Friendly Reminder Email: 21 Examples and Templates You Can Try

Do you struggle with writing friendly reminder emails? 

We can all agree it often seems unnecessary and can be quite frustrating. 

On the one hand, you don’t want to risk sounding pushy and impatient (or insincere). Yet, you still need that answer. 

So, you’ll eventually have to summon every bit of patience and professionalism and get to writing. 

If you’re wondering how to keep your friendly reminder email polite and professional while causing the least amount of stress to both yourself and the person on the receiving end, worry not. 

In this article, we’ll uncover: 

• How to formulate reminder emails for different workplace scenarios, 
• What the right times are to send these emails, and 
• What alternative ways there are to send friendly reminders. 

Plus, we’ve included 21 friendly reminder email templates to help make this process super easy. 

Let’s get started!

• Reminder emails serve to remind people to take action. This can include anything from attending a meeting, finishing a task, or handing over the documents before a deadline. 
• There are two main types of reminder emails:
  • Reminder emails used to remind people to take action within a specified deadline, and 
  • Reminder emails that serve as a follow-up to recap a past event and outline future steps.
• To ensure maximum success with your friendly reminder email efforts, try to:
  • Keep a professional tone, 
  • Time your reminder emails adequately, 
  • Include a direct subject line, 
  • Open with a polite greeting, 
  • Provide detailed information, and 
  • Close your reminder email politely.

Friendly reminder email examples and templates

Reminder emails are emails sent to remind someone to take action — sign up for a service, attend a meeting, or consider a proposal or a past conversation. 

Regardless of what we may think of them, friendly reminder emails are a common staple in modern workplace communication. And for a great reason, too. 

The truth is — they simply work.

There are many examples of situations where a friendly reminder email comes in handy, all of which can essentially be broken down into two main types: 

• When you need to nudge someone to take an action they failed to do within the expected time frame — a missed deadline, overdue payment reminder, or a follow-up after no response.
• When you need to follow up on a previous event (a call, a meeting, or an email) with the purpose of summing up what’s been said and outlining future steps.     

In a report that analyzed 7 billion emails, GetResponse found out that the average email open rate in 2022 was only 26.80% across all industries. Even though this number is up compared to previous years, it’s still an indicator of how exceedingly difficult it is to get people to open and read their emails, let alone find the time to reply. 

So, if you want your emails to beat the gloomy stats and inspire your recipients to take action, it’s time to get serious about sending friendly reminder emails. 

Let’s learn how to write friendly reminder emails in 21 categories. 

#1: Best friendly reminder email for any occasion

First things first, let’s start with an example of a best-in-general friendly reminder email that can be applied in almost any business communication occasion. 

The best option when it comes to composing friendly reminder emails is to keep it: 

• Brief, 
• Polite, 
• Professional, and 
• Informative. 

Here’s an example:

Use the template above to craft a friendly reminder email when you’re not sure what the right etiquette or the appropriate level of formality is. By following this template structure, you’ll make sure you’re not leaving out any key section of a professional reminder email while still keeping it concise.  

#2: Gentle reminder email

A gentle reminder email is essentially the same as a regular friendly reminder email. The only slight distinction between the two types of reminder emails is in the phrasing.

For example, a gentle reminder email may go something along these lines: 

You can use this template any time you want to switch from a regular “friendly reminder email” phrasing to something slightly more formal but still business casual in tone. 

#3: ‘Just a reminder’ email

Similarly to our previous reminder email, a ‘Just a reminder’ email is just a slight variation from your regular reminder email. The only distinction, again, is in the phrasing of the reminder part of the email. 

Take a look at an example: 

As you can see from our example above, a ‘Just a reminder’ email can be a good alternative to a regular friendly reminder email for when you want to assume a less formal tone — usually when you’re addressing a coworker you’re on great terms with. 

#4: ‘Quick reminder’ email

A ‘Quick reminder’ email is also fairly similar to a regular friendly reminder email. The only difference between the two types of reminder emails is that the word ‘quick’ here might suggest: 

• Slightly less urgency, 
• A less formal tone, and 
• Overall more wiggle room for the recipient.

Here’s an example: 

#5: Gentle reminder email for no response

When you send an important message or an email expecting a response that affects a key business process, project, or task, and your recipient fails to respond to you, it’s time to send a gentle reminder email. 

Let’s take a look at how you can structure a gentle reminder email for no response.

Use this gentle reminder email template when it’s been a few days since you sent an email asking for a piece of information, a confirmation, or documents, and you didn’t get any response. 

The reasons for the no-response situation may vary: 

• They didn’t receive your message. Your email went to spam or got buried in their inbox. 
• They didn’t have the documents, the information you needed, or enough data to make a decision. 
• They deliberately decided to postpone the reply.

