How to Follow Up After a Speaking Proposal: Timing, What to Say, and 5 Email Templates

Follow up on a speaking proposal after the organizer's announced decision date has passed, and allow about a week of grace beyond it. Keep the email short: your name, the session title, the date you submitted, and one clear question. Committees often run behind, and a patient, polite note keeps you in good standing with the people who build the program.

This guide covers timing, what every follow-up email should include, five templates for the situations you will meet most often, what to avoid, and a simple way to track follow-ups so none slip through.

When to follow up

Timing sets the tone of a follow-up. A note sent too early suggests you did not read the call. One sent too late may miss the window when a waitlist slot opens.

If the call announced a decision date

Wait until that date passes, then give it about a week. Program committees often need extra time to balance tracks, confirm keynotes, and handle speakers who withdraw. Many decision emails go out in batches, sometimes over several days.

If no decision date was announced

Wait two to three weeks after the submission deadline. For large conferences with long planning cycles, a month is reasonable. Check the event website and your spam folder before you write, since the program may already be posted or the decision may have been filtered.

How many times to follow up

One follow-up is standard. If you hear nothing after another two weeks and the event is still months away, a second short note is fine. After that, assume the answer and move your energy to the next call.

What every follow-up email should include

• A clear subject line. Include the event name and your session title, for example "[Event] proposal: [Session title]."
• Your name and session title. Organizers may be tracking hundreds of submissions.
• The submission date or ID. If the portal gave you a confirmation number, include it.
• One question or purpose. Ask about status, confirm details, or request feedback. Pick one.
• Appreciation. A single sentence recognizing the committee's work is enough.
• A short sign-off with contact details. Name, email, phone if relevant, and a link to your speaker page.

Aim for 80 to 150 words. Organizers read on phones between meetings, and a short email gets answered sooner.

5 follow-up email templates

Edit each template to sound like you. Replace everything in brackets and remove any line that does not apply.

1. No response yet

Use this after the announced decision date plus about a week, or two to three weeks after the deadline if no date was given.

Subject: [Event] proposal status: [Session title]

Hi [Name],

I hope planning for [Event] is going well. I submitted a session proposal, "[Session title]," on [date] (confirmation [ID, if available]), and wanted to check on its status.

If decisions are still in progress, no reply is needed, and I am happy to wait. If there is anything else the committee needs from me, I can send it right away.

Thank you for your work on the program.

[Your name]

[Email] · [Phone] · [Speaker page link]

2. Accepted: confirming the details

Reply within one business day of an acceptance. Organizers are filling a schedule and appreciate speakers who confirm quickly.

Subject: Confirmed: [Session title] at [Event]

Hi [Name],

Thank you for accepting "[Session title]." I am glad to confirm and look forward to presenting.

To make sure I prepare well, could you confirm these details?

Date, time, and room or virtual platform: [what you know so far]

Session length, including Q&A: [length]

Expected audience size and roles:

AV setup, slide format, and slide deadline:

Recording plans and the consent form, if any:

Travel, lodging, registration, and compensation details:

My headshot and a 100-word bio are attached. I can adjust the bio length for the program if needed.

Thanks again,

[Your name]

3. Declined: thanking them and asking for feedback

Send this a few days after the decision. The goal is goodwill and, if possible, useful notes for your next submission.

Subject: Thank you for considering [Session title]

Hi [Name],

Thank you for letting me know about the decision on "[Session title]." I know the committee had many strong proposals to choose from.

If reviewer comments are available, I would welcome any notes that could help me submit a stronger proposal to [Event] in the future. I understand if that is not possible with the volume you receive.

Best wishes for a successful event.

[Your name]

If you want to diagnose the decision yourself, our guide on why speaking proposals get rejected walks through the 10 most common causes.

4. Waitlisted: staying available

A waitlist spot is a real opportunity. Speakers withdraw for many reasons, and organizers fill those gaps with people who make it easy.

Subject: Waitlist confirmation: [Session title]

Hi [Name],

Thank you for placing "[Session title]" on the waitlist for [Event]. I would be glad to stay on it.

I am available on [event dates] and can adapt the session if it helps: a shorter time slot, a panel role, or a virtual delivery. If a slot opens at short notice, the fastest way to reach me is [phone or email].

My headshot and bio are attached so they are ready if you need them.

Thank you,

[Your name]

5. Keeping the door open for next year

Send this after the event, whether you were declined, waitlisted, or accepted. It works especially well when you attended.

Subject: Congratulations on [Event], and looking ahead

Hi [Name],

Congratulations on this year's [Event]. [One specific, genuine observation: a session you valued, a detail of the organization you noticed.]

I would like to submit again next year. When the call for proposals opens, could you add me to the notification list? I am also happy to help in other ways, such as reviewing proposals, moderating a panel, or hosting a virtual session during the year.

All the best,

[Your name]

Following up on a direct pitch

Some speaking opportunities come from pitching an organizer directly, with no call for proposals or decision date. In that case, follow up about a week after your first email, and keep the second message even shorter than the first. Add one new, useful detail: a relevant session outcome, a short video link, or a note that you are available on their event dates. If you still hear nothing after a second follow-up, send a brief closing note that thanks them and invites them to reach out when planning next year. That final message often gets a reply, because it asks for nothing and leaves a friendly impression.

What to avoid in a follow-up

• Following up before the decision date. It signals you skipped the timeline in the call.
• Pressure or guilt. Lines such as "I have turned down other offers for this date" put the organizer in an awkward spot.
• Arguing a decision. Committees rarely reverse decisions, and a defensive reply is remembered.
• Re-pitching the whole proposal. The committee already has it. A follow-up is a check-in.
• Contacting people through personal channels. Use the address on the call or your confirmation email.
• Mass emails. Copying the whole committee or sending the same text to every organizer reads as impersonal.
• Attachments nobody asked for. Send your headshot and bio when they are requested or when you have been accepted.

After you are accepted

An acceptance starts a new set of tasks. Put every deadline from the organizer on your calendar: slide submission, bio and headshot, travel booking, registration, and any rehearsal or tech check. Reply to organizer emails within a day or two. Speakers who are easy to work with get invited back, and our guide on how to get repeat speaking bookings covers what happens after the session.

If compensation was not stated in the call, the acceptance email is the right moment to ask about it clearly and politely. Our guide on how much to charge for speaking can help you frame that conversation.

Track your follow-ups in the Pipeline

Once you are submitting to several events a month, memory stops working as a tracking system. You need to know what you submitted, when decisions are due, who to contact, and what you have already sent.

The Worth the Pitch Pipeline is built for this. When you mark a proposal as submitted, the Pipeline sets a follow-up reminder automatically for 14 days out or 10 days after the call's deadline, whichever is later. That timing gives the committee room to decide before you check in. When the reminder arrives, follow-up email templates are ready to edit and send.

From there you can move each session through submitted, accepted, declined, and completed, and record fees, travel value, and booked value so you can see what your speaking brings in over time. When you land a session, the "share your win" post generator drafts an announcement for your social channels. The Pipeline and follow-ups help article covers each step.

If you apply through Guided Apply, the final "I submitted it" step is the natural moment to confirm the proposal in your Pipeline, so the reminder is in place from day one.

Build the habit

A consistent follow-up routine turns single submissions into relationships. Submit well, wait the right amount of time, send one clear email, and record the outcome. For stronger submissions in the first place, read how to write a speaker proposal, then browse open calls for speakers to find your next event. If you speak to grow a practice, the coaches and consultants page shows how the Pipeline and ROI tracking fit your business.