How to write a follow-up email after a meeting (with templates)

Keep it short, send it the same day, and write it so that someone who was not in the meeting could act on it.

This guide covers the structure, what to leave out, and three templates you can copy: one for a client meeting, one for an internal meeting and one after a job interview.

Why it matters

People leave meetings with different memories of them. A follow-up email turns those memories into one written version, while everyone still remembers enough to correct it. If a client thinks they agreed to review the draft "next week" and you heard "Tuesday", the email is where that surfaces, cheaply.

It also puts commitments on record. That is useful for you as much as anyone: when a question comes up in a month about why the scope changed, the email says when and who agreed.

The structure

1. A line of context

One sentence that says which meeting this is about. "Thanks for the time this afternoon on the Harbour rollout." No more; they were there.

2. What was agreed

The decisions, as short statements. If there were several, use a list. Write them so they cannot be read two ways: "Go-live moves to 14 October" rather than "we'll push go-live back a bit."

3. Who is doing what

The action items, each with a name and a date, including yours. Putting your own commitments first shows you are holding yourself to them. Writing meeting action items that get done covers how to phrase them.

4. What is still open

Anything the meeting did not settle, written as a question to a named person where possible. "Could you confirm whether the contract covers the export feature?" is easier to answer than "some open points remain around scope".

5. A close

What happens next (the next meeting, the next deliverable), and an invitation to correct anything: "If I've missed or misstated anything, tell me and I'll update it." That sentence is what makes the email a check rather than a declaration.

What to leave out

• The discussion. Nobody needs a retelling of who said what. If someone asks, the notes or transcript have it.
• Things that were not agreed. A follow-up email that slips in a commitment the other side did not make damages trust quickly.
• Internal commentary in an email to a client, such as what your team thinks of their request. Assume it will be forwarded.
• Length for its own sake. If it needs more than a screen, attach the notes and keep the email to the agreements and the questions.

Template 1: after a client meeting

Subject: Harbour rollout — what we agreed today

Hi <name>,

Thanks for the time today on the Harbour rollout. To confirm what we agreed:

- Go-live moves to 14 October.
- The CSV export is out of scope for this phase and will be quoted separately.
- Weekly check-ins move to Thursdays at 10:00.

Next steps:
- Marc (us): send the revised timeline — by Friday 26 September.
- Ana (us): send a separate quote for the export — by 3 October.
- <name> (Northwind): confirm who signs off the test plan — by Wednesday.

Still open:
- Does the current contract promise export in this phase? Could you check with your procurement team?

If I've missed or misstated anything, let me know and I'll correct it.

Best,
<your name>

For client work, the scope line matters most. If the client asked for something new, say whether it is in or out and what happens next. Client meeting notes covers what to capture in the meeting itself so the email is easy to write.

Template 2: after an internal meeting

Subject: 2.4 release check — decisions and actions

Hi all,

From today's release check:

Decided
- 2.4 ships on Thursday. CSV export moves to 2.5.
- The release note mentions export without a date.

Actions
- Tom: review the two open pull requests — Wednesday 12:00.
- Priya: draft the release note and send to Ana — Wednesday.
- Marc: tell Northwind export has moved — Thursday.

Open
- Whether Northwind's contract promises export in 2.4. Marc is asking sales.

Corrections welcome.
Ana

Internal follow-ups can be terser than client ones. Many teams post them in the project channel rather than by email; the structure is the same.

Template 3: after a job interview

This one is from the candidate's side, and it is different in kind: the point is to thank the interviewers and add anything useful, not to record agreements.

Subject: Thank you — Product Designer interview

Dear <name>,

Thank you for speaking with me today about the Product Designer role. I enjoyed hearing how the team approaches research for Harbour, particularly the move to fortnightly customer calls.

You asked about a project where I had to cut scope late. I mentioned the onboarding redesign; I've attached a one-page summary of how we decided what to drop, in case it is useful.

I understand you expect to decide by the end of next week. I'm happy to answer anything else in the meantime.

Kind regards,
<your name>

Keep it to a thank-you, one specific reference to the conversation, anything you promised to send, and your understanding of the next step. Do not restate your whole case.

If you are the interviewer, the follow-up to the candidate should say what happens next and when, and nothing about how the interview went until a decision is made.

Writing it from notes or a transcript

The email is quickest to write from notes that already separate decisions, actions and questions, which is what the meeting notes template does. If you took shorthand notes, the follow-up email is often the tidy version.

A transcript helps when you need the exact words: how the client phrased a requirement, which date someone gave. It also shows what was not said, which is worth checking before you write "as agreed".

Notey can draft a follow-up email from a meeting it recorded and transcribed on your Mac: a message to the other side confirming what was agreed and asking for what is still open, ready to send once you add their name. The draft is labelled as AI-generated. Treat it as a first draft: check every "agreed" against the transcript, cut what is not needed, and make it sound like you. Notey does not send email; you copy it into your own mail app.

If you recorded the meeting, you told people at the start. There is no need to mention the recording again in the follow-up, unless you promised to share or delete it.

Before you press send

1. Is every decision something the other side would agree they decided?
2. Does every action have a name and a date, including yours?
3. Are open points written as questions to a named person?
4. Would someone who missed the meeting know what to do?
5. Is it short enough to read on a phone?

If the meeting raised questions you want to go back with later, the questions to ask after a meeting helps sort which ones belong in this email and which can wait.

Frequently asked questions

How soon should you send a follow-up email after a meeting?

The same day if you can, and within 24 hours at the latest. The sooner it arrives, the more likely people are to correct anything you got wrong.

What should a meeting follow-up email include?

A one-line thank-you or reference to the meeting, what was agreed, who is doing what by when, and anything still open with a clear question. Leave out a retelling of the discussion.

How long should a follow-up email be?

Short enough to read on a phone without scrolling much. For most meetings that is under 200 words. Put longer detail in an attached or linked note.

Should I send a follow-up email if nothing was decided?

Yes, briefly. Say that nothing was settled, what the open questions are, and what happens next. It stops each side assuming the other has something in hand.

Is it all right to use AI to draft a follow-up email?

A draft is fine, but read it against what was said before sending. Remove anything that was not actually agreed, and write it in your own voice. The email goes out under your name.