How The Modern House elevates direct mail with stylish storytelling

Estate agency The Modern House represents some of the most exceptional, design-led homes across the UK. But what really sets them apart from other estate agencies is their editorial approach to selling houses, which focuses on the human stories behind the sales listings. Since 2020, The Modern House has used our mini newspapers to share some of these stylish stories in an accessible format.

Their challenge

With their business so tied to people’s physical addresses, direct mail is an important marketing tool for The Modern House. They wanted to engage their audience through print but didn’t want it to feel like “the typical glossy flyers sent by estate agents," says The Modern House's managing director Emma Mansell.

"Our rule when it comes to print is not to produce anything immediately disposable. Everything is designed with longevity in mind."

What they did

Working with design agency StudioSmall, they created  Times M H — a free quarterly publication printed on our traditional minis. "Most estate agency’s printed marketing is very sales-focused and commercial," says Emma. In contrast, the familiarity of newsprint suits The Modern House’s “soft sell” storytelling approach.

While the newspaper is relatively quick and affordable to produce (compared to The Modern's House more luxe magazine) the result is still a “beautiful and meaningful” publication that clients want to hold onto.

“Our rule when it comes to print is not to produce anything immediately disposable, so everything is designed with longevity in mind,” says Emma. “This is a sustainability consideration, but it’s also something we’ve proven works to extend the conversion period of our marketing materials and maximize their returns.”

The results

“Our audience loves receiving our newspaper and our appraisals team often find it sitting pride of place on coffee tables when they go to meetings!” says Emma. Through the newspaper, they’ve been able to engage with prospective clients offline “through a tangible, beautiful publication that people are proud to have in their homes.”

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