Turn Followers Into Investors: Email, Webinars, Deal Page

To turn followers into real estate investors, teach in public, build an investor list, host a live call about the deal and send everyone to one deal page with full terms. Marketing a live deal this way is general solicitation, so it needs Rule 506(c), where every investor is accredited and verified.

If you are the sponsor of an apartment deal, we built DoorRaise with a deal page that includes live call sign-up, so followers can register without an account. This post is part of our creator series, which starts with how creators raise money from followers for real estate and sits under our guide to real estate syndication. Rules are as of October 2026.

What are the stages of the funnel?

The funnel has six stages, and each has its own compliance guardrail. The first stage is the only one that is not about a specific offering.

Stage	What you do	Compliance guardrail
Educate	Videos, posts and a newsletter on how syndications work	Teach, but do not tease a live deal's terms unless you are on 506(c)
Build a list	An investor interest list with an accredited-only notice	Say clearly who the deal is for
Live call	A webinar or Q&A about the deal	Public only under 506(c); use the same facts as the documents
Deal page	One link with terms, fees, risks and documents	Every viewer sees the same information
Verify	Each investor proves accredited status	Required before accepting money under 506(c)
Sign and fund	Subscription documents and escrow	Funds go to escrow, not to you

For the full picture of the exemption, see our guide to Rule 506(c) for content creators.

Why does a public webinar about a deal need 506(c)?

It needs 506(c) because a public webinar or email about a specific live offering is general solicitation, and Rule 506(b) prohibits that. Rule 502(c) bars general solicitation or general advertising, and it expressly includes seminars or meetings whose attendees were invited by general solicitation, with exceptions for 506(c) and Rule 504(b)(1).

The SEC's general solicitation page calls it a fact-specific question. It lists newspaper and magazine ads, unrestricted public websites, television and radio broadcasts and seminars as examples, and says the more people without a prior relationship that a message reaches through impersonal means, the more likely it counts. Our post on what general solicitation is goes deeper.

What does 506(c) require in return?

Under Rule 506(c), the issuer can broadly solicit and generally advertise, but all purchasers must be accredited and the issuer must take reasonable steps to verify that. The Form D is due within 15 days after the first sale.

Because 506(c) investors are all accredited, the Rule 502(b) information requirements for non-accredited purchasers do not apply. The antifraud rules still do, so what you say still has to be accurate and not misleading.

What if you are raising under 506(b)?

Then a public webinar about the live deal is off the table. Under 506(b), you can talk about the deal only with people you already have a pre-existing, substantive relationship with, meaning you have enough information to evaluate, and do evaluate, whether they are accredited, per the SEC page above.

Some sponsors run an invitation-only call for people they already know. That can be fine, but the invitation list must come from real relationships, not from a public sign-up. Read can followers invest under 506(b) before you try it.

Does Rule 148 cover your own webinar?

No. Rule 148 says a communication at a seminar or meeting is not general solicitation only when more than one issuer participates and the event is sponsored by certain organizations, such as colleges, governments, nonprofits, angel groups, incubators or accelerators. The advertising cannot reference a specific offering, and information about the offering is limited to a few items.

A creator hosting a call about their own deal does not fit that description. Treat your webinar as general solicitation and plan to use 506(c).

How should the emails be written?

Emails should lead with facts, state who the deal is for and link to the deal page. They should read like a clear note from a sponsor, not a sales sequence.

Lead with the property and the plan, not hype.
State that the deal is for accredited investors only, and that you will verify.
Link to the deal page for terms, fees and risks.
Avoid false urgency. "Only three spots left" is a problem if it is not true.
Never promise returns in a subject line or body.
Disclose your role and how you are paid.

Subject lines: better and worse (illustrative)

Worse	Better	Why
"Earn 15% a year with me"	"A 48-unit building we are raising for: live call Thursday"	The first promises a result. The second states facts.
"Last chance, guaranteed returns"	"Deal page and documents are live"	Guarantees and fake deadlines invite antifraud problems.
"Don't miss out"	"Accredited investors: how verification works on this deal"	Pressure to skip reading is a red flag.

A sample email (illustrative template)

Use your own facts. The numbers and names below are placeholders.

Subject: Live call Thursday about a 48-unit apartment building

Hi [First name],

I'm raising equity to buy a 48-unit apartment building in [city]. This offering is open to accredited investors only, and we verify every investor before accepting funds.

The deal page has the terms, fees, risks and documents: [link]. Please read the risk section first.

I'm hosting a live call on [date] to walk through the plan and answer questions. You can register on the deal page.

I'm the sponsor and I'll be investing my own money in the deal. My compensation is on the fee card.

