Sales · 5 min

Draft a sales follow-up email in Outlook

Outlook, Draft with Copilot

Short answer: Open the customer's thread in Outlook, select Reply, then select the Copilot icon and Draft. Paste the prompt with your call notes and select Generate. Use the dropdown to change tone or length, select Keep it, edit, and send it yourself.

Last checked against Microsoft docs: Oct 21, 2026

You've seen people paste call notes into ChatGPT and ask for a follow-up email. Here's how in Copilot: reply in Outlook and use Draft with Copilot right in the message, so it can use the thread you're replying to.

A common situation (composite)

The call went well.
Then I put off the follow-up for two days because writing it felt like homework.
I want a draft I only need to tweak.

What you get

Data: the email thread plus your short call notes.
Does: drafts a reply in the thread.
Output: a short follow-up with a recap, next step and date.
How often: after each customer call.

Before you start

Needs: Copilot in Outlook with a work account. Not sure what you have? Start here.
Where: Outlook, Draft with Copilot.
Access: Copilot only uses content you already have permission to open. Use only information your company allows in Copilot.

The steps

Open the thread in Outlook and select Reply.
Select the Copilot icon in the toolbar and choose Draft (or Draft with Copilot in classic Outlook).
Paste the prompt with your notes and select Generate.
Change tone or length from the dropdown if needed. Select Keep it, edit, and send.

Copy this prompt

Write a follow-up to [name] after today's call about [topic].

Recap in 3 bullets: [point 1], [point 2], [point 3].
Next step: [what happens next] by [date].
Ask them to confirm [one thing].

Keep it under 120 words. Friendly and direct. No "I hope this finds you well".

(Prompt from stuckwithcopilot.com/guides/sales-follow-up-email/)

Data tip: use this with your work Copilot, and leave out passwords, payment details and anything your company marks restricted.

What a good result looks like

The next step and date match what was agreed on the call. No promises you didn't make.

If a feature is missing

In new Outlook and Outlook on the web, Draft with Copilot doesn't work on plain text messages. Switch to HTML in Settings > Mail > Compose and reply. If you have no Copilot button, use the same prompt in Copilot Chat and paste the result.

Make it smarter

Keep a short "What it got wrong" note. Paste it above the prompt next time, like "Don't invent dates".

Not sure what to ask? Copy the quick note for your Copilot admin.

More follow-ups to try

The same Outlook draft works for more than the after-call email. Each of these needs only your facts and a clear next step.

After you send a proposal or RFP: summarize what you sent and what happens next.
To everyone who attended: one email with notes and owners, so nobody remembers it differently.
With CRM connected: if your company set up the Sales agent, it can pull pricing and deal details from CRM into the draft. Check every number.
First contact: that's a different email. Use the first-email guide.

Prompt

Draft a follow-up to [name] after we sent our [proposal / RFP response] on [date].
- Summarize what we sent in three bullets, using only: [paste key points]
- Say what happens next and when: [next step and date]
- Ask one easy question that moves it forward

Under 120 words. Friendly and direct. No "just checking in".

(Prompt from stuckwithcopilot.com/guides/sales-follow-up-email/)

Make it better

Run this next, in the same chat.

Rewrite it for a busy executive who'll read it on a phone: subject line under six words, the next step in the first line, and the bullets cut to two.

(Prompt from stuckwithcopilot.com/guides/sales-follow-up-email/)

Data tip: use this with your work Copilot, and leave out passwords, payment details and anything your company marks restricted.

Questions people ask

Draft a sales follow-up email in Outlook?

Open the customer's thread in Outlook, select Reply, then select the Copilot icon and Draft. Paste the prompt with your call notes and select Generate. Use the dropdown to change tone or length, select Keep it, edit, and send it yourself.

What do I need for this?

Copilot in Outlook with a work account. In new Outlook and Outlook on the web, Draft with Copilot doesn't work on plain text messages. Switch to HTML in Settings > Mail > Compose and reply. If you have no Copilot button, use the same prompt in Copilot Chat and paste the result.

Can Copilot add pricing from our CRM?

Only through the Sales agent, if your company set it up. Otherwise, paste the pricing yourself and check it twice before you send.

Next step

Try it once, then make it yours.

Run the prompt on one real task this week. Then pick your next workflow.

See the workflow library ↗

Cite or share this guide

Draft a sales follow-up email in Outlook. Stuck with Copilot. https://stuckwithcopilot.com/guides/sales-follow-up-email/ Last checked Oct 21, 2026.

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Official references

Last checked against Microsoft docs: Oct 21, 2026.