Most agents sleep on direct mail because they’ve been told it takes 12–18 months to see ROI. Jimmy Mackin says that’s old thinking. The five campaigns he shared below are working right now. The process he shares is simple. Send a letter. Start a conversation. Win the listing.
Before we dove into the five direct mail campaigns, Mackin said, “If your letters are not in their mailbox in November or December, your sign won’t be in their yard come the spring.” He shared three simple keys to success with direct mail.
- They must be “timely.” Lead with a real reason to write today.
- They must be sent to the right “audience.” Market where turnover is highest, not where it’s convenient or to be a specific group with a specific pain point.
- They must have a clear “message.” Short copy, one offer, clear call to action.
1. The ‘not just sold’ letter
What it is
A six-month follow-up to your spring and summer sales. It reframes past wins as timely market insight, even if you never mailed a “just sold” letter or postcard.
Mackin shared, “The logic of this campaign is that when you are the busiest is when you do the least amount of marketing. This letter gives you the opportunity to go back and do the marketing you wish you would have done around a notable sale, or this provides an opportunity to double down on an area where you want additional listings this spring.”
How to do it
- Utilize a notable sale you made from the last six to 12 months.
- Add two local stats that signal demand.
- Offer a same-day professional equity update via text.
This is an example of the “not just sold” letter.
Dear (Insert Name),
It’s been about six months since I sold your neighbor’s home at 55 Hanover Street, and I wanted to share a quick update on what’s been happening here in (insert subject neighborhood or area).
Since that sale, two more homes nearby have closed. They sold 13 percent faster than the town average and had about 35 percent more showings than usual. That’s a strong sign of buyer demand in (subject neighborhood or area).
Rates have also eased from the mid-7’s to the low-6’s. That drop has given buyers more room to move with lower payments, higher budgets, and more confidence to act.
I’ve been reviewing homes in (subject neighborhood or area) that were purchased over 10 years ago, and most have seen a substantial rise in value.
If it’s been more than six months since you’ve had a professional update on your home’s value, text me at (your number), and I’ll prepare one for you today.
2. The ‘show the sweat’ postcard (‘just sold,’ reimagined)
What it is
A story-driven postcard or letter that admits the market is bumpy, and then proves you kept momentum and closed anyway.
Mackin said, “In the vast majority of markets across the country, two things are true. The first is that homes are taking longer to sell than they have in the last five to seven years. No. 2 is that we are seeing an increase in the rise of listing cancellations. This has led to agents hesitating to share stories of sales that closed, but not with multiple offers or within hours of listing.”
He then shared how agents have an opportunity to reimagine “just sold” campaigns and to stand out when others are slowing down due to uncertainty.
How to do it
- Use a compelling headline.
- Tell a 70-120-word true story.
- Close with a simple “text me or scan” CTA.
Mackin shared the following effective example of this type of mailer from Scott Steadman and Robyn Foulger, serving the SunCrest Community in Draper, Utah.
3. The magic buyer letter
What it is
A hyper-specific letter sent to owners in the exact area and price band your qualified buyer wants. This letter helps you uncover off-market opportunities for your buyers. In addition, it provides a way for you to uncover listing opportunities if the prospective home doesn’t fit your prospective buyers.
“We are on a mission to have agents send out as many ‘Magic Buyer’ letters as they can. An example of the success agents are seeing was recently shared in our Listing Leads Facebook group by Nik Shewmaker out of Nashville, Tennessee.
“In her post, she said she sent out 300 letters to a neighborhood her buyer wants to live in. Four days later, she posted her success story: An owner who received one of the letters contacted her, and the buyer wants the house. So directly from her “Magic Buyer” letter, she is going to double-side this $1.7 million sale,” Mackin shared.
How to do it
- Provide specific details about the home your buyer wants.
- Target homes that match the buyer’s criteria (as best as you can). Personalize wherever possible.
- Hand-address envelopes, whenever possible, for increased effectiveness.
This is the framework for an example “Magic Buyer” letter:
4. The ‘reasons to sell’ farming letter (direct response)
What it is
This is a letter to your farm area that reframes negative headlines, shares three positive truths and offers a professional equity report. Sellers hesitate when they don’t understand the market. This letter gives them logic to act and a safe first step.
In discussing this letter, Mackin said, “Gretchen Coley out of Raleigh, North Carolina, asked me to put together this ‘Reasons to Sell’ campaign for her a few years ago. I wrote it for her with no expectations. She sent it to about 2,500 houses, and within about 30 days, she got about $5 million worth of listings. After that success, I saw the light and have been all in with these letters to farm areas since then.”
How to do it
- Choose a farm of 2,000–5,000 doors with healthy turnover.
- List three current advantages for sellers in your area.
- Drive to a single CTA via text keyword or QR.
This is the framework for an example “Reasons to Sell” letter:
5. The ‘silver tsunami’ blitz (7 letters in 7 weeks)
What it is
A concentrated downsizer campaign to owners likely 60+, mailed weekly for seven weeks with customer-voice headlines. Familiarity breeds trust. Rapid cadence moves you from obscurity to “mailbox famous,” which ultimately leads to more listing opportunities.
When discussing this campaign, Mackin said, “Sometimes agents we work with do things that even surprise me. Katie Lucie, an agent out of Jupiter, Florida, took our ‘Silver Tsunami Playbook’ and compressed the campaign into seven letters in seven weeks.
“In case you are wondering, the group we are referencing as the silver tsunami group is anyone over 60 years old, which, by the way, represents about half of all sales. So, if you don’t have a strategy for this group, you are basically saying I am going to ignore basically half of the market.”
He then explained that Lucie decided to send out a blitz campaign over seven weeks instead of over 12 months. He stated she spent a little over $4,500 on this campaign, and the last time he checked in with her, this campaign had generated over $100,000 in gross commission.
How to do it
- Build a list of owners who’ve held titles for 20+ years, plus 55+ communities. This can be purchased from mail list vendors.
- Send one headline-led card each week for seven weeks.
- Mix in two value pieces: downsizing checklist and net sheet request.
The following are a few examples of the front of these postcard templates (ready for photo modifications) and the back of one as well:
Targeting: the key to successful direct mail marketing
Mackin and I wrapped our discussion by discussing how to build the best list of people to mail to for these campaigns. These are a few suggestions that can increase your effectiveness.
Find the hot spots for neighborhoods on the move (do this once, then refresh quarterly)
- Export 24–36 months of MLS sales.
- Ask AI to identify neighborhoods and price bands with 10 percent to 15 percent annual turnover.
- Focus your efforts on these neighborhoods
Clean the audience
- Exclude purchases in the last two to three years.
- Prioritize owners 10+ years in place, properties with lifestyle triggers (stairs, large lots, aging roof age bands) and streets near your recent wins.
Printing, formatting and little edges that move response
- Simple design wins. High-contrast text. Big headlines. Colored envelopes.
- Handwritten envelopes or at least a real stamp for smaller drops.
- Always include one CTA: text keyword or QR, plus your cell number.
- Batch your follow-ups. Text first, then call.
- Track everything. Create unique keywords per campaign (AUBURN, VALUE, PLAN).
Direct mail isn’t dead. In fact, it is alive and well. When your message is timely, your audience is tight and your offer is simple, the phone rings. Run these five campaigns between now and January. Layer them with email and social. You’ll set the stage for your best spring in years.
Jimmy Mackin is the cofounder of ListingLeads, and he can be found on Instagram.
