Real Estate Gets Unreal: Behind Zillow Gone Wild's Success

If you're in the real estate industry or are looking to buy or sell homes, chances are you've heard of Zillow. Zillow is a leading real estate marketplace changing how people connect with homes. 

Established in 2006, this American tech-based company provides a comprehensive platform to buy, sell, or rent properties, compare Zestimate® home values, find a real estate agent, and explore mortgage options.

Zillow is committed to reimagining real estate and uses technology to make it easier for people to find their dream homes. 

Have you ever browsed through the countless homes listed on Zillow and wondered why someone would paint a room Tangerine Orange? Or are you curious about the platform's most unusual and bizarre homes? Don’t fret—Samir Mezrahi has already done the legwork for you!

Samir Mezrahi, the innovative mind behind Zillow Gone Wild, a popular social media trend, is revolutionizing how we perceive, view, and purchase homes through Zillow. What started as a fun hobby has turned into a thriving business.

We had the pleasure of discussing the success of Zillow Gone Wild with Samir.

Realty Unleashed With Zillow Gone Wild

Zillow Gone Wild is, in essence, a social media account that features some of the most unique, bizarre, and awe-inspiring homes listed on Zillow. From spaceship-like homes in Sand Springs to the only Frank Lloyd Wright house in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Zillow Gone Wild brings a whole new perspective to the real estate market.

But it's not just the homes that are drawing attention. How Zillow Gone Wild presents these properties— with humor, wit, and irreverence— has struck a chord with audiences. It's a refreshing departure from the typically staid world of real estate, and people can't get enough.

“I show wild homes, usually in America. It could be in any city. It could be anywhere. And what’s “wild” ranges from castles to mansions with something like a hockey rink to a home where the first floor is a manicured golf course and everything in between,” commented Samir as he discussed Zillow Gone Wild with us.

Mastermind Behind the Madness

The man behind this wild ride is Samir Mezrahi, a Tulsa native known for spotting the extraordinary in the ordinary. Samir created Zillow Gone Wild from a simple love for exciting homes and a desire to share his finds with others. Little did he know his unique take on real estate would resonate with millions.

“It’s a lot of fun. I’ve been doing it for about two and a half years and am just starting things,” said Samir during our conversation with him. 

Samir's background is as diverse as the homes he features. From his early days in digital marketing to his time at BuzzFeed, Samir has always been at the forefront of internet culture. But his love for real estate led him to create Zillow Gone Wild.

Origins of Zillow Gone Wild

Samir has been working in the digital marketing landscape for over a decade and Zillow Gone Wild was originally a hobby that gained traction. “I’ve launched a bunch of random little email newsletters that I’ve run for very short periods and lost interest. Zillow Gone Wild was the first newsletter I cared about,” commented Samir.

Watching Zillow Gone Wild gain millions of followers across social media channels is thrilling, but nothing compares to reaching 168,000 newsletter subscribers. 

“I’ve been in social media for over ten years, and social platforms are scary. They’re always changing the algorithms and decreasing your reach, and it’s always a constant chase. But with the newsletter space, you can connect with your audience and it feels more safe, and I haven’t been in that space before. Zillow Gone Wild is making its own spot, and I’m super excited,” Samir remarked.

Converting social media followers into email subscribers can be a challenging task. However, it is a valuable asset once accomplished. 

Zillow Gone Wild started gaining subscribers through Facebook, where Samir noticed an increase in signups after a few months of being active on the platform. This realization helped Samir recognize the potential of converting social media followers into email subscribers. 

“I started to focus on that [subscribers on Facebook]. The project trajectory has been awesome. It’s my favorite audience. To get the newsletter's subscribers and to have that interest and to have that growth. It has been exciting.”

Why beehiiv?

Managing multiple social media platforms while scaling and growing your brand can be challenging. Social media is an excellent tool for sharing content, exchanging messages with clients, and learning about your target audiences. 

However, there is one tool that is often overlooked but remains integral to building a community. Emails.

Email marketing is still one of the most effective ways to promote your brand and drive engagement. Community newsletters are essential for keeping customers engaged and building a loyal base of followers.

“I started on Substack before coming to beehiiv. I was one guy doing Zillow Gone Wild, so my publishing frequency varied from every other week to every month or two. Now that I have shifted to beehiiv, I’m trying to monetize and grow aggressively. On beehiiv, it was first bi-weekly, but it seems like the audience is into weekly,” stated Samir.

beehiiv stands out from the competition with its unique features, making it a top choice in the digital landscape. The platform has an easy-to-use interface and a robust toolset that enables seamless collaboration and efficient project management for email campaign tools. 

Unlike other platforms, beehiiv provides real-time tracking, comprehensive analytics, and a customizable workspace. Its intuitive design ensures effortless navigation, while its advanced capabilities cater to the needs of diverse teams. beehiiv is a reliable and efficient solution for scaling email marketing campaigns.

Samir continued, “I wanted to focus more on the biggest possible scale, at least for now. I was thinking of ways and tools to help me scale. I’m not a blogger or in a specific niche that people may pay me for my writing. It’s more I’m trying to reach a larger audience.”

Criteria for Zillow Gone Wild

In the digital age, with consumers constantly flooded with emails, searching for ways to make your messages stand out is more important than ever. You must have captivating content and personalization to stand out as a newsletter.

So, how does Zillow Gone Wild choose homes to show?

All houses on Zillow Gone Wild must be new listings that are on Zillow. “I don’t show or rarely show homes that are off-market,” stated Samir.

The homes must be unique or offer something eye-catching—inside or outside. “[The] recurring theme is you never know what’s happening inside a home. Sometimes, the outside is normal, and then you scroll to picture three, and you’re like, oh, that’s why it’s here,” continued Samir.

