Inboxes are crowded. Renters are juggling promotions, renewals, and community updates. If our email isn’t immediately useful, it’s gone.
Here’s exactly how experts run apartment email marketing so it drives tours, leases, and renewals, without wasting your team’s time.
The 6 Core Types of Apartment Email Marketing
You don’t have to run every campaign type to see results, but knowing what’s possible helps you choose the right mix for your property size and budget.
1. Prospect Campaigns
Prospect campaigns are your big pushes to convert leads into tours and leases. Think “2-Bedrooms Available This Weekend” or “Limited-Time Special: $500 Off First Month.”
They’re straightforward and best used when you have new availability or a real promotion to share. Every community, no matter the size, should have these in their toolkit.
→ Example: A 60-unit boutique property emails a short list of floor plan links with a bold “Schedule My Tour” button.
2. Lead Nurture Drips
Instead of relying on one follow-up, nurture email campaigns automatically send a series of emails after someone inquires or tours.
This keeps you top-of-mind while the renter shops around. Drips work especially well for mid-to-large communities using CRMs like Yardi or Entrata.
→ Example Flow:
- Day 0: “Thanks for Touring” recap
- Day 3: FAQs about parking, pet policies, and amenities
- Day 7: Highlight availability + incentive
- Day 14: Final reminder with tour link
3. Personalized Agent Follow-Ups
Not every email needs to be polished. Sometimes the best conversion tool is a simple note that feels handwritten. If someone just toured, send a direct message with the exact floor plan you walked through.
Always send from a person (“Jess at Parkview”) instead of “Leasing Office”—open rates are higher and prospects are more likely to reply.
→ Example: “Hi Sam, thanks for stopping by today! Here’s the 2-bedroom we discussed. Let me know if you’d like me to hold a tour slot for this weekend.”
4. Resident Communications
Once someone signs a lease, the job isn’t done. Resident emails, like monthly newsletters, event invites, or maintenance updates, keep your community informed and engaged. For mid-to-large properties, this can be the difference between a smooth renewal season and a spike in turnover.
At Brindle, we handle every part of this for you—from designing branded email templates to writing engaging, resident-focused content—so you don’t have to. Get in touch to see how we can simplify your resident communication.
→ Example: A monthly newsletter with 3 short sections: “Upcoming Events,” “Office Hours,” and “Resident Perks.”
5. Renewal Campaigns
Start renewal conversations early with a structured email sequence. Send reminders at 120, 90, 60, and 30 days before lease expiration. Frame the benefits of staying (rent certainty, no moving costs) and include a clear renewal link.
Larger communities with automation tools can schedule this once and let it run in the background.
→ Example: Subject: “Renew in Minutes—Secure Your Rate Today”
6. Retargeting & Reputation Emails
Sometimes, leads stall out. Retargeting emails bring them back when a unit reopens or pricing shifts. And don’t forget reputation/referral campaigns—reminding happy residents to leave reviews or refer friends can fill units with little effort.
→ Example: “We noticed you looked at our 1-bedroom floor plan—good news, it’s available again this week. Want to come see it?”
Choosing the Right Approach by Community Size
Not every apartment needs the same level of email marketing. Here’s how we typically break it down:
Small Communities (100 units or fewer)
If you’re a boutique property, you don’t need to overcomplicate things. A simple tool like Mailchimp or Constant Contact will do the job.
- What to send: Occasional prospect blasts (when you actually have new availability or a special), 1:1 follow-ups from your leasing team, basic resident updates, and renewal reminders at 90/60/30 days.
- How often: Aim for one resident newsletter a month, plus operational notices as needed. Prospect blasts should only go out if there’s a real reason.
- Why this works: Keeps your property visible without overwhelming your small staff.
Mid-Size Communities (100–300 units)
At this size, you need more structure. A CRM like Yardi, Entrata, or AppFolio helps automate follow-ups and segment your audience.
- What to send: Everything a small community does, plus automated nurture campaigns for prospects, structured renewal sequences, and some basic retargeting emails.
- How often: 1–2 resident emails per month, nurture drips running automatically in the background, and a quarterly availability push to your prospect list.
- Why this works: Automation saves your leasing team time, and segmentation helps make sure renters are only getting relevant information.
Large Communities (300+ units or multi-property portfolios)
Big properties (and property management companies) need an advanced system. At this level, you can build fully automated campaigns and measure performance at scale.
- What to send: Full lifecycle campaigns—prospect drips, resident newsletters, renewal automation, retargeting, and segmented blasts based on unit type, lease timing, or renter preferences.
- How often: Follow a calendar so campaigns don’t overlap. A/B test subject lines or CTAs every send. Review deliverability quarterly.
- Why this works: With a larger database, even small improvements in opens and clicks translate into big gains in tours and signed leases.
