Before you write: what must be on the record
Minimum viable: event, distinctive detail (booth, topic, promise), channel, intended next step. Without those four, polished text won’t feel credible.
Timing in three beats
- D+1–D+2: if you promised an asset or intro—send that first, short and useful.
- D+3–D+5: continuity message for strong chats without a hard deadline.
- D+7–D+10: brief bump with a 15-minute slot, no guilt-tripping.
Message structure that works
Four sentences: recall the venue, one line on the topic, a micro-value (link/idea), a closed question on a time window or an easy out. Avoid essays—everyone’s inbox is overloaded after a major show.
What to avoid
- Product pitch on first touch.
- Obvious copy/paste with no field detail.
- More than two nudges without a signal—move to “later” with a quarterly reminder.
Scaling with a team
Split by priority, not alphabetically: handle public commitments first (“I’ll send…”). Share status visibility to prevent duplicate pings—respect for the contact starts with internal coherence.
FAQ
No email on the card?
LinkedIn with a short note anchored to the event; skip generic connection blurb.
Same-night follow-up?
Fine if you promised something concrete and short; otherwise give it 24–48h so you don’t look robotic.