How The Blueprint Scaled Past 15,000 Subscribers

Joining us this week for our Creator Spotlight is Ben Teller from The Blueprint, a newsletter that keeps you up-to-date on the world of residential real estate. Read on to learn about the strategy that generated 15,000 subscribers in less than 10 months, starting from zero.

The approach is a refreshing take that explores the long-game. Compounding benefits of great content, happy readers, and an engaged audience.

Let’s get into it.

Q: Well, thanks so much for taking the time for your spotlight. First question: what motivated you to start a newsletter?

Ben: I was put in touch with two successful real estate agents, James Harris and David Parnes, who were coming off of a stint on TV and looking for a new media opportunity. After the pandemic, everything shifted with news and the creator economy. I thought it would be really fun to give it a go.

When I was thinking about what the real estate media company’s thesis would be, I knew it had to resonate with James & David. Fifteen years ago, when the guys came here from London to Los Angeles, they knew they wanted to be successful in real estate. They kept mentioning how they didn’t have anybody telling them what to do. They said they wish someone gave them the blueprint to making it in the industry. And that’s how this newsletter was born. We realized we could share all the lessons and learnings that James & David wished they had when they first got started.

Through a friend, I was put in touch with people at Morning Brew who knew Tyler. I eventually landed on a vision of a creator-led real estate media company, starting off with a real estate newsletter based on a similar model to Morning Brew. Then Tyler and I connected, and made beehiiv the clear choice.

Q: How was it at first? Did you have any challenges getting started?

Ben: I knew nothing about newsletters when I started–just that I liked to consume them. I had a background in viral content for social media creators, and knew how to get a lot of content in front of people's eyes. I sort of based it on a similar concept to Morning Brew with my own background, and it became a fun challenge.

Q: So the content part seemed easier based on your background, and that helped you get started?

Ben: Actually, not quite. I didn’t have the content down either, in the beginning. I didn't even know how I was going to make the newsletter. I didn't know what people in real estate wanted to read. I didn't know anything. But after speaking to a handful of real estate agents, I quickly learned that people were not able to get real estate information in an easy or accessible way.

I knew that real estate information was hard to get. So, by identifying the information fragmentation in the industry, and then consolidating it into a newsletter, it started to come together. I then came up with the format and tested it for a few months. This helped me develop an understanding of how newsletters worked.

People loved them, and we built the team. From there we got to work and focused on distribution.

Q: Would you say that was the core of your content strategy? Is there any more on your content strategy that you can share with us?

Ben: For me, the content strategy was based on what information was the most applicable to a real estate agent in their day-to-day life. What would help them get out there and feel more empowered to crush their day? There were so many options. Do we go city by city? Do we focus on the luxury space? We decided that the best move was to stay as macro as possible, but make all the stories feel applicable to your day-to-day. Trends are crucial in real estate, and as an agent, being the one with a wealth of information in your circle is one of the strongest advantages you can have to generating business...