, and show what actually works (and what doesn’t). This isn’t about spamming people—it’s about making sure your best leads don’t slip through the cracks.
Why Automate Follow-Up Emails?
Let’s be honest: almost nobody replies to your first email. B2B sales cycles are long, buyers are busy, and inboxes are a mess. If you’re relying on your memory (or a spreadsheet) to keep up, you’re going to lose deals.
Automated follow-ups:
- Save you hours every week—no more manual reminders.
- Catch leads right when they’re ready to talk.
- Make it way less awkward than “just bumping this up in your inbox.”
But don’t expect magic. Automation won’t fix a bad list or a terrible pitch. It’s just a tool—how you use it still matters.
Step 1: Get Your List and Message Right (Don’t Skip This)
Before you touch any software, do this:
- Clean your list. Bad data means bounced emails, wasted time, and getting flagged as spam. Make sure you’ve got real people, at real companies, with valid addresses.
- Write your first email like a human. People can sniff out automation a mile away. Skip the fake personalization and get to the point: what’s in it for them?
- Have a reason to follow up. If you’re just “circling back,” your second and third emails will land in the trash.
Pro tip: Write all your emails (including follow-ups) at once, before plugging them into Closershq. You’ll spot gaps or repetitive lines that way.
Step 2: Set Up Your Closershq Account
If you haven’t already, sign up for Closershq. Basic setup is painless, but here’s what matters:
- Connect your email account. OAuth for Gmail/Outlook is standard. Use a real account, not a “noreply” or burner.
- Warm up your sender address. If this is a new email, send (and reply to) real emails for a couple weeks first. No tool can save you from a cold domain.
Avoid: Linking generic “info@” or “sales@” addresses—these get filtered more and replied to less.
Step 3: Build Your Follow-Up Sequence
Here’s where Closershq is actually helpful: you can build an entire sequence that sends emails on autopilot if you don’t get a reply.
What to do:
- Create a new campaign. Name it something useful, like “Q2 SaaS Prospects.”
- Upload your contact list. CSV import works fine. Double-check columns for email, name, company, etc.
- Write your email steps:
- Step 1: Your initial message. Short, direct, with a clear ask.
- Step 2-4: Follow-ups spaced a few days apart. Change the wording, don’t just “bump” the thread each time.
- Step 5 (optional): A breakup email if you want (“Should I close your file?” actually works sometimes).
How many follow-ups? Three is usually enough. More than four and you start to annoy people, not nudge them.
Closershq features worth using:
- Personalization tokens: Use {{first_name}}, {{company}}, etc. But don’t get lazy—context beats mail-merge tricks every time.
- Conditional steps: If someone replies, they automatically drop out of the sequence. No cringe moments where you keep pestering someone who already said “not interested.”
- Scheduling: Send during business hours in the recipient’s time zone if possible. Don’t blast people at 2am.
What to ignore:
- Overly fancy templates. Plain text works best for B2B. Skip the HTML, images, and logos.
- “AI subject line generators.” They rarely outperform a clear, honest subject.
Step 4: Test Before You Blast
Tempted to hit “send” on 500 contacts at once? Hold up.
- Send test emails to yourself and a colleague. Check for formatting errors, broken links, or awkward mail-merge fails.
- Proofread every step. Typos destroy trust. You only get one shot with a cold prospect.
- Double-check your unsubscribe link. It’s not just about compliance—making it easy to opt out keeps your sender reputation clean.
Pro tip: Send your first live batch to a small group. If you get bounced emails or angry replies, fix your process before scaling up.
Step 5: Monitor, Tweak, and Don’t Overthink It
Closershq will show you opens, replies, bounces, and all the usual stats. Here’s how to actually use that data:
- Low open rates? Your subject line probably stinks, or your emails are getting flagged as spam.
- No replies? Rewrite your message. Try a different offer or a shorter ask.
- Lots of bounces? Your list is bad. Go back to step 1.
- High opt-out rates? You’re probably being too aggressive, or your targeting is off.
Don’t obsess over every metric. What matters is replies from real prospects, not open rates or “AI sentiment analysis” dashboards.
What Works (and What Doesn’t)
What Works
- Short, direct emails. Respect people’s time.
- Sequences with 2-3 follow-ups. Persistence pays, but past a point, it’s just nagging.
- Personalization that actually means something. Mention a recent funding round, blog post, or mutual connection—if it’s genuine.
What Doesn’t
- Fake urgency (“Last chance!”) or guilt trips. People can tell.
- Over-automation. If you set it and forget it for months, you’ll come off as a robot.
- Blindly copying templates you found online. If everyone’s doing it, it stops working.
Common Pitfalls (and How to Dodge Them)
- Sending too many emails, too fast. You’ll get flagged as spam. Start slow.
- Ignoring replies. If someone writes back, CLOSE THE LOOP. Don’t make the tool keep following up.
- Getting lazy with your list. If your contacts are wrong, nothing else matters.
- Relying on Closershq to “fix” your sales process. It won’t. It just automates what you already do.
Keep It Simple—Then Iterate
Automating your follow-up emails with Closershq can save your sanity and land more meetings, but it only works if you keep things simple. Start with a clean list, write like a human, and don’t set and forget. Watch what gets replies, tweak as you go, and don’t chase every shiny feature. The best sales automation is the kind you barely notice—because it just works.
Now, go set up your first campaign, see what lands, and adjust. The rest is just noise.