“Maybe the whole home has a theme. Also, there are a lot of homes that are castles. I didn’t know how many people had castles in America until I started this account. There are so many. They range from $100,000 (someone just did ornate battlements) to $40 million.”

Samir adjusts his content based on what the consumers are sending in. Frank Lloyd Wright-style homes are also popular with consumers. Many people enjoy the mid-century modern with original furniture. 

“Thankfully, I think I’m the largest property space niche doing this type of content. I’m at the top of the minds of consumers. Many of these postings are coming through my inbox to see what people have found. People are really on top of their local markets,” said Samir.

The support of his subscribers and followers through emails and messages has helped him create fresh, captivating content for his platform.

Monetization With Zillow Gone Wild

There are numerous ways to generate income online, but can email newsletters be one of them?

Absolutely!

If you enjoy writing newsletters, you can monetize your skills in many ways. In today's content-driven world, email newsletters have become increasingly popular. 

You can leverage this trend to supplement your income as a side hustle or even turn it into a million-dollar publishing business. So, if you have a passion for writing and want to make money, writing newsletters could be a lucrative opportunity.

We asked Samir about the business side of Zillow Gone Wild and his thoughts on monetizing his newsletter. 

“Since the newsletter aspect of Zillow Gone Wild just started, no real monetizing has been done. I am looking for ways to monetize. The idea of having an overall flagship sponsor or maybe listing sponsorships works. Maybe home brands. There is a lot of room and possibilities, and homeowners in America are a large audience,” commented Samir.

To grow, conducting research and engaging in continuous learning is vital. Just like any new endeavor, acquiring knowledge and skills is essential. “I am trying to learn the newsletter world and monetize in the space,” continued Samir. “Currently, most monetization has come from brand partnerships like Hulu, Netflix, The Bachelor, and Bud Light Seltzer.”

Kale Salad

Samir has been running his Kale Salad meme account on Instagram for years, and switching to a new platform like email newsletters has provided him with valuable learning experiences.

Kale Salad is different from your ordinary Instagram account. With a following in the millions, this account has been dubbed 'the king of wholesome memes.' 

The main account (@kalesalad) shares a unique blend of humor, whimsy, and relatability that has attracted a massive audience. A spin-off dedicated to animals (@kalesaladanimals) has stolen the hearts of over half a million followers with adorable and hilarious animal content. 

From the main account's light-hearted fun to its animal-centric counterpart's warm fuzzies, Kale Salad delivers daily delight on Instagram.

“Email newsletters are not my expertise,” mentions Samir, “but [I’m] just trying to understand it more through beehiiv and seeing what possibilities are out there.”

Scaling Zillow Gone Wild

Zillow Gone Wild's popularity has not gone unnoticed. The platform is set to leap social media to a "property event series" on HGTV in 2024. This presents a promising opportunity for Samir and Zillow Gone Wild to monetize their content and redefine the real estate viewing experience.

Real-Time Travel

Samir was asked if he had ever visited these unique or intriguing properties since he is one of the few content creators in this niche.

“I’ve been to one in New Jersey,” Samir mentioned, chuckling. “That’s something I am trying to do more of. Go out and visit some of these places. The one in New Jersey was cool. It was designed like a Japanese mid-century modern, by the same architect of the MoMa.”

There are many unique homes in the Midwest, especially in pockets around cities.

“I’ve thought about doing something for the subscription folks, where you help support my trips to these cool homes, see them in real-time, and get a more in-depth feel of the property. This would ideally be Phase 2 or 3.”

Landing Pages

An essential element of the Zillow Gone Wild newsletter's success is the ability to create and optimize landing pages for their content.

“Many platforms, like Substack, lack depths with landing page optimization. I think having this is super important. I would get many people to see the landing page, but they aren’t opting in. I like how beehiiv integrates with Card,” continued Samir.

beehiiv has emerged as a powerful platform for optimizing landing pages, particularly in conjunction with Card. The integration enables users to create highly customized landing pages that capture attention and build trustworthiness. 

The partnership allows for creating bespoke landing pages and offers a complete customization suite, enabling users to add, remove, or edit features associated with each plan. It's all about providing a consistent branded experience that boosts conversions and builds customer loyalty.

From a single landing page to complex campaigns, beehiiv's integration with Card is designed to optimize reader engagement and growth. Whether you're looking to boost email signups or create an effective upgrade page, this integration offers the tools and guidance needed.

Samir also mentioned, “I finally had time to make a new landing page and play with text. I would edit all day the first week or two to see if I could get a feel of people signing up. At first, 5,000 a month, and now it’s between 10,000 to 15,000 per month. With open rates of 40% to 50% and 5.5% click-through rates.”

Favorite Feature of beehiiv

After using beehiiv for some time, we asked Samir about his favorite feature.

Samir responded, “I mean, so far, the boosts. We made a lot from them. It seems so compelling to be able to, like passively suggest, build a network of people within itself. It’s a fun and creative way to help people grow and get a little kickback for suggesting a newsletter. I think as the network grows, it will be more lucrative.”

Future of Zillow Gone Wild

With its move to HGTV, Zillow Gone Wild is poised to take the real estate world by storm. But Samir isn't stopping there. He envisions a future where Zillow Gone Wild becomes more than just a social media account or TV show.

Samir envisions Zillow Gone Wild becoming a platform where people can explore unique homes, get inspired, and even buy or sell their properties."

“I’m so into growth and just making the content better and increasing engagement,” said Samir. “As I said earlier, social platforms make me a bit nervous and not as reliable as email, and just thinking this direct-to-audience communication, is my favorite and hoping for more of it.”

Zillow Gone Wild is much more than a passing trend. With Samir at the helm, this wild ride is just getting started. So, buckle up because real estate is about to get wild.

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