[Name]

The email has no return figure and no pressure. If you must mention numbers, put them on the deal page in context with the assumptions and risks.

How do you run a live call?

Run it in five steps and keep a recording. The recording protects you and your investors.

Start with who you are, your role and how you are paid.
Walk through the same facts as the deal page, in the same order.
Take questions and answer from the documents.
Make no individual promises or side agreements.
Record it and keep a copy with your offering records.

If someone asks for a guarantee, say you cannot give one and point to the risk section. Our post on what creators can say about a deal has examples of language to use and avoid.

What about DMs and comments?

Private messages and comments can become evidence of what you told investors. Move questions about terms to the deal page or the call, and do not send individualized return estimates.

In Pino v. Cardone Capital, the Ninth Circuit held in December 2022 that a person can solicit a purchase through mass communications such as social media posts and online videos.

That case involved Regulation A offerings, not Rule 506, but it shows why every public post about a live deal needs the same discipline as an email. See the opinion.

What should happen after the call?

Send the deal page link, the verification steps and a reminder of the deadline, and nothing more. Then do the work that follows: verification, subscription documents and escrow.

A simple follow-up cadence (illustrative) is:

Same day: thank people for attending, link the recording if you have approval from counsel to share it, and link the deal page.
Day 3: a reminder with the verification steps.
Day 7: a short note on questions that came up, with answers taken from the documents.

After closing, see investor updates for keeping people informed.

Our take

Our take: the best compliance control in a follower funnel is a single source of truth. If every email, post and call points to the same deal page, you cannot say one thing to one person and something else to another.

We also think creators should write the deal page first, and then write the emails. When the page is done, the messages become short links to facts, and the temptation to hype falls away.

Trade-offs and who this is not for

A public funnel gets you reach and costs you flexibility. It is not for every sponsor.

Not for 506(b) raises. A public webinar about a live deal is general solicitation, which 506(b) does not allow.
Not for non-accredited audiences. Under 506(c), you cannot take their money even if they ask. Our post on options for non-accredited followers covers the alternatives.
Not a replacement for documents. A good webinar does not substitute for attorney-reviewed offering documents.
Common mistake: promotional bonuses. Early-bird incentives can create disclosure and broker issues. Ask counsel first.
Common mistake: urgency you cannot back up. Fake scarcity is the fastest way to turn a good raise into a problem.

How DoorRaise fits in

DoorRaise helps sponsors raise equity for apartment buildings with 5+ units from people who already trust them, under Rule 506(b) or 506(c). We are software, legal document preparation, escrow coordination and verification services. We are not a law firm, broker-dealer, investment adviser, funding portal, bank or escrow agent, and we do not hold investor money: funds go to an independent escrow agent named on each deal.

A DoorRaise deal page gives you the single link this funnel needs, with live call sign-up on the page. The $500 setup fee covers the deal's LLC and registered agent, investor documents from attorney-approved templates, an escrow account in the deal's name, the deal page and accreditation checks on every investor. The $5,000 closing fee is paid from the funds raised and only if the deal closes. It covers attorney review of the offering documents, sponsor, purchase contract, title and loan checks, Form D filing and electronic signing, and the investor portal and document vault.

The $3,500 yearly fee, paid from the property's income, covers bookkeeping, the tax return and K-1s, payouts and investor updates. State filing fees are included in the $5,000 closing fee. We take 0% of the raise or profits, and we do not recommend, rank or endorse any offering.

Ready to raise? Create your free sponsor page or see pricing.

FAQ

Can I run a public webinar about my deal?

Yes under 506(c), as long as every investor is accredited and verified. Under 506(b), a public webinar about a live deal is general solicitation and is not allowed.

Should I record the call?

Yes, and keep it with your offering records. Ask your attorney before you share the recording publicly.

Can I offer a bonus for signing up early?

Talk to a securities attorney first. Incentives can create disclosure and broker issues.

What if someone asks me to guarantee a return?

Do not give one. Point to the offering documents and the risk disclosures, and tell them the deal can lose money.

Does the antifraud rule apply if all my investors are accredited?

Yes. Rule 10b-5 bars untrue statements of material fact and misleading omissions in connection with buying or selling a security, whatever the investor's status.

Can I just teach, and not mention the deal?

Teaching how syndications work is different from offering a specific deal, but the line is fact-specific. If your content starts to steer people toward a live offering, treat it as part of the offering and ask your attorney where to draw the line.

Sources

This article is general information, not legal, tax or investment advice. Talk to a securities attorney before you market an offering. DoorRaise is not a law firm, broker-dealer, investment adviser or funding portal.