Writing Follow-Up Emails - College Golf Scholarships
We’ve discussed writing the perfect intro email. As you might guess, writing one email to a college coach is not enough – not nearly enough! Do not be discouraged by a lack of response to that intro email. Most coaches receive dozens, if not one hundred, emails per day. Your job is to keep following up until you’ve been able to form a relationship with the coach. To do so, you’ll need to master the art of the follow-up email.
Here’s the golden rule: Assume coaches don’t remember you. This should be your mentality even if you’ve had short email conversations with them in the past. Coaches get so many emails and it’s likely been weeks or months since you last wrote to them. So, reintroduce yourself! Basic information is always a great way to start: name, high school, graduating class, and GPA.
There are a few standard items you can always include in a follow-up email.
Describe a recent tournament. If multiple, share all of them!
Tell them about your practice! Coaches love to hear about your process and progress. And don't be afraid to get technical!
Tell them about your upcoming tournaments. Coaches who are interested might look at the results or even show up in person!
Repeat your best stuff. If you’re a great student, remind them of your GPA. If you had a standout performance at a big tournament a couple months ago, remind them. Repetition over time is key.
Keep these short! If your follow-up email is as long as this newsletter, cut out a few paragraphs. This isn’t an essay for your English class.
Do NOT wait until you play great to send a followup email. So many student-athletes make the mistake of thinking you need to win a tournament to update a coach. Coaches understand that you’re learning and improving throughout your junior career. Tell them about the tournaments that didn’t go quite as well – as long as you can share what you learned from the experience.