In any case, however, your best chance of getting any response is to send over a professionally formulated reminder email and let your recipients know you expect a reply.

#6: Follow-up reminder email

A follow-up reminder email is often sent after a meeting or a networking event, for example, when you want to:

• Communicate additional information, 
• Ensure that the recipient has the ideas you discussed in writing, or 
• Stay top of mind with a potential client or a business partner. 

Here’s an example of a follow-up reminder email. 

#7: Formal polite reminder email

Although nowadays we see more blurred lines between formal and informal tone in business communication, there are still some instances where formal communication is more than called for.

Essentially, you’ll turn to formal reminder emails whenever you want your messages and communication to come across as: 

• Clear and reliable, 
• Time efficient, 
• Less personal, and 
• Inclusive and transparent.

Take a look at our example below if you need some inspiration on how to formulate a formal polite reminder email.

#8: Friendly reminder email for an event

Schedules are busy, and calendar reminders are not always on, so people tend to easily forget about RSVPing to any non-recurring events. 

A friendly reminder email for an event is a perfect way to remind your team or a group of an upcoming event a few days before the event takes place. 

To make sure your team members don’t miss out on any key company events, you can send them a quick friendly reminder email. 

If you need inspiration on how to structure a friendly reminder email for an event, take a look at the example below.

#9: Friendly reminder email for a meeting

When there’s an important meeting approaching, you can send a friendly reminder email to attendees to make sure everyone confirms their attendance and prepares to put their best foot forward. 

If you need some inspiration on how to structure this type of reminder email, you can take a look at our example below.

Or, if you want to copy the structure and customize it on a case-by-case basis, you can use our friendly reminder email template for a meeting:

#10: Friendly reminder email for an appointment

Our next friendly reminder email example will come in handy when you need to remind a client, a business partner, or a job applicant about an upcoming appointment. 

To make sure you’ve covered all the key points, take a look at our example below, or use our editable template to get you started on writing your friendly reminder email for an appointment.

#11: Professional email reminder

In most cases, a professional tone is a must when writing a reminder email at work.

Of course, a reminder email to your work bestie certainly won’t follow the same rules. So, it might be smart to take a few minutes and adjust your style and approach to the specific situation when writing a professional email reminder. 

That being said, here are some instances where you’ll need to be extra careful and craft a professional email reminder: 

• When you’re writing to your boss, manager, or any other higher-ups at your company, 
• When you’re writing to your external partners or stakeholders, 
• When you’re writing to your clients, or 
• When you’re writing to anyone you’re not super close with. 

In short, when in doubt, go professional. 

Here’s an example of a professional email reminder you can send to anyone you want to leave a professional impression on. 

#12: Email to remind someone about an email

Probably one of the most frustrating situations you’ll encounter at work is having to send that email reminding someone about an email.

The struggle of having to stay polite and professional while fearing you’re coming off as pushy and impatient, is more than real. 

Yet, you’ll still have to find it in you to write these types of reminder emails from time to time. 

To help make this as painless as possible, we’ve included an example below. 

Alternatively, you can copy our entire structure from the template below and modify it to your specific needs:

#13: Urgent reminder email

In situations when you’re pressed for time and waiting for a response, a confirmation, or a delivery from someone, it might be time to send an urgent reminder email.

Essentially, the only difference between an urgent and a regular friendly reminder email is in how you formulate certain parts to communicate urgency to your recipient. 

While it might be extra challenging to keep everything professional when you’re under pressure and in a pinch, you should always strive to formulate your email in a polite and appropriate tone. 

Here’s an urgent reminder email example to help you get started: 

#14: Polite final reminder email

When you’ve exhausted all follow-up attempts and still haven’t gotten a reply, it’s time to send a final reminder email.

A final reminder email implies a culminating character. However, you still need to keep it super polite and professional. 

Here’s an example: 

#15: Polite reminder email to a boss

Need to send a quick polite reminder email to a boss? 

To some extent, the tone and phrasing of this message depend on the level of formality you’re normally used to.

However, you need to uphold a certain level of professionalism and politeness in these types of business messages. 

Take a look at our example below if you need some help crafting a polite reminder email to a boss. In this particular example, Jake is reminding his boss to approve his vacation request, however, you can use it as inspiration and adjust it to fit any specific type of reminder email you’re writing to your boss. 

#16: Reminder email about a deadline approaching

An approaching deadline puts enough pressure on everyone involved, so the last thing anyone needs is an email reminding them about it.

Yet, there are still instances where this approach might be not only acceptable but outright necessary. 

For example, if your teammates are juggling a lot on their plates at the moment, and you fear some important (or less critical) tasks can fall through the cracks, it might be appropriate to send them a quick reminder email about a deadline approaching. 

