Prepared for Jason Matthews

The Marketing System Behind Scaling Short Term Rentals

A complete paid acquisition strategy, VSL funnel, ad scripts, and email sequence built specifically for your course and your story.

3Websites Audited
4Deliverables Built
3Ad Scripts Written
5Emails Written
12+Competitors Analyzed

Why I Built This for You

Jason, you have 25 years of real estate experience. You won Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year. You are building a 100-unit STR portfolio in Tampa. You develop luxury beachfront homes in Redington Beach.

And your $500 course lives on a basic Teachable page with no ads, no funnel, no VSL, and no email capture.

That gap between what you have built and how your education business shows up online is one of the widest I have seen. So I built the marketing system that closes it. Everything below is specific to Scaling Short Term Rentals. Nobody else can use it.

What We Built

4 deliverables built from 25+ hours of research into your business, your competitors, and your market.

Click each deliverable below to expand and read the full breakdown

Bottleneck Analysis + Paid Acquisition Strategy

Strategy +

Gap 1: Zero Paid Traffic Infrastructure

We checked all three of your websites. scalingshorttermrentals.com, assetme126.com, and jasonmatthewsfl.exprealty.com.

None of them have a Facebook pixel installed. No Meta tracking. No CAPI. No Hyros. No TripleWhale. The only analytics on your Teachable site are platform defaults (Google Analytics, Heap, Sift). Those are Teachable's tracking, not yours.

What this costs you: Every single course student you have found you through organic reach. Podcast appearances. Instagram. LinkedIn. Word of mouth. That is impressive. It also means you are leaving a massive revenue channel completely untouched. You are selling a $500 course with zero paid distribution behind it.

Gap 2: No Sales Funnel (Direct-to-Checkout)

Your course page has one call to action: "ENROLL TODAY." That button goes directly to Teachable checkout. No opt-in page. No lead magnet. No VSL. No email capture. No nurture sequence. Nothing between "I found this page" and "give me $500."

What this costs you: Cold traffic converts at 0.5-1% on a direct checkout page. A properly built VSL funnel converts at 2-5% for the same price point. That is a 4-10x difference in conversion rate from the same traffic.

Gap 3: Your Story Is Completely Untold

You were a top 60 basketball recruit. You turned down the NBA. You went to Wall Street. You survived 6 recessions. You won Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year. You are building a 100-unit portfolio.

A visitor to your Teachable page sees: "Hi, I'm Jason. I am a seasoned real estate executive with over 25 years of real estate experience." That is it.

What this costs you: The most compelling founder story in the STR education space is buried in a single paragraph. Your competitors have weaker stories and more students. That is not because they are better educators. It is because they tell their story and you do not.

Gap 4: No Email Capture or Nurture System

No email opt-in forms on any of your sites. No lead magnets. No free PDFs. No free video training. No newsletter signup. Every time you appear on a podcast, every time someone finds your Instagram, that person disappears if they do not buy immediately.

What this costs you: Only 3% of people who visit a page are ready to buy right now. The other 97% need time. An email sequence captures those 97% and brings a portion of them back over 30-90 days. Without it, you are losing 97 out of every 100 visitors permanently.

The Paid Acquisition Strategy

Why Meta (Facebook/Instagram): Your audience (aspiring STR investors, ages 25-55, interested in real estate investing, Airbnb hosting, passive income) lives on these platforms. Targeting is straightforward: interest-based (Airbnb, VRBO, short-term rental, real estate investing), lookalike audiences from your student list, and retargeting website visitors once the pixel is installed.

PhaseMonthly BudgetExpected ResultsTimeline
Testing$1,500/month5-8 ad variations, 50-100 leadsMonth 1-2
Optimization$3,000/monthScale winners, 100-200 leadsMonth 3-4
Scale$5,000-10,000/monthProven ads at scale, 200-500+ leadsMonth 5+

ROI Model (Conservative)

MetricConservativeModerate
Monthly ad spend$3,000$5,000
Cost per lead$15-30$15-30
Leads per month100-200167-333
VSL conversion rate2%3%
Course sales per month2-45-10
Monthly course revenue$1,000-2,000$2,500-5,000
Coaching upsell (20%)$400-800$997-1,994
Total monthly revenue$1,400-2,800$3,497-6,994

First Campaign Concept: "The 25-Year Shortcut"

Angle: Most STR courses are taught by people who started 3 years ago. Jason has 25 years of experience, survived 6 recessions, and is actively building a 100-unit portfolio. The course is the shortcut to everything he learned the hard way.

