How to Write a Keep-in-Touch E-Mail (With Template)

Updated August 14, 2023

Writing e-mails to keep in touch with personal and professional contacts can help you to maintain active connections. The ability to stay in touch with multiple contacts can have a direct impact on your success. Maintaining an extensive network can help expose you to new career opportunities Regardless of your industry. In this article, we discuss what a keep-in-touch e-mail is, list some situations in which it's appropriate to write one, and provide a template and some examples to help guide you through the process.

What is a keep-in-touch e-mail?

A keep-in-touch e-mail is a message you can send to a personal or professional contact to reopen a line of communication. Network contacts tend to lose relevance over time because people make new connections, change careers, or simply forget about those they haven't heard from. Writing the occasional e-mail can help you to stay up to date with the latest developments in people's lives and keep your network contacts relevant. This also helps people to remember you and sparks their interest in your personal and professional developments.

Situations when a keep-in-touch e-mail is appropriate

As a general guideline, it's appropriate to write such an e-mail when you have a valuable acquaintance or colleague who may no longer consider you a relevant connection. An e-mail can act as a reminder of positive interactions or successes that you may have had with the person. For example, to keep an open line of communication, you could write to someone on an important holiday or to congratulate them on a special occasion. Here are some typical reasons to write a keep-in-touch e-mail:

Staying connected with a former colleague

If one of your colleagues has left the organization you work for, it might be in your best interest to maintain a relationship with them, be it personal, professional, or both. You can do this by sending a brief e-mail suggesting that the two of you stay in touch. You can make this type of e-mail more effective by mentioning something that connected you with the person in the past that both of you would remember, such as a project or event.

Besides inviting them to stay in touch, you could mention that you would like to collaborate with them in the future if an opportunity arises. It also helps to include a few ways to stay in contact, like phone calls, e-mails, or in-person meetings.

Keeping in contact with someone you meet at a networking event

The main purpose of attending networking events is to facilitate meetings and discussions with other working professionals. For example, you might create a long-term connection with an important person by asking how to best communicate with them after the event. If some time passes after a networking event ends, and you haven't heard from someone that you'd hoped to, you could write an e-mail to say that you enjoyed meeting them and invite them to collaborate with you in the future.

Maintaining personal relationships that could lead to professional opportunities

A personal relationship with someone, such as a friend, former classmate, or friendly acquaintance, may connect you with an industry that complements your own. If you might like to work with a previous contact, consider writing them an e-mail and suggesting that you would like to keep in touch. You can remind the person about where you met them and mention any projects that might interest them.

Staying in touch with a professional connection you made online

You may want to maintain a connection with a professional whom you've collaborated with online in the past. You can do this by sending them an e-mail and suggesting that the two of you keep in contact. If the person lives in your area, you could invite them to meet in person and discuss the idea of working together.

How to write a keep-in-touch e-mail

Consider the following steps when inviting a contact to stay in touch:

1. Decide on the topic of the e-mail

Before starting an e-mail, it usually helps to think of a specific topic. For example, in the e-mail's subject line, you could invite the recipient to contact you, or you could choose something completely different, like congratulating them on a recent career achievement or referencing something you’ve accomplished. Having a topic in mind when writing an e-mail can help make the message more direct and effective.

2. Open with a brief but friendly salutation

Before writing the main body of the text, you can start with a greeting that is both warm and professional. You can probably make the message less formal if you're somewhat close to the person. Depending on their age and your relationship, you could choose between using a formal title, such as Mr or Mrs, followed by the recipient's last name, or referring to them by their first name.

3. Use the first paragraph to remind them how they know you

Writing an email to keep in touch with a contact usually means that you haven't talked to them in a while. They might not immediately recognize your name. Therefore, it’s important to remind them of who you are and how you know each other.

4. Wait until the second paragraph to invite them to stay in touch

Writing an e-mail that is short and to the point usually makes it more effective, but if you have a secondary reason for writing the e-mail, such as congratulating a contact for an achievement or wishing them a happy birthday, it's good to start with that. You can then continue in a second paragraph and tell them that you want to stay in contact regularly. Be sure to include your reason, such as common professional goals, similar areas of interest, or potential collaborations.

5. End with an appropriate closing

You can formulate an appropriate closing by mirroring the e-mail's opening tone. A formal closing is appropriate if the recipient is strictly a professional contact, and a more casual closing might be appropriate if the person is a friend or close acquaintance. Finish the e-mail by mentioning that you hope to hear from them soon and include some ways they can contact you, such as your phone number and e-mail address. Also, remember to include your name and professional title at the bottom.

Template for a keep-in-touch invitation e-mail

Consider using the following template to guide you through writing your e-mail:

Dear [Recipient Name],

It was great meeting you at the [place or occasion]. I am contacting you because I think it would be productive if we could work together on [project that may involve both of you] in the near future. Let's get together soon and discuss some potential opportunities.

Regards,

[Your Name]

Examples of keep-in-touch invitation e-mails

Consider the following two examples of e-mails inviting people to stay in touch:

Example 1

The following is an example of an e-mail to someone you met at a networking event:

Dear Gina,

It was great meeting you at the real estate networking event last week. I think your company has some interesting projects, and we could definitely collaborate on some things. Let's keep in touch. Hopefully, we can get together soon to discuss some prospects and explore the possibility of our companies working together.

Regards,

Michael

Example 2

The following is an example of an e-mail congratulating a personal or professional acquaintance and inviting them to stay in contact:

Hey John,

I'm writing to congratulate you on your big promotion! You've been so loyal to the company for all these years. You really do deserve it. Keep up the good work. I'd love to talk with you sometime soon and catch up.

Cheers,

Ramon