In real estate, every client interaction counts, and your emails are no exception. I’ve had the good fortune to work at rezora for over nine years now, and one the benefits is that you get to speak and work with a lot of savvy marketers and email professionals. Along the way, you start to see the kinds of habits and best practices that make a big difference. Taking just a few extra minutes before you hit “send” can dramatically improve how your message looks, feels, and performs. These small adjustments don’t just boost deliverability and engagement rates; they make your email a smoother, more valuable experience for your recipients.
Here’s a quick, easy-to-follow checklist that will help you make sure every email you send is ready to shine.
1. Keep your subject line short and action-oriented
Your subject line is the first impression, and the biggest factor in whether the recipient will open or skip. Keep it short (under 50 characters), action-oriented, and avoid spammy phrases like “100% FREE!!!”. If the content is targeting a specific audience or area (see #2 below), lean into it! “Open House in Downtown Boulder this Sunday” is more effective than “Open House in your area”.
2. Personalization = Engagement
Generic blasts are a thing of the past. The most effective way to boost engagement is to segment your contact lists and target them with more specific content. You’ll not only get higher click rates, but often higher click totals (as odd as that sounds). As you’re preparing to send, ask yourself: is this targeting too wide of an audience? If so, copy it as many times as you need to, and make some small changes to each one to target a smaller audience. Even if it’s just a slightly different subject line and body text – it makes a difference!
3. Scannability > Details
The average email recipient spends only a few seconds scanning an email before deciding whether to read and engage further. Make those seconds count! Keep paragraphs short, use bullet points, and make your message easy to skim. Have a prominent, simple call to action (e.g., “Schedule a Call”), and make it the focus.
4. Visuals
Images bring your email to life, but they can also weigh it down. Make sure your images are optimized for fast load times and add descriptive alt-text so your email still makes sense if images are blocked. A clean balance of text and visuals is best. Think less “billboard” and more “brochure.” The rezora application has several great features to make this easier, including free stock imagery integrations, and even AI-generated images.
5. Links & CTAs
A broken link can derail even the best campaign. Double-check that every link works and that your main CTA button is easy to find and tap on mobile. Use strong action language like “Schedule a Tour” or “View More Homes.” Stick to one primary CTA to keep readers focused.
6. Technical & Deliverability Checks
Don’t let your email end up in the spam folder. Test your email on both desktop and mobile devices to catch formatting issues. In rezora, you can preview both (and dark mode) directly in the editor, but it’s also a good idea to send yourself a test email and make sure it looks great in your own inbox. If it goes to SPAM, check out this great article for some quick changes you can make to get it to the inbox.
7. Timing & Audience
Hitting “send” at the right moment matters. For many markets, weekday mornings perform best, but the real key is to know your audience. In rezora, you can see when your contacts are most engaged, and then schedule your sends for at or just before that day and time. Interested in some tips for the best days and times? Check out this article on what rezora’s data shows as the best send days and times.
Bonus: The 2-Minute Test
Before you send, open the email on your phone and glance at it like a client would. Does it grab your attention? Can you understand the message in 10 seconds? If the answer is yes, you’re good to go.
The details might seem small, but they’re the difference between an email that gets ignored and one that drives real results. By running through this checklist, you’ll not only improve engagement and deliverability but also create a better experience for your clients.
Because at the end of the day, every email you send isn’t just marketing. It’s a chance to earn trust, showcase expertise, and bring clients one step closer to their dream home.