Target audience: People interested in Airbnb hosting who are overwhelmed by information. They have watched 50 YouTube videos but have not taken action because they do not trust the 24-year-old who just bought his first property telling them how to invest.

Landing flow: Ad (talking head) → Opt-in for free guide → Email sequence → VSL → Course checkout

VSL Script Outline + Funnel Map

Funnel +

The Funnel

Meta Ad Opt-In Page Thank You + VSL Email Sequence Course Checkout

The opt-in captures their email with a free guide: "5 Mistakes That Kill First-Time STR Investors." The thank you page autoplays the VSL. The email sequence nurtures over 10 days. The course checkout is the existing Teachable page.

VSL Script: 15-18 Minutes

Format: Talking head with B-roll of your Redington Beach properties.

Section 1: Hook (0:00 - 1:30)
"By the time I was 18, I was a top 60 basketball recruit in the country. I had NBA teams calling. And I said no."

"Instead, I went to Wall Street. Then I spent 25 years in real estate. I survived the dot-com crash, 9/11, the 2008 housing collapse, the oil bust, and COVID."

"And through all of it, I kept buying properties. Today, I am building a 100-unit short-term rental portfolio on the Gulf Coast of Florida."

"This video is for the person who wants to build wealth through short-term rentals but does not know where to start. Or the person who started but hit a wall and cannot figure out why."

Section 2: The Problem (1:30 - 4:00)
"There are thousands of YouTube videos about Airbnb. Most of them are from people who bought their first property 18 months ago. They do not know what happens when the market corrects. They have never managed through a recession. They have never dealt with a city changing its STR regulations overnight."

"I have been through all of it. Six times. And here is what I learned: the people who lose money in real estate are the ones who followed advice from someone who has never been tested."

"The strategies I teach are not theories. They are the exact systems I use to run my own STR portfolio. Every property I manage, every deal I underwrite, every team I build. It all comes from 25 years of doing this at every level."

Section 3: Your Story (4:00 - 7:00)

Walk through the journey. Keep it real.

  • Pittsburgh kid, basketball talent, top 60 recruit nationally
  • Turned down NBA to go to Wall Street (financial planning)
  • Realized real estate was the real path to wealth
  • Built a career across D.C., Pennsylvania, Texas, Florida
  • Won Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year
  • Won NMSDC Supplier of the Year
  • Serviced UPMC, United Airlines, PNC Bank
  • Survived 6 recessions (name each one)
  • Now building 100-unit STR portfolio in Tampa/St. Pete
  • Developing luxury beachfront homes through 16 Redington Builders

The story does the selling. You have more credibility in one paragraph than most STR educators have in their entire career.

Section 4: The Framework (7:00 - 12:00)

Preview the 3 core modules. Give enough to understand the system but not enough to do it without you.

Module 1: Identify Great Properties

"Most people pick a property because it looks nice on Zillow. I will show you how to use data tools to find locations that most hosts do not know about. The same tools I use to underwrite deals for my own portfolio."

Give one specific example from your experience. "In 2022, I found a property in [area] that every other investor passed on because [reason]. We acquired it, set it up as an STR, and it generated [specific result]."

Module 2: Create a Memorable Stay

"The difference between a 4-star review and a 5-star review is the difference between 60% occupancy and 90% occupancy. I will show you exactly how to design the guest experience. Not from a YouTube video. From managing actual properties across the Gulf Coast."

Module 3: Build a Scalable Team

"I do not manage my properties myself. I have a team. Merin Vacation Rentals handles the day-to-day operations while I focus on acquiring and developing. In the course, I teach you how to build that same infrastructure so you can step away from the mundane and focus on growth."

