How the timing works
Day 1 is the day after the show closes. Steps that land on a weekend move to the Monday. Each lead gets three or four touches, mostly email, with one call or LinkedIn note in between, then a single check-in about three months later.
- Hot
- They asked for a next step, so the first email goes the next working day with two meeting times, followed by a call. Waiting a week tells them the booth was more interested than the company.
- Warm
- A real conversation, nothing agreed. Lead with something useful on day 2, ask one question in week one, and ask for the meeting in week two.
- Cold
- A badge scan or a quick hello. Be honest that you barely spoke, say why you are writing, and ask whether it is theirs to own or someone else's.
What makes a trade show follow-up get answered
- Name the conversation you actually had. "Great meeting you at the show" could be from anyone in the hall. The thing they told you is the only proof you were listening.
- Send one useful thing. A short note, a comparison, a worked example. Not the brochure they already walked past.
- Ask for one thing. A time, a yes or no, or the right person. Two asks in one email get neither.
- Reply in the same thread. Later emails keep the earlier ones underneath, so nobody has to remember who you are.
- Stop, then come back once. After three or four tries, move them to a 90-day file with the reason logged, and check in once when something may have changed.
Questions
How soon should you follow up after a trade show?
Within one working day for anyone who asked for a next step, and within the first week for everyone else. The conversation is freshest in the first couple of days, and every exhibitor in the same aisle is writing to the same people. The generator schedules hot leads for day 1, warm leads for day 2 and badge scans for day 3.
How many follow-up emails should you send after a trade show?
Three or four over two to three weeks, then stop. After that, a different channel, a call or a LinkedIn note, does more than another email into the same silence. Anyone who has not replied gets one check-in about three months after the show.
What should a trade show follow-up email say?
What you talked about, one useful thing, and one ask. Keep it short enough to read on a phone between sessions. Leave out the company overview: they have seen the booth.
What is a good subject line for a trade show follow-up email?
Plain and specific: the show's name and the reason you are writing, such as "Our conversation at Pack Expo". Later emails work best as replies in the same thread, so the subject carries the context with it.
Should I follow up with badge scans I barely spoke to?
Yes, but say so. Tell them they stopped by, that you only spoke briefly, and ask one question. Check the addresses before sending: badge data is often mistyped, and bounces hurt your sender reputation for the warm leads too.
Can I use this for a whole list of leads?
Yes. Leave their name and company blank and the emails keep {first_name} and {company} merge fields, ready to paste into a mail-merge or sequencing tool. Run it once per tier.
Is it free, and do you keep what I type?
It is free and needs no signup. The sequence is written in your browser, and nothing you type is sent to Tracle or stored.