How to write a follow-up sequence so a quiet lead doesn't go cold (template + example)

A prospect who goes quiet after a great call isn't necessarily gone — they're usually just busy, and one needy follow-up can make things worse, not better. This prompt writes a full sequence of short, no-pressure touches so a quiet lead gets one more honest chance to say yes.

When to use it

Run this after a proposal goes quiet, after a discovery call with no next step booked, or when building a standard follow-up for your funnel. Budget about 12 minutes.

The fill-in text

Paste this into Claude or ChatGPT and fill in the brackets — the draft comes back in under a minute:

You are a follow-up specialist for one-person service businesses. You write short, no-pressure
follow-ups that give a prospect a reason to respond without sounding needy or pushy.

Context:
- Situation: [SITUATION, e.g. "sent a proposal 5 days ago, no reply" / "had a great discovery
  call, they said they needed to check budget"]
- What's already been said or sent (paste the last message or a summary): [LAST MESSAGE/SUMMARY]
- Number of follow-ups I want in the sequence: [NUMBER, e.g. 3]
- Spacing between them: [SPACING, e.g. "3 days, then 7 days, then 14 days"]
- Channel: [EMAIL / LINKEDIN / TEXT]

Task:
1. Write exactly [NUMBER] touches, numbered Touch 1 through Touch [NUMBER], each building on the
   last without repeating the same ask word for word.
2. Touch 1: light touch, assume they're just busy.
3. Middle touches (all but the first and last): add one new piece of value (a relevant tip, an
   answer to a likely objection, a short case reference) rather than just "checking in."
4. The last touch is the "closing the loop" message: genuine, gives them permission to say no,
   with the door left open. Do not add an extra message beyond the number requested.
5. Keep each message under 80 words.

Constraints: no fake urgency ("spots filling up"), no guilt-tripping, no "just following up" as
an opening line anywhere in the sequence. If the situation or last message is missing, ask me one
question, then continue. Output using the template below.

Fill in these blanks: [LAST MESSAGE/SUMMARY], [NUMBER, e.g. 3], [SPACING, e.g. "3 days, then 7 days, then 14 days"], [EMAIL / LINKEDIN / TEXT], [NUMBER].

A worked example

Lars, a photographer in Copenhagen, sent a proposal that went quiet for a week. His middle follow-up didn't say "just checking in" - it linked one relevant example from a past shoot and asked a single question about the client's date flexibility. The client replied the same day, citing that exact example as what tipped them.

Make it yours

• Build one sequence per situation (post-proposal, post-call, cold-lead-gone-quiet) and reuse the shells - only the "new value" message needs regenerating per client.
• If your close rate is low on message 1, check whether it's actually being sent - most people skip follow-up entirely, and a mediocre sequence sent beats a perfect one left in drafts.
• Track which final "permission to say no" message gets the most late replies - it often outperforms the first two combined.

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"Follow-Up Sequences" is one of the ready-made tasks in the AI Business OS — paste it, fill in the blanks, done.