The holidays do not slow your clients down. They slow your competitors down. Most agents go quietly from Thanksgiving to New Year’s, while the agents with a plan show up in the inbox with something useful. Your email list is the one asset you own outright, and Q4 is when it pays.
Why this matters to your GCI
I have lived this. I once sent eight emails over nine days to a list of 13,000 contacts and earned $128,635. On the final day, I sent three emails and made more than $40,000. I was nervous. About 1% of the list unsubscribed, roughly 130 people. I let go of 130 people who were never going to buy, and I earned $40,000. I make that trade every time.
Build a calendar, not a blast
Most agents email when they have a new listing. Top of mind takes rhythm. At a bare minimum, send 36 emails per year, which is three per month. I send 56 annually: two per month tied to my podcast, plus eight for every quarterly webinar.
Build your holiday run now: one email in late October, two in November, two in December and one in January. Every email carries an item of value. Never send a plug with nothing inside.
Open with their needs, not yours
Your first holiday email should show your list you are listening. Send a two-question survey. What is the biggest home task on your winter list? What would you like me to cover in January?
Do not make it about you. Make it 100% about the needs of the people on your list. Their answers become your next three emails, so you never stare at a blank screen: one survey, three topics, zero guesswork.
Give something worth opening
An item of value is something your reader uses in five minutes. Try a winterizing checklist, a list of documents to gather for your tax professional, or a one-page guide to year-end home maintenance. Keep any community event lists general and open to everyone. That protects you under Fair Housing.
My son Skyler, an NAR 30 Under 30 honoree, is closing out this year at roughly $200,000 in gross closed income with no ad spend. His item of value is down payment resources. Pick one problem your database has, and be the solution to it.
Record once, send everywhere
One video is three assets. The MP4 gives you video, the MP3 gives you audio and the transcript gives you text. Hand that transcript to AI, and it drafts your email, landing page and blog post.
Your list does not all learn the same way. Use a large, bold font; skip thin, cursive lines; and add audio instructions. Skyler adds roughly 1,700+ contacts a year using faceless videos on Instagram connected to ManyChat. You do not need to be on camera to start.
Tag every click
In your CRM, tag people when they download or make a purchase, and remove the old tags as they move forward. A seller who grabs your winterizing checklist gets a different follow-up than a buyer who grabs your down payment guide. Email lands harder when it matches where the client is in the process.
Read before you send
AI is my business partner, but I read every word. Real estate is regulated. Fair Housing rules, license law and the REALTORS® Code of Ethics are your responsibility, not the software’s.
Do this before your next showing
Pick one problem your clients face this winter, and use Claude to create your item of value.
Record a 60-second video explaining the solution, whether your face is in it or not.
Paste the transcript into AI and ask for a short email, then read every word for compliance.
Build a simple landing page inside of your CRM that delivers the item in exchange for an email address.
Schedule six holiday emails now, and send three on the final day of your last campaign.
Marki Lemons Ryhal is a top real estate coach, global keynote speaker and international best-selling author. She is also a licensed managing broker and Realtor and the first African-American woman inducted into the Chicago Association of REALTORS® Hall of Fame. She currently hosts two podcasts, “Drive with NAR” and “Social Selling Made Simple.”
