Email is routinely the highest-ROI channel our clients run — because it’s the only audience no algorithm can take away. These five plays grow the list and then turn it into bookings, on repeat.
5 plays in this playbookField-tested with real VRM brandsFree. No email gate
Stop renting your audience from the OTAs. Every guest email you don’t capture is a future booking you’ll pay Airbnb 15.5% to win back. List growth isn’t a side project — it’s the direct-booking strategy.
The BuildUp POV
Two plays here grow the list (the fixed-dollar popup and in-stay WiFi capture), and three turn it into revenue (abandoned-booking rescue, the lifecycle triggers that beat newsletters, and a cadence that protects deliverability instead of burning the list). If you only have bandwidth for one thing this month: authenticate your sending domain (step one of Play 15 — an afternoon), then get the capture plays live. Everything else compounds from list size.
For Vacation Rental Managers Paying Too Much To The OTAs:
Stop Handing Airbnb 15.5% Of Every Booking
The OTA Escape Plan — 125 prioritized marketing moves, channel by channel, for managers building a direct booking engine. Every item rated High, Medium or Low priority, so you know exactly where to start.