📝 Add to Notes breaks down the art and science of A+ real estate marketing

We’ve been thinking about this for a while.

Most agents are working hard. Posting consistently. Trying different things. Testing Reels. Sending emails. Shooting YouTube videos.

And still feeling like it’s harder than it should be.

Not because you’re not capable. But because nobody really teaches the mechanics behind why certain things work.

That’s what this is.

Each week, we’re going to pull apart real examples, from agents, from brands, from marketers who know what they’re doing, and look at the decisions underneath them.

The goal here is clarity.

When you start seeing how the best marketing is built, you stop guessing. You start choosing your angles on purpose.

And everything gets a little sharper.

That’s the idea behind our brand new weekly newsletter, Add to Notes.

Here’s what’s in the first edition:

🪝 Steal The Hook — Give them the map they don’t know exists (yet)

🧠 Follow The Leader — What happens when you address the elephant in the room

🏆 And the Oscar Goes To… — The ones who sell the cost of being wrong win

Let’s get into it…

“There’s a hidden stretch of the Chicago lakefront that almost no one rides.”

No hype. No buildup. Just the suggestion that there's something in plain sight you've missed.

That's the whole hook. And it's almost invisible. Which is why it works.

Here's the formula underneath it:

Secret + scarcity + zero barrier to entry.

There's something most people don't know. Not many people have found it. And you could go see it right now.

That combination is compulsive. People can't scroll past it.

Now apply that to real estate.

Every market has hidden streets. Overlooked neighborhoods. Underpriced pockets that only locals know about.

The hook structure works anywhere you can say: most people don't know this, but you could.

"There's a block in West Ashley that hasn't had a listing sit longer than 6 days in two years."

"There's a street in Buckhead where three homes sold over ask last month and nobody's talking about it."

Same formula. Different market.

Secret. Scarcity. Zero barrier.

That's the part to steal.

If you’re serious about getting better at marketing, follow Harry Dry.

He runs Marketing Examples, one of the few marketing resources that actually shows you the wiring behind what works.

Ads. Landing pages. Offers. Pricing. Positioning.

Not just the result, but the structure behind the result.

For agents, that matters.

Because most marketing advice shows the highlight reel. 

What Harry does (really, really, well) is show the blueprint. 

And once you see the blueprint, you stop guessing.

Harry has a ton of IG posts worth studying.

But this one really stood out.  

It highlights a simple idea from Alex Bogusky of Crispin Bogusky + Partners.

Before working on a campaign, he’d ask: “What’s the elephant in the room?”

In other words: What’s the truest thing holding this brand back?

When Domino’s asked that question, the answer wasn’t flattering.

“Your pizza sucks.”

They didn’t hide from it. Instead, they built the entire campaign around it.

They admitted the flaw, and then they fixed it… publicly.

Sales jumped. 

Credibility followed.

Harry’s broader point in the post is this: Strong brands don’t dodge objections. They lead with them.

“About to expire” → “Too good to waste.”
“Tastes awful” → “Anything that tastes that bad has got to work.”
“Only two hours?!” → “Deliberately short.”
“We’re cheap” → “We could charge more. We don’t.”

They take the criticism and flip it into the core message.

Now let’s bring this home.

What’s the elephant in your market?

“Your commissions are too high.”
“All agents do the same thing.”
“It’s a bad time to sell.”

Most agents avoid these.

The smarter move is to address them head-on.

Examples:

“Thinking of selling but worried about timing? Here’s what actually happens in the first 10 days.”

“Not sure if agents are worth the commission? Let me show you exactly where it goes.”

“Afraid your home won’t stand out? Here’s how we prevent price reductions.”

When you name the objection first, you control the frame. And when you control the frame, you build trust faster.

Because the client is thinking it anyway.

The question is whether you’re willing to say it out loud.

22,000 views.

Sixteen minutes long.

The video doesn’t open with beaches or lifestyle shots. It opens with a warning.

“Thousands moved here. A lot picked the wrong neighborhood.”

That changes the frame immediately. 

It stops being a lifestyle conversation and becomes a risk conversation.

Most agents lead with possibility. The smarter move is to lead with consequence. When the stakes are clear, attention follows.

Then comes the structure.

Eight areas. Ranked. From best fit to “stay away”.

Now the viewer has something to measure against. They’re mentally placing themselves inside the framework, comparing their commute, their budget, their lifestyle to each bucket as it unfolds.

That structure does the heavy lifting.

Authority shows up early, too.

“After helping hundreds of families…”

And the CTA stays anchored to the same tension introduced in the first 30 seconds:

“If you need help matching commute, budget, and lifestyle…”

Same problem. Same thread. Clear next step.

AVOID [Bad Outcome] in [City] in [Year]

More options that fit the same pattern:

Most agents sell upside.

“Great schools.”
“Hot market.”
“Beautiful finishes.”

The stronger play? Sell the cost of being wrong.

Wrong neighborhood.
Wrong commute.
Wrong price band.
Wrong timing.

When you frame the decision around avoiding regret, you increase attention and perceived value.

Steal the hook. Follow the people worth studying. And make your message compelling enough to hold attention.

That’s what Add to Notes is all about.

This is just the beginning.

Every week, we’ll break down what’s working and why.

See you next Thursday,
Jimmy Mackin and the Listing Leads team

P.S. Want more listing-focused ideas like these? Head to ListingLeads.com.