Let’s talk about storytelling in your real estate marketing, but make it actionable + no-fluff.

I’m going to show you a real-life, stunning-in-its-simplicity example of marketing storytelling done well.

Then I’m going to steal that exact same copywriting and apply it to real estate.

(Same as I did, equally as brazenly, when I stole the Panera Bread mission statement for Realtors everywhere.)

Today’s example comes from HEY, an email and calendar platform that lets you control who can reach you.

If you go to the HEY website and scroll down the home page a tad, you’ll find a letter from its CEO, Jason Fried.

First I want you to read the letter in its entirety. It’s not that long. 

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That’s good stuff. Why did it work?

Because there are three parts to a good story.

“A beginning that grabs the listener. A middle that escalates the tension. An ending that brings it home with a bang.” (Dave Trott)

This is Jason’s uncomfortable beginning that hooked us:

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This is his middle that ramped up the tension:

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This is his ending that smoothed out all the wrinkles, ushered us into the Promised Land of his product offer, and brought us safely home:

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Now let’s steal this for real estate.

If I applied Jason’s copywriting genius to the home page of a boutique real estate brokerage, I’d craft a similarly smart-ass letter that leans into the fears (even potential prejudices + resentments) of its readers.

I’d employ the same uncomfortably honest beginning, high-stress middle, and butter-smooth ending.

Because I’d understand that being thoroughly transparent where it counts will endear me to people more than a letter full of Agent Platitudes ever could.

The beauty of Jason’s letter framework is that it reminds us to be intelligent and brave in saying the kind of radically honest things that most of your competitors are too afraid to say. 

So here’s my letter, this one from Jason, founder of a real estate brokerage:

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Hey — I’m Jason, founder here at INHABIT Real Estate.

Realtors get a bad rap, but they shouldn’t. A great Realtor is a hidden gem.

It feels great to walk into the home buying or selling journey with someone who actually cares about you. Or enjoys solving problems the way you do. Or is laid-back, honest, and simply kind the way you are.

That’s how real estate transactions used to feel, with the good agents.

But things changed.

The market went haywire.

First we endured the hot, chaotic frenzy of the pandemic. Then we experienced an abrupt halt of sorts; the sluggish pace of a market burdened by low inventory and staggering interest rates.

You started hearing mixed-up messages from Realtors online who didn’t know their stuff. You lost control over who you could trust. An avalanche of dark real estate clickbait headlines, annoying “BUT IT’S STILL A GOOD TIME TO BUY!” emails from agents, and confusing social media posts cluttered everything up.

And the Bad Apple Agents just let it happen.

Now, thinking about finding the right support for your real estate journey feels like a chore. Something you’re afraid to get wrong, rather than a clear-eyed decision made with confidence. Something to deal with, rather than delight in.

And yet…a great Realtor remains a wonder.

Despite how shaky the market has felt up to now, there IS a community of agents out there who are worthy of your trust. They’re reliable. They’re skilled. They know how to communicate, and they get the job done right.

They make it easy for folks like you to fall in love with coming home again.

So good news, the magic’s still there. It’s just obscured — buried under a mess of bad-rap agents, overused industry sales scripts and low-bar-entry reputation neglect.

Great real estate deserves a dust off. A renovation. Modernized for the homes and lifestyles we all are in pursuit of today.

With INHABIT, we’ve done just that. It’s a redo, a rethink, a simplified, potent reintroduction of worthy Realtors who do worthy work.

A fresh start, the way it should be.

INHABIT is our love letter to home and the people who cherish it, and we’re sending it to you through our portfolio of services tailored exactly to your needs as a buyer or seller.

[START NOW]

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See the power in that?

Think of your real estate marketing stories in three parts.

Paint the world as it truly is for your customer.

Twist the knife and make them feel something.

Then bring us all home.

(More on this whole storytelling framework for your Realtor marketing HERE, in case you missed this one. Links to my free training that’s an oldie but a goodie.)

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P.S – What’s BLUEPRINT, again? 

We’re a gaggle of designers, writers, and creatives on a mission to change the branding narrative in real estate.

We offer a signature branding service and the industry’s most elegant and high-converting digital products to help modern, stylish Realtors do three things:

➝ Communicate their worth;

➝ Become the obvious choice;

➝ Tell the right stories to stand out + SELL more.

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