Here’s what that can look like:

#17: Reminder email about an overdue deadline

There will, unfortunately, be times when, for whatever reason, a deadline is missed. 

In those cases, instead of assigning blame, it’s best to cut straight to the chase and ask for a definitive confirmation of the date and time when you can expect the task, document, or piece of information to be delivered.

You might wonder if there is a point in sending a reminder email about an overdue deadline. 

In most cases, the answer is — yes.

Even if the deadline has passed, that doesn’t mean all is lost, and you need to go back to the drawing board. In most cases, you’ll be able to manage with a short delay. 

Here’s an example of a reminder email about an overdue deadline: 

#18: Friendly reminder email to submit documents

When you need to let someone know the documents they have are due, you can send them a friendly reminder email to submit documents.

Take a look at our friendly reminder email example below to get a better understanding of how you can formulate a friendly reminder email to submit documents: 

#19: Payment reminder email to a client

A payment reminder email to a client is probably one of the most common (and probably the most painful) reminder emails you can come across in business communication. 

Still, there will come a day when you’ll need to send that dreaded payment reminder email to a client. 

So, let’s help you get started. 

Here’s an example of a payment reminder email to a client you can use as inspiration:

You can also copy and paste our template payment reminder email to a client below and edit the details to fit your specific context.

#20: Overdue payment reminder email to a client

If the payment due date has passed and a client hasn’t paid you, it’s time to write an overdue payment reminder email.

In this case, you should keep in mind the following rules:

• Provide sufficient information, 
• Use a firm tone to convey urgency and importance, 
• Highlight the payment deadline, and 
• Attach a copy of the invoice.  

Here’s an example of a reminder email you can send to a client after the payment due date:

#21: Friendly professional confirmation email (that can serve as an indirect reminder)

Finally, there’s another way to formulate a reminder email without sounding overly pushy or demanding. The trick is to package it as a confirmation email. 

This way, you’ll achieve your goal of reminding the recipient about the subject of your writing, but you’ll avoid actually using the phrase ‘a friendly reminder’, which is often regarded as one of the most annoying corporate buzzwords. 

For example, if you want to confirm a meeting with external partners and indirectly remind your team to prepare research and questions, you can send over a carefully formulated confirmation email and kill two birds with one stone. 

Here’s an example of an indirect reminder disguised as a friendly professional confirmation email: 

How to write a reminder email

Now that you’ve checked an extensive list of friendly reminder email examples, it’s time to go over key steps to writing an effective one. 

So, let’s dive in! 

Tip #1: Maintain a professional and friendly tone

The number one rule when writing a friendly reminder email is to remember to always keep it polite and cordial.

It can often be tricky to walk the fine line between being professional, polite, and convincing. You don’t want your email to come across as a trivial, non-urgent request, but you also don’t want to be too pushy or threatening.

To strike a perfect balance, consider analyzing your reminder email against the following checklist: 

• It follows the general professional email etiquette,
• It’s written in a friendly and respectful tone, and
• It’s brief, direct, and to the point. 

Of course, the level of formality will depend on the type of relationship you have with the recipient, however, in business correspondence, it’s best to err on the side of caution when it comes to choosing between formal and informal communication. 

Tip #2: Grab their attention with a direct subject line 

People are busy and attention spans are declining. 

So, if you want your recipient to take your reminder email seriously and act on it, make sure your email subject line is formulated accordingly. 

As shown in the reminder email examples above, your subject line should be:

• Clear, 
• Direct, and 
• Attention-grabbing.

Therefore, if you want to communicate urgency, you can add “Reminder”, “Request”, or “Action Required” in the subject line. 

On the other hand, for less urgent reminders, phrases like “Next Steps”, “Following Up”, or “Just Checking In” will be just fine. 

This way, you’re helping your recipient get the gist of your message right away, which takes the guesswork out of your business correspondence. Consequently, you’re more likely to get the reply in a shorter time frame. 

Tip #3: Open with a polite greeting

Sure, your reminder emails should be as brief and straightforward as possible. However, a polite and professional greeting or opening line can go a long way in getting on your recipient’s good side. 

This is especially important if you want them to take your message seriously and act upon it as soon as possible.

So, when in doubt, keep it brief, but remember to add a polite opening line to communicate friendliness. 

Tip #4: Provide enough information 

It may sound contradictory, but your friendly reminder email should be brief and to the point, and you still need to make sure it includes enough context information.

To help you find the right balance, here’s how to make sure your friendly reminder email is informative enough while avoiding any irrelevant and unnecessary details: 

• It clearly states the purpose of writing,
• It contains precise dates and/or deadlines, 
• It references precise documents, invoices, products, or payment information, 
• It shows understanding and gives the recipient the benefit of the doubt by offering potential solutions, and 
• It features a clear call to action that communicates exactly what you want your recipients to do and within what deadline.  

