TL;DR: Most agents treat open houses as a one-time event. This two-part play uses open house activity in your market as a conversation starter with your entire database. Part one is an Instagram Story poll. Part two is a short plain-text email. Together they surface buyers and sellers who are thinking about moving but haven't said a word to you yet. You don't need to host an open house to run it. Any open house activity in your market is enough.

Open house season is here.

And almost every agent I talk to is running the same playbook: host the open house, work the room, collect the sign-in sheet, follow up with whoever showed up.

That's not a bad play. But it stops way too early.

Here's what almost nobody is doing: using open house activity as a conversation starter with their entire database. Not just the people who walked through the door. Everyone they know.

Think about what's happening in your market right now. Buyers are driving by signs on Saturday morning. They're browsing listings on their phone while the kids are at soccer practice. They're thinking about it. They just haven't called you yet.

This play gives them a reason to.

What Is the Open House Opener Play?

The Open House Opener is a two-part marketing play that turns open house activity into active database conversations.

Part one is an Instagram Story with a poll. Part two is a short plain-text email to your full list. You run both in the same weekend. Together they touch the same audience through two different channels, which means someone who ignores the Story might reply to the email, and someone who taps the poll gets a second nudge when the email lands in their inbox.

The goal isn't to pitch anyone. It's to surface people who are already thinking about a move but haven't raised their hand yet.

Why Do Most Agents Miss the Biggest Opportunity of Open House Season?

Because they think the open house itself is the asset.

It's not. The activity is the asset.

Open house season creates real curiosity in people who haven't said a word to you. Buyers who are "just thinking about it." Sellers who need to sell before they can buy. People who drove past a sign and started wondering what their own house might be worth.

The problem is those people aren't going to call you out of nowhere. They need a low-pressure entry point.

That's exactly what this play gives them.

How Do You Run the Instagram Story Poll?

Post a photo to your Instagram Story. It can be a selfie from an open house, a shot of the property, or just a picture of you at the house. One thing worth knowing: your face in the Story tends to get more responses than a house photo. It doesn't have to be professional. It just has to be real.

Add a text overlay with a specific stat. This is what anchors the Story in something tangible. Here are a few ways to frame it depending on your situation:

"I had 48 people through our open house in Heritage on Saturday"

"There were 13 open houses in [your city] this weekend alone"

"Open house season is officially here and buyers are showing up"

The stat doesn't have to be your own numbers. Market-level data works just as well. What matters is that it's specific and real.

Then add a poll with this question:

HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT HITTING UP AN OPEN HOUSE?

Four options:

1. "Yep, ready to house hunt"
2. "Yep, starting to think about it"
3. "Nah, but I have a question for you"
4. "I need to sell first..."

Every single response is a conversation starter. The first two are buyers at different stages of readiness. The third is an open invitation to your DMs. And the fourth? That's a listing lead hiding behind a button tap.

Reply to every person who responds. Every one. That's where the real conversations start.

What Do You Put in the Email?

Keep it short. This is plain text. No graphics, no headers, no design. Just you writing to one person.

Here's the structure:

Subject line: Have you thought about this?

Hey [first name],

Spring is in full swing and with Memorial Day right around the corner, I've been having a lot of conversations with people who are starting to think about buying.

Something I keep hearing is that going to an open house is usually the first step. Just getting out there, getting a feel for what's available, seeing what you actually like in person.

I'm curious: have you thought about hitting up an open house anytime soon?

If you have, just reply and let me know. I can send you a list each week of everything coming up in your area. Or if you already know what you're looking for, tell me and I'll flag anything that looks like a match.

Talk soon, [Your name]

That's it. No pitch. No pressure. One question.

The subject line "Have you thought about this?" creates curiosity without telling them what they're about to read. It's one of the strongest subject line patterns for reply-based emails because it feels personal, not promotional.

Why Does This Two-Part System Work Better Than Just Hosting Open Houses?

A few reasons.

First, the Story poll removes all friction. Someone can raise their hand from their couch on a Saturday night without committing to anything. They tap a button. You get a signal. That's a conversation that would never have happened otherwise.

