Haveo · How to follow up after meeting someone at a networking event

Subject lines for a follow-up email

Put the event in the subject line. "Good to meet you at the Leeds meetup" beats anything clever, because the only job of the subject is to stop them deleting an email from a name they half recognize.

Ten you can use

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Why clever ones do worse

A subject line that hides what the email is makes the reader decide whether to spend attention on a mystery from an unfamiliar name.

Recognition is the whole job here. You are not competing for attention in a crowded inbox, you are answering "do I know this person?"

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Put your name in it if the address is unfamiliar

A personal email address with no name attached reads as a stranger. "[Your name], we spoke at [event]" solves it in the subject.

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Keep it under about eight words

Phones cut the rest, and the cut usually lands mid-phrase. The event name should survive the truncation, so put it early.

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Rehearse it before you walk in.

Haveo builds your intro, lets you practice out loud with an AI coach, and keeps your notes one tap away in the room. Free on iPhone and iPad.

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Common questions

Should I use their name in the subject?
It is unnecessary and it reads slightly like automated mail. Their name goes in the first line of the body.
Does 'quick' help?
Mildly, and only if the email really is quick. Promising short and then sending six paragraphs is worse than not promising.
What about replying to an existing thread?
Always better if one exists. A reply carries the whole context and skips the recognition problem entirely.
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