Creating Follow-up Templates

The meeting ends. Notes are taken. Action items are extracted. But without effective follow-up, all that work goes to waste. AI can help you create consistent, professional follow-up communications that ensure accountability and keep projects moving.

Why Follow-up Matters

Research shows:

• 73% of action items from meetings are never completed
• The primary reason: lack of clear follow-up and accountability
• Timely follow-up within 24 hours increases completion rates by 50%+

Good follow-up:

• Confirms what was agreed upon
• Creates a written record
• Assigns clear accountability
• Sets expectations for next steps

The Follow-up Email Template

Basic Structure

Subject: [Meeting Name] - Summary & Action Items ([Date])

Hi all,

Thank you for joining today's [meeting purpose]. Here's a summary
of what we discussed and agreed upon.

**Meeting Summary**
[2-3 sentence overview of the meeting's purpose and outcomes]

**Key Decisions**
- [Decision 1]
- [Decision 2]

**Action Items**
| Owner | Task | Due Date |
|-------|------|----------|
| [Name] | [Task] | [Date] |
| [Name] | [Task] | [Date] |

**Next Steps**
[What happens next, including next meeting if scheduled]

Please reply with any corrections or additions by [deadline].

Best,
[Your name]

AI Prompt to Generate Follow-up Email

Create a follow-up email from this meeting transcript.

Meeting details:
- Meeting name: [NAME]
- Date: [DATE]
- Attendees: [LIST]

Email should include:
1. Professional greeting
2. Brief summary (2-3 sentences)
3. Key decisions made
4. Action items with owners and deadlines (as a table)
5. Next steps
6. Request for corrections

Tone: Professional but friendly
Length: Concise—people should be able to scan it quickly

TRANSCRIPT:
[Paste transcript here]

Templates by Meeting Type

Weekly Team Meeting Follow-up

Subject: Team Weekly - [Date] Summary

Hi team,

Quick recap of today's weekly:

**Status Updates**
- [Project 1]: [status]
- [Project 2]: [status]
- [Project 3]: [status]

**Blockers Discussed**
- [Blocker 1] - [who's helping]

**This Week's Priorities**
- [ ] [Priority 1] - @owner
- [ ] [Priority 2] - @owner

**Announcements**
- [Any FYIs]

Next weekly: [Day, Time]

Client Meeting Follow-up

Subject: [Company] + [Client] Meeting Follow-up - [Date]

Dear [Client Contact],

Thank you for taking the time to meet with us today to discuss
[topic]. We appreciate your insights and look forward to
continuing our collaboration.

**Summary of Discussion**
[Professional summary of key points discussed]

**Agreements Reached**
- [What both parties agreed to]

**Our Commitments**
- [What your company will deliver and by when]

**Next Steps**
- [Upcoming milestones]
- [Next meeting or touchpoint]

Please let us know if we missed anything or if you have
additional questions.

Best regards,
[Your name]
[Title]

Project Kickoff Follow-up

Subject: [Project Name] Kickoff - Summary & Next Steps

Hi everyone,

Thanks for joining the [Project Name] kickoff today! We covered
a lot of ground. Here's the summary:

**Project Overview**
- Goal: [what we're trying to achieve]
- Timeline: [key dates]
- Success metrics: [how we'll measure success]

**Team Roles**
| Role | Person | Responsibilities |
|------|--------|------------------|
| [Role] | [Name] | [Key responsibilities] |

**Phase 1 Milestones**
- [ ] [Milestone 1] - [Date]
- [ ] [Milestone 2] - [Date]

**Immediate Action Items**
[Table of first week's tasks]

**Key Resources**
- Project folder: [link]
- Slack channel: [link]
- Next meeting: [date/time]

Let's make this happen!

Automated Follow-up Workflows

Same-Day Follow-up Process

1. During meeting: Recording runs automatically
2. Within 1 hour: Transcription completed
3. Within 2 hours: AI generates draft follow-up
4. Same day: You review, edit, and send

AI Prompt for Quick Draft

I need a follow-up email draft in 2 minutes.

Meeting: [type]
Attendees: [names]
Duration: [length]

Key requirements:
- Keep it under 200 words
- Focus on action items
- Professional but not formal
- Ready to send with minimal editing

TRANSCRIPT:
[Paste transcript here]

Reminder and Accountability Templates

Action Item Reminder

Subject: Reminder: [Task] due [Date]

Hi [Name],

Quick reminder that [task description] is due [date/time].

