Get Real with Your Real Estate Newsletters

A client-retention real estate newsletter should remind people why they like and trust you. One way to do that is by “being real” with readers.

Being real means you show up as a human with personality in your newsletters, not a business or corporate entity or chatbot. Fortunately, it’s not hard to add the humanity without bearing your soul or oversharing about your grandkid’s first solid food.

Here are seven easy ways to be fun, interesting, and engaging in your real estate newsletters, while still maintaining a professional demeanor. We recommend adding these items near the top of your newsletter, followed by more typical newsletter content.

7 Kinds of Local Content to Spice Up Your Real Estate Newsletters

1. Use statistics with personal interpretation

Instead of inserting a chart of solds for last month, choose one statistic to highlight. Then chat about it briefly. Example:

  • “Average sold prices dropped for the first time in 5 years last month! It had to happen sometime, right? But the drop is uneven. Talmadge held it’s value to the same as last month, while City Heights dropped more than 7%. Curious about your home’s value? Me too! Click here, enter your house details, and get a current price estimate.”

2. Use a “where in the community” picture game

Snap a photo of something in your area that only people living there would recognize. Put it into your newsletter and invite readers to guess what/where it is. Make it a little challenging by taking it from a unique angle, or only capturing part of the scene. Don’t forget to provide the answer in your newsletter.

  1. Shoot local neighborhood video tours. This tip can help in multiple ways. When you shoot a video of a local drive- or walk-through, and then include that in your newsletter, people will naturally be curious and want to watch. But you can also post the videos on your website and YouTube where visitors searching for local information will find them. Be sure to add a lead-capture method to the video, even if it’s as simple as “Call me to ask local questions.”
  2. Take a photo of yourself at a local activity, caption it briefly. “Me and my best friend at Sea World. When was the last time you went? It had been 20 years for me. If you have friends from out of the area visiting, it’s worth adding to your itinerary. And if they want to move here? Well, have them call me.” 
  3. Do video interviews of your current clients. If they’re willing, you can interview them with soft-ball questions, like “Why did you pick this neighborhood?” or “What did you love most about living in this neighborhood?” You can also ask real estate questions, such as “What surprised you most about your real estate transaction?” or “What advice would you give to a home seller in Talmadge?”
  4. Do shout-outs for local service providers. If you (or someone you know) had a great experience with a service provider, give them a shout-out in your newsletter. This works even better when the service provider is also a past client of yours. “Mark and Jennifer just used Becky’s Best Cleaning service to mop up their house after moving out. Becky is one of our past clients, and we love referring her to new clients! If you need Becky’s Best for day to day cleaning, or a moving in/out cleaning, call her team at 888-333-2222.”
  5. Do restaurant/store reviews. I love this technique! It builds local connections and reciprocal referral arrangements. Speak to the manager or owner of a local restaurant or store. Tell them about your newsletter, then ask if they’d like you to do a review in your newsletter for them. Ask if they’d be willing to provide a free meal or other item for you to add to the review to encourage people to visit the business. You can also offer them free advertising space in exchange for a like-kind arrangement, such as putting your newsletters into their storefront, or putting an add into their publication. 

I’m sure there are even more ways to get real in your newsletters! Be creative, and don’t be afraid to be you. Also, don’t feel like every newsletter has to be hyper-local. Here at Fast Newsletters, we strive to make our pre-written real estate newsletters sound friendly and approachable for you. Even if you don’t have time to add local content, you’ll still be sending a newsletter that reminds them why they like you.

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Linda Schneider
Linda Schneider

Linda Schneider, a real estate marketer, author, and former agent for 30 years. She thrives on helping agents make money using creative and affordable prospecting tools and real estate newsletters. Get her latest book, Door to Door Real Estate Prospecting on Amazon.com.

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