How To Write A Follow Up Email To A Coach?
If you’re serious about playing sports in college, you probably have a list of schools and coaches that you dream of playing for. To make that dream a reality, you need to start by forming a relationship with a college coach. The best way to reach out to college coaches is by email. Once you’ve sent an introduction email, you’ll likely want to send a follow-up email to that coach.
The best way to write a follow-up email is to focus on why you’re reaching out and why the coach should care about you. It’s crucial to communicate at a good time and write in a professional tone as well. College coaches appreciate student-athletes who have personalized the email, as it shows you’re detail-oriented and passionate about their school.
The same principles apply with a follow-up email to a coach as with any communication with a college coach. Work on establishing a good relationship by providing the information coaches need, responding quickly and being concise.
What To Include In Your Email
Most student-athletes will send a follow-up email a few days after sending the first introduction email to stay on the coach’s radar. Coaches are familiar with both follow-up emails and phone calls.
Subject Line: A good subject line catches the coach’s attention and tells them why they should care about the email. Without a good subject line, your email will be left sitting unopened in a coach’s inbox. You should include the year you’ll graduate, your position and any outstanding athletic statistics that help you stand out. An example: John Smith QB Recruit 2030, 4,100 passing yards, 35 touchdowns.
Email Body: In this email, start by mentioning that you’ve reached out to the coach before and would like to get in touch with them. Then introduce yourself, highlighting notable academic and athletic achievements. Make sure you include where you are from, your high school and any relevant educational information. Attach your athletic resume, including your highlight video. Provide your high school coach’s contact information, as well as your own, so that the coach can reach out to you at any time.
Conclusion: End on a strong note by providing an action step for the coach. Include information about where you’ll be competing next or how the coach can watch you compete. If you’ve included these fundamental elements, a college coach has all they need to decide whether or not they are interested in you as a recruit.
Edit: Before sending the email out, make sure to proofread it! It’s not a good look to send out a professional email with typos in it. Rereading the email one more time before sending it and even running it through a spell checker can catch any errors.
Personalize: Sending out a mass email to multiple coaches copied on it sends the message that you aren’t taking the time to focus on that coach or school specifically. Only include one coach on your email and take the time to add personal details that you like about their program and coaching style.
By writing a quality follow-up email, you’ll be able to impress a college coach with your persistence and time management skills. A strong work ethic and time management skills are significant to play sports in college, so showing coaches that you have those skills upfront can help you stand out from other recruits.
Why Follow Up With A College Coach?
There are a few reasons why you might want to follow up with a college coach. They might not have responded to your initial introduction email for a few days, and you want to send a subtle reminder that you’re still waiting on their reply. You might also have an essential question or update on your performance. Whatever the reason, you will need to write your follow-up email differently depending on the situation. Below are a few times that you might want to consider sending a follow-up email:
New Highlight Video: If you update your highlight video with new clips or re-edit the video, you want the college coaches you’ve been in contact with to see the changes. It’s perfectly acceptable to reach back out and send another link to your updated highlight video.
Congratulate Them: You should be following the seasons of your top schools and coaches to not only get a sense of how they play but also to be able to bring up their record with the coach. Knowing how the team played that season will give you a better perspective of how you would fit with that team. If you go on a campus visit or communicate with the coach for any reason, you can mention the team’s playing style or season record. If the coach pulled off an important win, you could send them a follow-up email to congratulate them and tell them what you liked about the game.
New Personal Best: Hopefully, all your hard work throughout high school is paying off with some great improvements in your athletic performance. Go ahead and let your potential college coach know about any success that you’ve had. It might change your status in the recruiting class if you achieve a new personal best, master a new skill or beat a higher-ranked opponent. The key is to position your accomplishments as further relevant information that the coach needs to know to make a decision. You don’t want to come off as cocky or like you’re bragging.
Unofficial Visit: On an official visit, your trip will be paid for, and you’ll have guaranteed exposure to the team and coach. Unofficial visits aren’t paid for, and you have to plan the trip yourself. If you’re planning on visiting a school, reach out to the coach far in advance to set up a meeting. If they’re interested in having you on their roster, they’ll find the time for a brief meeting to introduce themselves. Unofficial visits can be vital in securing an official visit and an athletic scholarship offer.
There are plenty of reasons to follow up with a college coach. You want college coaches to not only know who you are but be interested in offering you an athletic scholarship. Following up with a college coach is one step in developing a strong relationship with a college coach.
What To Do After Sending A Follow-Up Email
So, you’ve contacted a college coach multiple times and just sent your most recent follow-up email. What should you do next? If the coach responds within a few days, great! If not, there are a couple of things you can do in the meantime.
Focus on Academics: The NCAA has specific requirements for the grades and GPA that student-athletes need to achieve in high school to receive eligibility. Focusing on your academics ensures that you can pass admission standards at any university that you want to attend.
Play Your Best: As a potential student-athlete, you’re probably already very focused on athletics. Taking time to focus on all areas of performance, from sleep to nutrition, can give you the edge you need to play your best and impress a college coach. And it just might give you an excuse to send a follow-up email to a college coach.
Move On To Other Schools: If you haven’t heard back from a college coach in some time, you may want to focus on other options. A college coach’s interest is paramount in securing an athletic scholarship. If they aren’t responding to your emails within a reasonable timeline, you probably have a better chance of receiving an athletic scholarship at another school.
The best thing to do after sending a follow-up email is to be patient. Ensure you are on track to complete all of your recruiting requirements while you wait. Send out follow-up emails to multiple college coaches (just not all on one thread) to increase your chances of hearing back from a coach.
Things To Keep In Mind
Be Gratuitous : When writing your follow-up emails and in any communication with college coaches, remember to have an attitude of gratitude. Coaches can sense tone in your writing, and they appreciate a recruit who has a positive mindset.
Division I and II: Division I and II college coaches are restricted in when they can respond to potential student-athletes. If it is before September 1 of your junior year, they won’t be able to respond to any of your follow-up emails without committing an NCAA infraction. Student-athletes can reach out to college coaches at any time without incurring a violation. For this reason, you don’t need to worry about sending follow-up emails at the wrong time.