One of the most effective tools a real estate recruiter can use is email. It’s a simple, no-nonsense form of tech, which can bypass the noise of social media and land straight into your prospective candidate’s inbox. With the right content, you can convert a mildly curious job seeker into a keenly interested applicant. You can GetBrokerkit if you want some help composing your recruiting emails to ensure that you’re providing relevant content.
Of course, your efforts at writing the best recruiting emails will be put to waste if real estate agents don’t open and read your message in the first place. This is why you should also put some effort into crafting attention-grabbing subject lines. They have to be catchy but not too catchy that they spill over to clickbait territory.
It’s a careful balancing act that you have to navigate to make the most of recruiting emails. Here are some tips to help you master this art:
Don’t Exaggerate
One of the most glaring signs of click-baiting is an exaggeration. Don’t make promises that you know you can’t deliver because this will end up in disappointment. Think of social media ads for, say, weight-loss diets that promise “instant results” after just one day. It’s difficult to believe the claims. Sure, it got your attention but did it make you want to try it? Probably not.
The same goes for your recruiting emails. Over-selling the job and the brokerage can be seen as pretentious and do you more harm than good.
Be Clear, Not Clever
Just like job ads, your recruiting emails should be as straightforward as possible. Clever headlines are cute, but they can be challenging to understand. If you have to make your recipients figure out what you’re trying to say, you can lose their interest. Remember that real estate agents are busy people, so you need to get straight to the point or risk being regarded as a waste of time.
Share Stories
Clickbait headlines often rely on shock value. They want to make you feel strong emotions, like anger or disgust—both of which are things you don’t want to be associated with your brokerage.
Nevertheless, there’s still room for you to use strong emotions to appeal to your recipients through the use of storytelling. For example, you can share how far your employees have come since starting with your brokerage. Success stories, in particular, have a strong resonance with younger agents and those looking for career advancement.
Once you’ve gotten their attention through an emotional hook, it would be easier to engage with them for networking and recruitment.
Give the Complete Picture
As mentioned earlier, real estate agents don’t have time for guessing games. They’re a busy bunch, so they need to know immediately if reading your email will be worth their time. As such, it’s best to give them the complete picture through your subject line. If your email is about inviting them to apply, then say so. Please don’t leave them confused or in suspense.
State a Problem
Finding a job can be challenging at times. There could be an economic crisis, or perhaps the current market is employer-driven rather than candidate-driven. Your recruiting emails and subject lines can make the most of these situations by presenting the specific problem in the subject line and then offering a solution in the contents.
For example, newbie agents might be having trouble crafting their resumes. Your subject line can state this exact problem, and the content can be resume-writing tips. The critical thing to remember is that your recruiting emails don’t have to be exclusively about hiring. You can also discuss topics related to recruitment, such as career building and learning opportunities. Frame these subjects into questions to spark conversations and create connections with your intended audience.
Test and Optimize
Well-written, non-clickbait email subject lines aren’t perfect and can’t guarantee 100% open rates—and that’s fine. This is why A-B testing is essential, so you can determine which kinds of email subject lines work.
Don’t just monitor the open rates, either. You should also note other details, such as which recipients responded the most to a specific type of subject line. There may be a formula that works better for different audiences (e.g., active vs passive candidates, new vs senior agents) that you can use in the future.
There’s also merit in experimenting, even after you’ve discovered effective subject line structures. You might find something that works better for a particular group or something that yields even higher conversions.
It can be tempting to resort to clickbait-y subject lines, considering how effective they seem to be on social media. However, remember that you don’t want to be viral in email recruiting. You want to be effective. If you wish genuine connections and responses, your message must convey that—and this starts with your email subject line.
Hopefully, these tips can help you craft headlines that grab the attention of real estate professionals and, more importantly, yield the results you want. Good luck!