The wordless follow-up that gets replies
How many times have you agonized over how often and how to follow up after you hit send on an email, LinkedIn message, or DM?
Probably more than you care to admit. It might be the hottest argument in sales: How many follow-ups are too many? What's the difference between persistence and pestering? And what should you actually say in that next nudge?
Here’s the truth: The right answer depends on what you're asking... and how much of a right to a reply you really have.
What's Your Right to a Reply?
Not all follow-ups are created equal. Let’s break it down:
If someone owes you money, do you stop after two follow-ups? Definitely not! Payment is your right. So you follow up as many times (nicely or not) as it takes.
Waiting for a project answer from a client? Same logic applies: you've earned a reply, so keep following up.
You have every reason and right to keep following up in these scenarios. The real risk to your relationship is not following up.
But what about when you don't have that right? That’s the question we all have to answer.
How Much Are You Willing to Risk?
If it’s a cold lead—someone who doesn’t know you and didn’t ask for your message—suddenly it’s not about your right to a reply. Now it’s about your appetite for risk.
Reaching out to a local influencer or strategic contact? You probably don't want to send ten reminders and become the person they avoid at every event.
Broadcasting at scale to a big email list? You can probably afford to be a little extra. For 1,000 cold leads, one or two ignored or even irritated people won’t burn your brand.
Rule of thumb: The more important the relationship, the more respect and subtlety in your follow-up.
What Actually Works in a Follow-Up?
You’ve seen (maybe sent) a million boring "just checking in" messages.
When you have a right to an answer—payment, client updates—it’s totally fine, utilitarian even.
For cold leads? Boring follow-ups make you blend in, or worse, annoy.
Conventional advice says: be creative, be helpful, add value with every touch. All true. But here’s a secret I rarely see anyone talk about: the wordless follow-up.
The Power of a GIF (Seriously)
This is my universal go-to. The one reminder that almost always works, no matter your relationship, audience, or industry:
No long explanation.
No "just bumping this up."
No clever subject lines.
Just a GIF.
Not a meme full of text or a long-winded joke. Just a simple, relatable GIF, like a friendly wave or patiently waiting animation. [Insert your favorite gif]
Here’s why it works:
It breaks the pattern. After seeing hundreds of earnest follow-ups, a GIF stands out, gets a tiny chuckle, and earns you goodwill.
It’s almost impossible to interpret as rude or pushy.
It gets replies. I routinely see three to five times the response rate compared to standard bump emails.
And you don’t have to come up with new words or risk overthinking your message.
It’s a surprisingly effective way to stay top-of-mind without being a nuisance. Give it a shot next time someone goes silent. You might be surprised by who replies.
What’s your experience in follow ups? Let me know if you hav e some well-performing trick, or some hard case you can’t crack.
And, as always, have a great week 🙂