You made something you’re proud of. The brand loved it. You sent the email, felt good about it, and then... nothing. We’ve been there:
A really nice resort in a foreign country once reached out to us after seeing some of our content. We had been there before and really enjoyed the stay, so creating something was enjoyable. We’d do it again in a heartbeat. It was exciting when they reached out and we immediately started talking dates. As soon as we identified the best time, our contact went dark on us. Honestly, it was worse than, “we’re not interested anymore.”
The deals that fade
Most deals don’t end with a “no.” They end with silence. The email sits, the brand gets busy, we get busy, and a few weeks later we realize we have no idea where things stand. We never got a “no.” We never got a “yes” either.
This is almost never a content problem. The work was good. It’s a follow-up problem: nobody wrote down what happens next and nobody asked.
Why follow-up slips
It feels pushy. We don’t want to nag someone who might say “no.”
There’s no system. The next step lives in someone’s head, or buried in an inbox.
Too many threads. Sponsors, speaking, affiliate programs, guests: by the time you circle back, you’ve lost the thread.
None of these are character flaws. They’re what happens when a creator business has more moving parts than a notes app can handle.
What a follow-up is, and what it isn’t
A follow-up isn’t nagging. It’s a useful nudge: something that makes the next step easy for them. “Just checking in” asks the brand to do the work. “Here are the dates I can offer. Want me to hold Thursday?” does the work for them.
A good follow-up adds something (a date, a detail, an answer), is short, and ends with a question that’s easy to say yes or no to.
A weak one repeats the pitch, makes them feel guilty, or just says “bumping this to the top of your inbox.”
One rule: every open deal gets a next step and a date
That’s the whole system. Every open deal gets a next step and a date. Not “follow up sometime,” but a specific action on a specific day: Send rates Thursday. Follow up the next Tuesday. When the day comes, do it, then set the next one. When a deal is booked, completed or passed, it doesn’t need a date anymore.
If you can’t say what the next step is, that tells you something: the deal is stuck, or it’s dead and you haven’t admitted it yet.
A starting rhythm, which is ours, so adjust it to how fast your brands move:
Just pitched: follow up about five business days after the first note.
Proposal sent: check in after a week.
Negotiating: every two or three days, because it’s moving.
A follow-up you can copy
Hi [Name], quick note on [the thing we discussed]. I put together [what they’d need: rates, a draft idea, a few dates] in case it helps. Would [day] work to take a look? A quick yes or no is totally fine.
Change the brackets, keep the shape: a reason, something useful, and one easy question.
Try this today
Open your list of current deals, brands you’ve pitched, and anything waiting on a reply. Next to each one, write a next step and a date. It takes about ten minutes. Then do the ones that are due today.
We’re building this into Creator Business System, the desktop app we use ourselves, which isn’t available yet: every deal card carries a next follow-up date, and it shows up on your calendar and in your reminders.
-Trisha & Bob🌍
Want the free Follow-Up Guide?
It’s a one-page PDF with the follow-up rhythm, the template and a ten-minute list. Drop your email below to get it. You’ll also get a new lesson every other Tuesday and a peek at what we’re building.
