Why engaging copy could be your cheapest marketing investment

'Every enquiry costs your vendor about $1,800. So the question is: are you spending their money wisely or wasting it?'
– Karen Hutton, Copy Soup

When REA dropped its latest figures, one number stopped me cold. Houses for sale nationally averaged 41 enquiries. Units came in at 40. On paper, that looks healthy. But when you break down the economics, it’s downright alarming.

A vendor selling a $2 million home typically spends around $73,000. About $8,000 of that goes into marketing: photos, floorplans, portals, signboards. The rest is commission and legal fees. Divide the full spend by 41 enquiries and you discover a sobering truth: each enquiry costs the vendor nearly $1,800.

And here’s the kicker: if every enquiry is a $1,800 investment, then agents carry a professional responsibility to ensure every word in the campaign, especially the copy, pulls its weight.

Do buyers read the copy? Absolutely.

Many agents will tell you, 'buyers don’t read.' What they mean is: buyers do not read boring.

Think about it. You’re scrolling late at night. One listing opens with: 'This stunning four-bedroom home ticks all the boxes.' Next.

Then you hit another: 'Morning light spills across your travertine island bench. Marmalade on toast, coffee steaming in your favourite mug, the kids crunching on their muesli. This is where breakfast feels more like a weekend ritual than a weekday rush.'

Your buyer stops. They feel. Imagine. They enquire.

'That’s the pause point. That is where words transform a browser into a buyer.'
– Karen Hutton

The economics of length

Here’s the dirty secret: word count is money.

Too short and you strip away the emotional glue. Too long and you lose them. My sweet spot? Around 250 words.

'At 250 words you have room to hook with a lifestyle moment, layer in five or six buyer-critical details, and land a call to action, all without boring them back to the scroll.'
– Karen Hutton

Copy length is not a stylistic whim. It’s hard economics. If each enquiry is worth $1,800, then every word needs to earn its place.

Storytelling is not fluff, it is ROI

Agents dismiss storytelling as 'fluff.' The data disagrees:

• Listings with narrative elements see ~20% higher buyer engagement (Stevens-Tate Marketing)
  
• Emotional descriptions can increase perceived value by 5–11% (Studeo)
  

Run the maths. 41 enquiries become 50. Cost per enquiry drops from $1,780 to $1,460. That’s a $15,000 swing in engagement value.

'One extra buyer can change everything: competition, leverage, premium price. That’s not fluff. That’s your job.' – Karen Hutton

The weight of responsibility

Vendors pay the $73,000. But it’s agents who carry the responsibility. Weak descriptions are not harmless; they’re a breach of trust.

'Vendors entrust you with their largest asset. Lifeless copy is more than lazy; it’s letting them down.'
– Karen Hutton

The engagement equation

Let’s play it out:

• Campaign: $73,000
  
• Enquiries: 41
  
• Cost per enquiry: $1,780
  

Improve the copy. Lift enquiries by 20%. Now you have 50+. Cost per enquiry falls to $1,460. Engagement value rises by nearly $15,000.

Proof in the real world

I reviewed two almost identical homes, same suburb, same week. Both four-bedroom family houses on 600m² blocks at ~$1.2m.

• Listing A leaned on clichés: 'stunning family home,' 'ticks all the boxes.' Result: 23 enquiries.
  
• Listing B told a story: school runs, weekends by the pool, a kitchen for gatherings. Result: 54 enquiries.
  

Same buyer pool. Almost double the results. That’s an extra $55,180 in engagement value, created out of words.

The final word

If every enquiry is a $1,780 investment, then copy is the cheapest lever you can pull to protect your vendor’s spend and prove your worth.

'Engaging descriptions are not optional. They’re the difference between delivering value or burning it.'
– Karen Hutton

So ask yourself, before you launch your next campaign: is your copy earning its keep?

Author

Karen Hutton

I blend storytelling with design-led detail, turning homes into must-sees, and agents into marketing standouts.