🔥The Top 10 Email Topics That’ll Skyrocket Your Open Rates and Connect You With Your Community

Found Coffee owner, Australian/Canadian Leighton Walters kissing up to an Aussie icon in front of his Toronto Cafe

If you’re going to the effort of emailing your contacts each week, make sure you're giving yourself the best shot at getting those emails opened. That starts with a subject line that sparks curiosity, taps into their desire for gain, or plays on the fear of missing out.

I subscribe to a lot of real estate agent newsletters, and most of them are packed with listings, market updates, stats, and forecasts. That’s great—if I’m in the market to buy or sell. But like 95% of people, I'm not. So why would I click?

What I am interested in is what’s happening in my community.

That’s why our research team has put together 10 powerful email topics that go beyond just real estate—and are proven to give your open rates a serious boost.

1. 🛍️ Local Legends: Business Spotlight of the Month
Shine a light on your favourite café, barber, florist, or gym. People love discovering new local gems and business owners love being featured. It builds goodwill and keeps your name top of mind.

2. 🗓️ What’s On This Weekend?
A simple wrap-up of community events — markets, festivals, school fundraisers, outdoor movie nights — is pure gold. It’s an easy win that gives your readers something to look forward to every week. To help you out, here’s a custom ChatGPT you can use to get a list of local events. We have created the prompt for you. TYou will need to have a free ChatGPT account so log in there first, then click here

3. 🏫 The Area’s Most Popular Schools (And Why Parents Love Them)
Whether it’s the best music program, strong academic results or a reputation for nurturing teachers — parents want the inside scoop. Bonus points if you include quotes from local families or students.

4. 🏆 Street Smarts: The Most Expensive Street in Town
You don’t need to pitch or push a listing — just a quick story on where the prestige lives. Think price per square metre, notable homes, and what makes the street so sought-after.

5. 💸 Budget Buyers’ Heaven: The Least Expensive Street (With the Most Potential)
Flip the prestige and highlight a street with hidden value. This appeals to investors, first-home buyers, and bargain hunters — and positions you as someone who knows where the smart money is going.

6. 📈 Where Growth is Happening (and Why)
Pick 2–3 local streets or pockets showing big potential — maybe it's new cafes, rezoning, renos popping up, or a school zone shift. Give your take on where the next big jump might come from.

7. 🎨 Neighbourhood Vibe Check
Do a feature on a local suburb or pocket. Talk character, history, great walks, best coffee, public art, and what locals love about living there. Include a few photos if you can.

8. 🛠️ Seasonal Tips: What Locals Should Be Doing With Their Homes Right Now
From pre-winter roof checks to spring garden ideas, this is practical content that earns trust. Add a checklist and local tradie shout-outs to make it super helpful.

9. 🕰️ Did You Know? A Cool Piece of Local History
Every town has a cool or quirky backstory. Whether it’s an old railway station, a film that was shot there, or the original settlers’ pub, this kind of storytelling gets people talking and sharing.

10. 👋 Locals Doing Great Things
Celebrate people in your area who are giving back, starting movements, or doing something interesting — from the kid who built a community garden to the retiree running beach cleanups.

One more thing…

Don’t be afraid to ask your readers for their input. Run quick polls, get feedback on local faves, or invite people to nominate someone for your “Locals Doing Great Things” feature. When people feel involved, your newsletter becomes more than just another email — it becomes part of the community.

I love marketing, and I’m really big on using email to engage my contacts. If you’re like me, I think you’ll get a lot out of my latest book, Digital Major