How to follow up after a conference (without being awkward)

You met twenty people, had five good conversations and promised three follow-ups. A week later you’ve sent one. The problem isn’t effort, it’s memory: by the time you sit down to write, you can’t remember who said what.

Write the note before you walk away

Right after a good conversation, take ten seconds to write what you talked about and the next step. “Raising in Q1, wants intros to climate founders” is enough. That one line is what makes the follow-up specific instead of generic.

Every Setuvara Connection keeps where and when you met, with a private note only you can see.

Send it within 48 hours

Two days is the window where they still remember your face. After a week you’re a name in an inbox. Block thirty minutes on the morning after the event and send everything then.

What to say

• Name the conversation, not the event: “Good to talk about grid storage after the panel.”
• Deliver the next step you promised: the intro, the link, the deck.
• Ask for one small thing: a 20-minute call, a reply, an introduction.
• Keep it under five sentences.

What not to do

• Don’t add everyone to a newsletter they didn’t ask for.
• Don’t send the same template to twenty people.
• Don’t pitch someone who only asked a question.

Make it easy for them to reply

Link to one page that has everything: who you are, what you do and a way to book time. If they want to talk, they can pick a slot without three emails back and forth.

Business Mode has booking built in, and Event Mode keeps the event on your page while you’re there. Read the full conference networking playbook.

A short checklist

• A note after every good conversation.
• Thirty minutes blocked the morning after.
• Messages that name the conversation.
• One small, clear ask.
• A page with a booking link.