How To Write A Friendly Reminder Email (With Examples)

The mounting stress that comes along with not receiving an answer to an email can be unbearable. Especially when the response you’re looking for is time-sensitive, like when you’re confirming a meeting or haven’t received the work that’s due from a co-worker.

While being left hanging isn’t pleasant, you don’t have to be left in uncertainty for long when you use a friendly reminder email.

Key Takeaways:

• The goal of a reminder email is to elicit the intended action from the other person.

• When writing a friendly reminder email you should make sure you have an informative subject line so it can be easily seen.

• These emails should remain professional no matter how annoyed you are with the person.

• These emails should be solution-oriented and they should be direct without being rude.

What Is a Friendly Reminder Email?

A friendly reminder email is a courteous nudge towards someone you’ve reached out to previously to encourage a quick response. It puts the issue or reason for contact in the front of the receiver’s mind and inspires them to respond as soon as possible.

• A friendly reminder email is usually sent as a preemptive measure before something happens to ensure it gets done or as an action that is taken after an expected task hasn’t been accomplished.

• If they haven’t answered your previous email, they end up responding. If you haven’t received payment for an invoice that you sent, the money is sent out. If you’re following up with a recruiter about a submitted application, they reach back out to you. A friendly reminder email is written with this goal in mind.

• It’s easy for an email to get lost in the shuffle of the numerous other correspondences that a person has. A friendly reminder is a light-hearted and simple way and brings your email back to the top of the list of their concerns.

5 Steps for How to Write a Friendly Reminder Email

If you’ve been getting anxious waiting to hear back from a colleague or receive paperwork from a client, a friendly reminder email is an excellent way to remedy the problem. Below are five steps for how to write a friendly reminder email;

1. An informative subject line. To begin a friendly reminder email, you need to get the recipient to own the email with an informative subject line. The subject line for this type of correspondence should be direct but still professional. You want the recipient to completely understand what the email will be about before opening it.

   Examples of possible subject lines could include:

   • Confirming the meeting on 06/14/21

   • Checking in on my previous request

   • A quick reminder about the company policy

2. A professional greeting. To kick off the email, you need to open it with a professional greeting as you would with any other correspondence.

   Alternatively, you could just begin the email with their name and get right into the details of why you’re reaching out. This is often used when you’re in communication with a person often, like your co-worker.

   Examples of professional greeting include:

   • Dear ___,

   • Hello, ___,

   • Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening ___,

3. Introducing the situation. Now that the typical professional email format has been incorporated, you can introduce the situation at hand.

   Be succinct when describing why you’re reaching out. You want to lay out exactly why you’re sending the reminder within the space of a paragraph or two at most. Even if you’re frustrated with the situation, though, maintain a positive demeanor.

   While being left hanging without a response is frustrating, you must maintain professionalism when trying to get someone’s attention with a friendly email reminder. Appearing aggravated starts the interaction off on a sour note.

4. Proposing the solution. Once the situation has been set, you need to wrap up the reminder by proposing a viable solution for the recipient to follow. The solution varies depending on the circumstance at hand.

   Proposing a solution in a friendly email reminder makes it easy for the recipient to get the task done immediately without wondering what you’re looking for. It allows the recipient to accomplish the desired action without any confusion.

   For example, if a supervisor is writing a friendly reminder to a team member because they haven’t turned in an assignment that’s past due, they would propose a solution like “Please turn in the work by Friday at 5 PM”.

5. Signing off the email. The majority of the reminder email is finished, and all that’s left to do is end it properly. This is done by signing off the email professionally.

   Since you’re writing correspondence with the intention of reminding the recipient to answer, you can close the letter with one final line showing a bit of appreciation for accomplishing the task as requested. After you’ve written the final line to wrap up the reminder nicely, simply use a professional email sign-off and write out your name.

   Some examples of common last lines that are used when writing a friendly reminder email include:

   • Thanks in advance

   • Looking forward to hearing from you

   • Many thanks for your quick response

Friendly Reminder Email Example and Template

1. Friendly reminder email:

   Subject line: Checking in on my previous request

   Good morning John,

   I am just following up to check to see if you got my previous request for the spreadsheet. I know you’re super busy and there’s a chance my last email got buried.

   If you get a chance, could you send it to me by the end of the day at 5 p.m. so I can finish the project we have been working on. I really appreciate it.

   Thanks in advance.

   Emily Smith

2. Friendly Reminder email template:

   Subject line: [An informative subject line]

   [Greeting] [Employee name],

   I am just following up to check to see if you got my previous [what is being requested]. I know you’re super busy and there’s a chance my last email got buried.

   If you get a chance, could you [proposed solution] [time needed by] so I can finish the project we have been working on. I really appreciate it.

   [Sign off].

   [Your name]

Tips for Writing a Friendly Reminder Email

While a friendly reminder email is a letter that’s on the shorter side, it can still be agonizingly difficult to write because you want to keep the interaction positive. If you don’t know where to start with writing a friendly reminder email, consider the following three tips.

1. Be direct and succinct. A friendly reminder email isn’t the place to beat around the bush of making your point. You’re trying to encourage action from the recipient as soon as possible, which means you want them to understand the email clearly.

   Exhibit direct communication. Don’t incorporate any extra fluff in the email that distracts from its main purpose.

   If you’re having trouble deciding whether something should be included in the email, refer back to the bare-bones layout for a friendly reminder. It should only include:

   • A greeting

   • The situation

   • A proposed solution

   • A closing

   If the information doesn’t fall into one of these categories, then it shouldn’t be included in a friendly reminder email.

2. Be solution-oriented. While a big part of a friendly reminder email is outlining the situation at hand, you should be equally focused on a solution. Being solution-oriented is important for this type of correspondence because it takes the edge off of initiating a reminder.

   If you just reach out to a co-worker by stating the issue at hand but don’t mention any ideas for solving it, it can give off the wrong tone. Additionally, it doesn’t contribute to resolving the situation. The solution gives the recipient a blueprint for how to act next and takes some pressure off the sender.

3. Don’t be apologetic. While writing a reminder can feel awkward or pushy, it’s important that you don’t apologize for the situation. Apologizing in a reminder email puts you in the wrong.

   When you’re waiting on someone’s response to a request, confirmation, or work, it puts you in a vulnerable position. There’s no need to be apologetic when you’re trying to get something done, especially if you go about it in a friendly and solution-based way.

Author

Sky Ariella

Sky Ariella is a professional freelance writer, originally from New York. She has been featured on websites and online magazines covering topics in career, travel, and lifestyle. She received her BA in psychology from Hunter College.