Section 5: Social Proof (12:00 - 14:00)

Use your own track record as proof. You are not selling theory. You are selling the system that built everything you have:

  • Number of properties in your portfolio
  • Revenue generated across properties
  • Awards (Ernst & Young, NMSDC)
  • Client logos (UPMC, United Airlines, PNC Bank)
  • Years of experience (25+)
  • Recessions survived (6)
Section 6: The Offer (14:00 - 16:00)
"The Scaling Short Term Rentals course is $500. One time. Lifetime access."

"That includes everything: all three modules, the data tools training, my guest experience framework, the team-building system. Plus monthly 1-on-1 coaching calls with me directly. Plus access to the private Facebook group where you can connect with other investors and ask questions."

"If you are serious about building an STR portfolio, this is the fastest way to get there. You can spend the next 2 years watching YouTube videos and making expensive mistakes. Or you can learn from someone who has 25 years of experience and is actively doing this at scale."

Section 7: CTA (16:00 - 18:00)
"Click the button below to enroll. You get instant access to everything."

"And if you are not sure yet, that is fine. Download the free guide first. '5 Mistakes That Kill First-Time STR Investors.' It is free. No strings attached. Start there and see if this approach makes sense for you."

3 Ad Scripts Ready to Film

Ad Creative +

Ad Script 1: "The Authority" (30-45 seconds)

Angle: You have more experience than anyone teaching this. Lead with that.

Hook (first 3 seconds)
"Most Airbnb coaches bought their first property 2 years ago. I have been in real estate for 25."
Body (15-25 seconds)
"I played college basketball at Pitt. Turned down the NBA. Went to Wall Street. Then spent 25 years building a real estate career across 6 states." "Today I am building a 100-unit short-term rental portfolio on the Gulf Coast of Florida. I develop luxury beachfront homes. And I teach other people how to do what I do."
CTA (5-10 seconds)
"I put everything into a course called Scaling Short Term Rentals. Link is below. $500. Lifetime access. Plus monthly coaching calls with me directly."

Production: Film at one of your Redington Beach properties. Natural light. Casual clothes. Walk and talk through the property while you deliver the script. Let the property be the proof.

Ad Script 2: "The NCAA Story" (45-60 seconds)

Angle: Your origin story is unlike anyone else in the STR space.

Hook (first 3 seconds)
"I was a top 60 basketball recruit in the country. I had NBA teams calling. And I said no."
Story (20-30 seconds)
"Instead of going pro, I went to Wall Street. Worked in financial planning. But I kept seeing the same thing over and over. The wealthiest clients I worked with all had one thing in common: real estate." "So I spent the next 25 years learning everything about it. I survived the dot-com crash, 9/11, 2008, COVID. All of it. I won Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year along the way." "Now I develop luxury beach homes and run a short-term rental portfolio in Florida."
Pivot (10-15 seconds)
"I took everything I learned in 25 years and put it into a single course. How to find the right properties. How to create stays that get 5-star reviews. How to build a team so it runs without you."
CTA (5 seconds)
"Scaling Short Term Rentals. Link is below."

Production: Sit-down interview style. Close crop. Direct to camera. Let the story carry it. No B-roll needed. The words are the content.

Ad Script 3: "The Overwhelm" (30-45 seconds)

Angle: Speak to the person who has consumed all the free content but still has not started.

Hook (first 3 seconds)
"You have watched every Airbnb video on YouTube. You still have not bought a property."
Problem (10-15 seconds)
"The problem is not motivation. The problem is that most of the people teaching this online started 18 months ago. They have never managed through a downturn. They have never dealt with a regulation change. They have never had to restructure a portfolio." "So you keep watching videos but never feel confident enough to start."
Solution (10-15 seconds)
"I have been doing this for 25 years. I manage short-term rentals right now. Not in theory. In actual buildings in Florida." "I put the whole system into a course. Finding properties. Setting up operations. Building teams. Everything."
CTA (5 seconds)
"Link is below. Stop watching. Start building."

Production: Film at your desk or home office. Casual, direct. This script is about empathy, not showing off properties. Calm, confident energy.

5-Email Welcome Sequence

Email +

Triggered when a prospect opts in for the free guide: "5 Mistakes That Kill First-Time STR Investors"

Want to walk through this together?

15 minutes. I will show you exactly how we would implement the funnel, the ads, and the email system for Scaling Short Term Rentals.

Book a 15-Minute Call or Reply to colin.d@crdmarketing.com