How to follow up with a brand that's gone quiet (with email templates)

You sent the pitch, or the quote, or the draft. The brand was keen. And then nothing. A day, a week, two weeks.

Silence from a brand almost never means what it feels like it means. It rarely means "we hate you" or "we've moved on". Much more often, it means your contact is buried, waiting on someone else, or has simply forgotten. The creators who get the deal are usually the ones who follow up well.

Here's how long to wait, what to say at each stage, and when to let it go. (Chasing an unpaid invoice is a different problem with its own guide. This one is about everything before that.)

Why brands go quiet

It helps to know what's happening on the other side:

• Your contact is waiting on approval. Budgets, briefs and contracts often need sign-off from a manager, legal or finance.
• They're swamped. Marketing teams juggle dozens of creators and campaigns at once.
• Plans changed. The launch moved, the budget got cut, the campaign was paused.
• Your email got buried. It happens more than anyone admits.
• They're talking to other creators. They may be comparing quotes before deciding.
• The person left. Marketing roles turn over a lot. Your email may be sitting in an inbox nobody reads.
• They aren't interested and didn't want to say so. It happens, but less often than you'd think.

Only the last one is a real no. A good follow-up handles all the others.

How long to wait

Timing depends on what stage you're at. These are rules of thumb:

Stage	First follow-up	Second follow-up	Then
Cold pitch, no reply	5 to 7 days	7 to 10 days later	Stop, or try again in 2 to 3 months with something new
They asked for your rates, you sent a quote	3 to 5 days	5 to 7 days later	One final note, then move on
Verbal yes, waiting on contract or brief	3 to 5 days	3 to 5 days later	Ask directly if it's still going ahead
Draft submitted, waiting on feedback	2 to 3 business days	2 to 3 days later	Point to the posting date and the schedule
Campaign done, waiting on next steps	1 to 2 weeks	2 to 3 weeks later	Check in quarterly

Two follow-ups is a good default for most stages. Three is fine when something is time-sensitive and agreed. Beyond that, you're usually better off spending the energy on someone new.

Always count business days, and allow extra time around major holidays, end of quarter and big industry events, when inboxes overflow.

What makes a good follow-up

Reply in the same thread. Don't start a new email. Keeping the thread means they can see the whole history without searching.

Keep it short. Two to four lines. They didn't reply to the long one.

Add something. A new result, an idea, a date, a reason. "Just checking in" with nothing else is the weakest version.

Make the next step easy. Ask a question they can answer in one line, or offer a simple yes or no.

Stay warm. No guilt, no "I noticed you haven't replied". Assume they're busy, because they probably are.

Templates for each stage

Following up on a cold pitch

First follow-up, about a week later. Add a fresh reason to reply:

Hi Dana, bumping this up in case it got buried. Since I wrote, my "5 desk upgrades under $50" video passed 200,000 views, which is right in your product's lane. Happy to share a quick idea if you're planning anything for the next few months.

Second follow-up, the last one:

Hi Dana, one last note on this so I'm not cluttering your inbox. If creator partnerships aren't on the cards right now, no problem at all. If they are later in the year, I'd love to be considered.

The "last note" line is useful. It's honest, and it often gets a reply, because it gives them an easy moment to respond.

After sending your rates

Brands sometimes go quiet after a quote because the number surprised them. Give them an easy way to keep talking:

Hi Marcus, following up on the quote I sent last week. If the full package doesn't fit your budget, I'm happy to suggest a smaller version. Just let me know what you're working with.

Waiting on a contract or brief after a verbal yes

Here you have a real reason to be direct, because you're holding dates for them:

Hi Elena, checking in on the agreement for the June campaign. I'm holding the week of the 10th for filming, so if there's any chance the timeline is moving, could you let me know by Friday? That way I can plan around it.

If that gets nothing:

Hi Elena, just making sure this is still going ahead. If I don't hear back by Wednesday, I'll release the dates I was holding, but I'd be glad to pick it up again whenever you're ready.

Releasing your dates isn't a threat. It's a fair, calm statement of what you need to do, and it usually prompts an answer.