Second, the email catches everyone who missed the Story. Algorithms are unpredictable. Not everyone in your database follows you on Instagram. The email is a second swing at the same audience through a channel you actually own.

Third, the two parts compound. Someone might see your Story and not respond, then get the email and reply. Or they tap the poll and then the email reinforces that you're the right person to call. You're touching the same people twice in one weekend without being annoying about it, because each piece of content feels like it's coming from a different place.

And that fourth poll option is worth talking about specifically.

"I need to sell first" is something a lot of people feel but never say out loud. They don't want to raise their hand as a seller without knowing what their next move is. You gave them a button. That one tap can turn into a listing conversation that never would have happened any other way.

When Is the Best Time to Run This Play?

Right now.

Spring buying season is in full swing. Memorial Day weekend is one of the highest-traffic weekends of the year for open house traffic. People are making decisions about moves they want to make before school starts or summer ends.

The timing right now is about as good as it gets for this specific play.

That said, this isn't a one-time play. Any weekend with open house activity in your market is a reason to run it. That's basically every weekend from March through October in most markets.

Do You Need to Host an Open House to Run This?

No. That's one of the most useful things about this play.

If you have your own listing with an open house, great. Use your own numbers. "48 people through our open house in Heritage on Saturday" is a strong hook.

But if you don't have a listing this weekend, just pull market data. Count how many open houses are scheduled in your area. Use that number. It's still real, it's still specific, and it positions you as the agent who's paying attention to the market, not just your own inventory.

What Should You Do With the Poll Responses?

Reply to everyone who taps. Immediately, if you can. Within 24 hours at the latest.

Your replies don't need to be long. Match the energy of the tap they gave you.

"Yep, ready to house hunt" gets a reply like: "Let's go! Want me to put together a list of everything open this weekend in [neighborhood]?"

"Starting to think about it" gets something like: "Makes sense. Where are you in the process? Have you talked to a lender yet or are you still in the early stages?"

"I have a question for you" gets: "Go for it. What's on your mind?"

"I need to sell first" gets: "That makes sense. A lot of people are in the same spot. Have you gotten a sense of what your home might be worth in this market? Happy to pull some numbers for you."

None of these are pitches. They're just the next natural thing to say. The goal is a conversation, not a close.

The Quick Win

Post the Story this weekend. If you have an open house, use your own numbers. If you don't, count how many are scheduled in your market and use that.

Then write the email and send it today or tomorrow while open house season is top of mind.

Fifteen minutes. Two platforms. One play.

Frequently Asked Questions

What if I don't have an open house this weekend? You don't need one. Pull the number of open houses scheduled in your market from Zillow, Realtor.com, or your MLS and use that as your stat. "There are 21 open houses happening in [City] this weekend" is a legitimate hook that still positions you as an agent who's dialed in.

What if nobody responds to my Story poll? A few things to look at. First, is your Story audience engaged at all, or do you rarely post Stories? If people aren't trained to interact with your content, response rates will be low. Start posting Stories more consistently. The poll mechanic works best when your audience is already used to seeing you there. Second, make sure you're showing your face. Stories with a photo of the agent consistently outperform Stories that are just text or house photos.

How often can I run this play? Every weekend there's open house activity in your market. The poll and the email both have different hooks you can use, so you're not sending the same message twice. Rotate the stats, rotate the framing, keep the structure the same.

Can I run this on Facebook instead of Instagram? Yes. Facebook has poll functionality in Stories as well. You can also post a version of this as a regular Facebook post with a question and ask people to comment their answer. The email is the same either way. The channel for part one is flexible. What matters is that you run both parts in the same weekend.

What's the best time to post the Story? Saturday morning or early afternoon performs best for open house content. People are in "weekend mode," thinking about what's happening in their market. Evening is a solid second option. Avoid posting late at night when it's likely to get buried before your audience wakes up.

One More Thing

If you want a full system for generating consistent leads through Instagram, email, and Stories without cold calling, the Social Media Leads Playbook covers exactly that. It's $99 and walks you through the exact plays I used to build a $20M real estate business working three to five days a week.

You can grab it at https://www.itswilldraper.com/playbook-course

And every Monday I send one play like this to my email list. Comment WEEKLY on any of my Instagram posts and I'll get you added.