Context from our [meeting name] on [meeting date]:
[Brief context of why this matters]

Let me know if you need anything to complete this or if
the timeline needs adjustment.

Thanks,
[Your name]

AI Prompt for Reminder Generation

Create reminder messages for overdue or upcoming action items.

Today's date: [DATE]

Action items from meeting:
[List of items with owners and due dates]

For each item due within 2 days or overdue, generate:
1. A brief, friendly reminder message
2. Reference to the original meeting
3. Offer to help if blocked

Tone: Helpful, not nagging

Progress Check Template

Subject: [Project/Initiative] Progress Check

Hi team,

Following up on our [meeting] from [date]. Here's where we
stand on the action items:

**Completed**
- [x] [Item] - @owner (done [date])

**In Progress**
- [Item] - @owner (expected [date])

**Needs Attention**
- [ ] [Item] - @owner (originally due [date])

[If there are blockers:]
**Blockers**
- [Description of what's blocking progress]

Let me know if anything has changed or if you need support.

Next check-in: [date]

Follow-up Tracking Systems

Simple Spreadsheet Tracker

| Meeting | Date | Action Item | Owner | Due | Status | Follow-up Sent |
|---------|------|-------------|-------|-----|--------|----------------|
| Weekly  | 1/15 | Update docs | Mike  | 1/20| Done   | 1/19           |
| Client  | 1/16 | Send proposal| Sarah| 1/23| Open   | 1/21           |

AI Prompt for Status Updates

Based on these action items and their current status,
generate appropriate follow-up messages:

Action Items:
[List with status]

For items that are:
- OVERDUE: Create a gentle escalation message
- DUE SOON: Create a friendly reminder
- COMPLETED: Create an acknowledgment message
- BLOCKED: Create a problem-solving message

Keep each message under 100 words.

Templates for Special Situations

When Decisions Need Revisiting

Subject: Revisiting [Decision] from [Meeting Date]

Hi [Name/Team],

In our [meeting] on [date], we decided to [decision].

Since then, [new information/changed circumstances] has come up
that may warrant revisiting this decision:
- [Reason 1]
- [Reason 2]

Options to consider:
1. [Option A]
2. [Option B]
3. Proceed as originally planned

I'd suggest we [recommendation]. Can we discuss at
[next meeting/brief call]?

[Your name]

When Someone Missed the Meeting

Subject: [Meeting Name] Recap - [Date]

Hi [Name],

We missed you at today's [meeting]. Here's what you need to know:

**Key Points**
- [Point 1]
- [Point 2]

**Your Action Items**
[Any items assigned to them or relevant to their work]

**Decisions That Affect Your Work**
[Relevant decisions]

Full notes are attached / linked [here].

Let me know if you have questions!

[Your name]

Project Post-Mortem Follow-up

Subject: [Project Name] Retrospective Summary

Hi team,

Thank you for the candid discussion in our retrospective.
Here's what we learned:

**What Went Well**
- [Success 1]
- [Success 2]

**What Could Improve**
- [Area 1] - Owner: [Name]
- [Area 2] - Owner: [Name]

**Action Items for Next Project**
| Improvement | Owner | How We'll Implement |
|-------------|-------|---------------------|
| [Item] | [Name] | [Approach] |

These learnings have been added to our [process docs/wiki/etc].

Thanks for the great work on this project!

[Your name]

Building Your Template Library

Creating Custom Templates

Help me create a follow-up template for [meeting type].

Context:
- These meetings happen [frequency]
- Typical attendees: [who]
- Main purposes: [why we meet]
- Key outputs needed: [what we need to track]

The template should:
- Be easy to fill in quickly
- Capture the most important elements
- Match our [formal/casual] company culture
- Include placeholders I can customize

Provide the template with instructions for each section.

Template Maintenance Prompts

Review this follow-up template I've been using.

[Paste current template]

Based on these examples of how I've customized it:
[Paste 2-3 recent follow-up emails]

Suggest improvements to make the template:
- More efficient to use
- Better at capturing key information
- More appropriate for my audience

Key Takeaways

• Timely follow-up dramatically increases action item completion rates
• Consistent templates save time and ensure nothing is missed
• Different meeting types need different follow-up formats
• AI can generate draft follow-ups quickly—your job is to review and personalize
• Build a library of templates for your regular meeting types
• Include accountability mechanisms: reminders, progress checks, status tracking
• Special situations (missed meetings, revisiting decisions) need thoughtful templates
• Regularly refine your templates based on what works