Waiting on feedback for a draft

This one matters because delays here push the posting date and can compress your schedule:

Hi Ben, a quick nudge on the draft I sent Monday. To post on the 18th as planned, I'd need feedback by Thursday. If the date needs to move, that's fine, just let me know.

If you have a contract with a feedback window (more on that in the revisions guide), you can point to it gently:

Hi Ben, our agreement has a three-business-day review window, which ended yesterday. Shall I go ahead and treat the draft as approved for the 18th, or would you like a little more time?

When your contact may have left

If you get an out-of-office saying they've moved on, or a bounced email, find the new person. Look on LinkedIn, check the brand's site for a partnerships address, or reply to anyone else who was on the original thread.

Hi Kim, I was working with Taylor on a creator campaign for your spring range, and I understand they've moved on. Would you be the right person to pick it up, or could you point me to who is? Happy to send a quick summary of where we got to.

Checking in after a finished campaign

No deal on the table, just staying in touch:

Hi Ravi, hope the spring launch went well. The video we made together is still picking up views and comments, now past 350,000. If you're planning the summer campaign, I'd love to be part of it.

When to stop

Stop following up when:

• You've sent two or three follow-ups with no reply at all.
• They've said no, even softly. "We'll keep you in mind" usually means not now.
• Their reply gets vaguer each time. That usually means it isn't happening.

Stopping doesn't mean burning the bridge. Leave the thread on good terms and try again in a few months with something new: a strong result, a seasonal idea, a new format.

Keep your follow-ups from slipping

The hardest part of following up isn't writing the email. It's remembering to send it. A few habits help:

• Set a reminder the moment you send. Calendar, task app, whatever you'll actually look at.
• Log each deal with a status and a next date. "Quote sent, follow up Tuesday" is enough.
• Do follow-ups in one batch. Fifteen minutes on a Monday morning covers most of the week.
• Keep your templates handy. The ones above, adapted to your voice, will cover almost everything.

Mistakes to avoid

Following up the next day. Unless something is truly urgent, give people a few days.

Sending the same email again. Add something new each time.

Guilt-tripping. "I'm surprised I haven't heard back" puts people on the defensive.

Following up on DMs and email at once. Pick one channel. Being chased in three places feels like pressure.

Starting work without a confirmed brief or contract because you assume the silence means yes. It doesn't.

Taking it personally. Silence is almost always about their workload, not you.

Frequently asked questions

Is it pushy to follow up more than once?

Not if you space it out and add something each time. Two follow-ups on a pitch is normal. Two or three on something already agreed, like a contract or feedback with a deadline, is just keeping the project on track. It becomes pushy when you follow up daily, across several channels, or with a guilt-heavy tone.

Should I follow up by email or DM?

Use whichever channel the conversation started on, or whichever the brand used last. If a pitch went by email, follow up by email. If a brand only ever messages you in DMs, a short DM nudge is fine. Avoid chasing the same thing in two places at once.

What's the best day and time to follow up?

There's no magic slot. Many people find Tuesday to Thursday mornings, in the brand's time zone, are a sensible default, because Monday inboxes are full and Friday afternoons are quiet. Consistency matters more than timing: a follow-up sent on the day you planned beats a perfect one you forgot.

Should I lower my rate if they go quiet after my quote?

Not straight away. Ask whether the budget is the issue and offer a smaller scope, as in the template above. Cutting your price before they've said anything teaches brands that silence gets discounts.

What if they reply months later?

Pick it straight back up. Plans change and budgets reappear. Confirm whether the details (dates, deliverables, rate) still stand, and update anything that's changed since, including your rate if it's gone up.

The short version

• Brand silence usually means busy, waiting on approval, or buried, not a no.
• Wait 3 to 7 business days depending on the stage, then follow up in the same thread.
• Keep follow-ups short, add something new each time, and make the next step easy.
• Two follow-ups is a good default. Be more direct when you're holding dates or waiting on feedback.
• Know when to stop, and leave the door open.
• Track every open conversation with a next follow-up date. If your deals live in Vantr, each one has a stage, so it's easy to spot which brands you're still waiting on.