How Often Should You Send? (Cadence You Can Copy)
- New leads: An instant confirmation, then a series of follow-ups at 1, 3, 7, and 14 days.
- Prospect blasts: Only when you have true availability or promotions, don’t email for the sake of emailing.
- Residents: Once a month for newsletters, plus targeted event invites or operational updates as needed.
- Renewals: A structured sequence at 120, 90, 60, and 30 days out.
- Retargeting: 1–2 emails a month, max. Keep these focused on value, like updated availability or floor plans coming back online.
Segmentation (Keep It Simple)
If you’re just starting out, don’t worry about building dozens of micro-lists. A few key groups go a long way:
- Prospects: People who haven’t signed yet.
- Residents: Current renters.
- Renewal candidates: Residents with leases expiring in the next few months.
- By interest: Segment based on floor plan preferences, pet ownership, or parking needs.
- By behavior: Did they open without clicking? Book a tour but no-show? Start an application but never finish?
Even basic segmentation like this boosts open and click rates, because people only see content that’s relevant to them.
What Makes Emails Convert (Our Updated Checklist)
The design details matter more than people think. Here’s what we always check before hitting “send”:
- Subject line & preheader: Under 50 characters for subject lines, 30–80 for preheaders. Don’t repeat; use the preheader as your second hook.
- One obvious CTA: Put your main button at the top, repeat it once at the bottom. Always use action language (“Schedule My Tour”), never “Click Here.”
- Mobile-first layout: One-column, short paragraphs, large buttons. Test in Gmail, Outlook, and Apple Mail.
- Fonts, buttons, spacing: Body text 16–18px, headlines 24px+, buttons 44×44px, 40px padding for white space.
- Images & accessibility: Never hide text in images. Always include alt text. If overlaying text, keep headlines at least 42px for mobile.
- Footer: Add socials, office info, referral programs, and unsubscribe details.
- Proofing: Broken links or typos kill trust; always test your email before sending.
Compliance, Deliverability & Tracking (The Stuff Most People Miss)
- Fair Housing: No “ideal for young professionals” language. Keep offers consistent and compliant.
- From-name: Use a person (“Sarah at The Junction”) instead of “Leasing Office.” It improves open rates.
- Authentication: Make sure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are set up; this protects your domain and keeps you out of spam.
- Tracking: Add UTM codes to every link so you can measure what drives tours and applications.
- Metrics that matter: Open rate, click-through rate, replies, booked tours, started applications, and renewals signed. Optimize for real business outcomes, not vanity metrics.
Real Examples (Copy These)
Prospect blast:
Subject: “2-Bedrooms Released Today—Tour This Week”
Preheader: “Lock in current pricing before Sunday.”
Post-tour follow-up:
Subject: “Good seeing you—links we discussed”
Body: Personalized recap + links to the exact floor plan, pricing, and application page.
Resident newsletter:
Header: “This Month at [Property Name]”
Sections: Events, upgrades, reminders → Final CTA: Renew My Lease
Renewal reminder (90 days out):
Subject: “Keep your place—renew online in minutes”
Body: List benefits of renewing + direct link to renewal portal.
Retargeting (win-back):
Subject: “Heads up: Your floor plan is available again”
Preheader: “Tour Wednesday–Saturday, pricing holds until Sunday.”
Your Pre-Send Checklist (Print This Out)
Before sending your apartment marketing email, always check:
☐ Subject line under 50 characters
☐ Preheader 30–80 characters, not a repeat
☐ One primary CTA above the fold, repeat at bottom
☐ Single-column layout
☐ Body 16–18px, headlines 24px+
☐ Buttons 44×44px, clear labels
☐ At least 40px padding
☐ Live text (no text-only images)
☐ Alt text on all images
☐ Test every link
☐ Unsubscribe + address present
☐ From-name = human
☐ Reply-to monitored
☐ Mobile pinch test
☐ Gmail/Outlook/Apple render test
☐ UTMs on all links
☐ Correct segment selected
☐ Proofread by another person
☐ Schedule at tested time
☐Sanity check before launch
What to Do Next
If you’re just getting started, don’t overthink it.
- Map out the renter journey: lead → tour → application → resident → renewal.
- Build two email templates: one for prospects, one for residents.
- Start with simple sends (monthly resident newsletter + real specials).
- Add automation once you have the basics in place.
- Run one small test with every send, and use results to keep improving.
That’s it! You don’t need to master every tactic today. Just keep your emails clear, timely, and valuable, and you’ll see the results in more tours, more leases, and more renewals.
Level Up Your Apartment Email Marketing
Have questions about apartment email marketing? Our multifamily marketing team works with communities of every size to build strategies that actually drive tours, leases, and renewals. If you’re ready to take the guesswork out of your emails, we’re here to help — and if you’re planning your next marketing campaign, check out our Apartment Marketing Budget Guide for insights on where to invest for the best results.
