Blog · By Bradley Smith, TouchTempo · October 31, 2026

How to follow up with Zillow leads: a simple day-by-day plan

A Zillow lead often reaches out to more than one agent. The one who follows up quickly, keeps following up, and sounds like a real person is the one who gets the showing. Here is a simple plan you can run every time, without having to remember who is next.

Before you start: three ground rules

Speed first. Reply to a brand-new lead as fast as you can, ideally while they are still looking at the home they asked about.
Mix your channels. Call, text and email. Some people never answer the phone but reply to a text within minutes.
Every lead gets a next date. The plan only works if each lead always has a "next follow-up" on your calendar or in your CRM. That is where most follow-up falls apart.

Keep accepting the lead and updating its status in the Zillow Premier Agent app as usual. The plan below is about what you say and when.

The day-by-day plan

Day 0: the moment the lead comes in

Call first. If they don’t pick up, leave a short voicemail and send a text right away, then a short email so they have your contact details in writing.

Text: "Hi Jordan, it’s Sam with Main Street Realty. I saw you asked about 123 Oak St. Would you like to see it this week? I have time Thursday after 5."

Email subject: "123 Oak St: your showing options"

Day 1: second try

Call again at a different time of day than yesterday. If there is no answer, send one more text with a simple question that is easy to answer.

Text: "Hi Jordan, quick question so I can help: are you mostly looking in this neighborhood, or open to nearby areas too?"

Day 3: be useful

Send an email with something they can use: two or three similar homes, or what you noticed about the one they asked about. No pressure, just help.

Email subject: "3 homes like 123 Oak St"

Day 7: friendly check-in

A short text. If they have gone quiet, give them an easy way to tell you where they stand.

Text: "Hi Jordan, are you still looking, or did you find a place? Either way is fine, I just don’t want to bother you if the timing isn’t right."

Day 14: new listings

Email any new listings that match what they told you, or a short note on what is happening in the area they like.

Day 30: call

Pick up the phone once more. Timelines change, and a lead who was "just looking" last month may be ready now.

After day 30: stay in touch monthly

Move them to a monthly touch: a new listing, a quick market note, or a simple "thinking of you" text. When they are ready, you are the agent they remember.

When they reply

Stop the plan and have a real conversation. Write down what they want, like area, beds, budget, timeline and must-haves, and set the next follow-up date before you hang up. If someone asks you to stop, stop, and mark them so nobody on your team contacts them again.

How to make this automatic

The hard part isn't writing the messages. It's remembering, every single day, who is due. That's what TouchTempo does. It's a simple real estate CRM in Google Sheets: bring in your Zillow leads, and each one gets a follow-up cadence, ready-to-send texts and emails, and a spot on your Today list when it's due. Log a touch and the next date sets itself.

Want help with the writing too? The optional AI follow-up assistant writes your follow-ups each morning. You review them and click send, and nothing goes out without your OK.

See it in action

Watch the narrated demo (about 8 minutes, no sign-up) to see Zillow leads go from new to followed-up in one sheet.

Watch the demo See pricing

Questions? Book a call with Bradley (5–8 PM ET).