Tip #5: Close politely 

Finally, don’t forget that the way you sign off your friendly reminder email also matters, so make sure to keep the same friendly tone until the very end. 

Of course, like the rest of the reminder email, the email closing you choose will depend on:

• The precise type of the reminder email, 
• The relationship with the recipient, and 
• How well you know each other. 

Having said that, in most cases, your best bet will be to remain polite, professional, and positive while showing you anticipate a response. 

Ultimately, it’s not a secret that a friendly and positive sign-off evokes positive emotions, which, consequently, leave a positive impression and improve work relationships. 

How to send a reminder email

Learning what to include in your reminder email is just one part of nailing your friendly reminder email. To make sure your reminder emails get opened and you get a timely response, it’s equally important how you send these emails. More specifically — you need to mind the timing of your reminder emails. 

So, to figure out what the best time to send a reminder email is, you’ll need to consider both general and specific rules for sending these emails. 

As a general rule, you should give it 2–3 days after the initial email before sending a reminder or a follow-up email. In most cases, you’ll find that this timing makes sense, as it gives people enough time to read and respond to your email. 

However, in some specific instances, you’ll find the situation requires a different approach. For example, if you want to remind your team about an important event, you’ll most likely want to send the reminder at least a week before to give everyone the opportunity to prepare ahead of time. 

Here are some useful rule-of-thumb guidelines for when you’re not sure how to time your reminder email for specific situations. 

• Friendly reminder email for a meeting — at least 2 days before the meeting, 
• Friendly reminder email for an event — 5–14 days ahead of time,  
• Reminder email about a deadline approaching — 3–10 days before the deadline, 
• Reminder email about an overdue deadline — one day after the deadline. 

Should you send reminders as DMs instead of emails?

Emails are near and dear to our hearts, and, in most cases, it’s only nostalgia that still makes us put up with them.  

Although email has served us well in previous decades, the global shift to remote work we experienced over the past few years has demonstrated that email is not the best for remote communication. 

In the era of advanced team collaboration software, email fails to provide fast and efficient business communication, especially when it comes to internal communication. 

However, it seems that email is still predominantly used in external communication, even though business messaging apps are contending for a more effective alternative to email with new features designed to handle external communication.  

So, should you consider switching from emails to DMs when sending reminder messages? 

Unfortunately, there’s no one definitive answer to this question, as it will largely depend on: 

• Who you’re sending a reminder to, 
• Your preferred method and channel of communication, as well as 
• The specifics and the features of the communication tool you’re using. 

If you’re writing to a senior external partner to remind them of the upcoming event, chances are they’ll prefer a more formal approach via email. 

At the same time, reminding your team to bring their best game to the next meeting is best done via a message in a team channel in your team communication app like in the Pumble example below.

Benefits of sending reminders as DMs instead of emails   

Although our previous section offered some compelling arguments for both methods, in most cases, you’ll find DMs to be more effective and time-efficient means of sending reminder messages. 

If you still aren’t convinced on giving DMs a try, here are the main benefits of sending reminders as DMs to help you make the switch. 

Benefit #1: DM reminders are more organized and streamlined 

DMs and threads replace long email chains offering a much easier insight into key message points and details. Moreover, when you want to send a reminder to a team, for example, one message in a team channel lets you immediately notify everyone involved, without having to CC multiple people. 

Benefit #2: DM reminders are better for urgent matters

Unlike emails, which can land in spam or simply take people more time to notice them and respond, DMs offer a more immediate form of communication that consequently implies faster response. 

Benefit #3: DM reminders are overall more effective

Instead of turning a reminder email to multiple people into an endless chain of replies, a message in a team communication app offers a far less intrusive and faster way of replying to a message — via a single emoji. Moreover, sharing a reminder via DM also offers more opportunities for further discussions on the spot. You can either jump on a video or a voice call or hash things out in a thread. 

Send quicker friendly reminders with Pumble

If you’re looking for the best way to remind people to take action, emails might not be your best bet.

Yes, sending a reminder email is considered the go-to solution, but sending a direct message might be even better.

If your team uses Pumble, a team communication app, you can send reminder messages to your coworkers, employees, and even outside contributors within minutes.

What’s more, you can quickly and easily send reminders to entire teams or groups of people — via public and private channels.

And, if you’re worried about forgetting to send a reminder (it happens to the best of us), Pumble can save the day, as the “schedule message” feature will make your working days much easier. Of course, when sending reminder messages via Pumble, always remember to follow the same etiquette rules as you would when sending an email:

• Keep a professional and friendly tone, 
• Time your friendly reminder adequately, 
• Open with a polite greeting (an informal one will do), and
• Provide detailed information.

See how Pumble can boost your professional communication!