The short answer
At ACE, we run this as one system. Homeowners earn a real gift card for watching a 60-second video about the roofer, then a bigger reward for booking an inspection. In our roofing campaigns, about 9% of homeowners who get the offer activate it. One homeowner booked an inspection 20 minutes after the mailer landed.
Why post-storm marketing stalls
Within days of a storm, every homeowner in the hail path gets the same pitch from a dozen roofers. Door hangers pile up. Yard signs go up. Mailers all say “free inspection.” To the homeowner, you look exactly like everyone else, including the storm chasers who’ll be gone in a month.
Three problems make it worse:
- Wrong houses. Broad mail and ads hit whole zip codes, not the streets that actually took hail.
- No way in. Many of the best neighborhoods have “No Soliciting” rules or gates, so door knockers can’t reach them.
- No reason to act now. “Free inspection” isn’t a reason anymore. Everyone offers it.
Step 1: Find the homeowners in the hail path
Start with who, not with the mailer. The goal is a list of homeowners on the streets that took damage, ideally ones already showing signs they’re looking for roof help.
- Map the storm. Use hail reports to outline the affected neighborhoods, street by street.
- Add intent signals. ACE Data finds homeowners in that area who are actively researching roof repair, insurance claims or contractors. We score them high, medium or low intent and drop the low ones.
- Clean the list. Before anything goes out, we scrub phones against Do Not Call lists and verify emails, so you only pay to reach real, reachable people.
- Add your own lists. Past customers and old leads in the storm zone often convert best of all.
Step 2: Reach them, even where you can’t knock
The offer goes out through whatever reaches each home best. Most campaigns mix channels:
- Direct mail. Each mailer carries a unique code or QR code tied to that address. Mail reaches every home in the zone, including the ones you can’t walk up to.
- No-soliciting neighborhoods and gated communities. This is where the approach shines. Your crews can’t knock there, but a mailer or a text gets in, and the homeowner chooses whether to engage. Some of our best results come from exactly these neighborhoods.
- Door knocking. When your rep knocks and nobody’s home, or the homeowner isn’t ready to talk, they leave a physical ACE card. The conversation keeps going after the rep walks away.
- Text and email. Sent to the cleaned list, from your own accounts, so the offer comes from your company’s name.
Always follow local soliciting ordinances and HOA rules. Mail and opt-in offers exist so you don’t have to bend them.
Step 3: Give them a reason to act now
Instead of another “free inspection” flyer, give the homeowner something real for one small step, then a bigger reward for the next one. A typical roofing ladder looks like this:
- Watch. The homeowner enters their code and watches a 60-second video about your company: who you are, how long you’ve been local, what an inspection involves.
- Earn. When they finish, a real gift card unlocks, for example $20 from Amazon or Starbucks.
- Book. A second, bigger reward unlocks when they book a roof inspection, for example another $30.
- Show up. The bonus is paid once the inspection actually happens, not just when it’s scheduled.
The video can’t be skipped, sound has to be on, and phone verification stops anyone from claiming twice. You pay only for actions that actually happen. If nobody acts, you pay no rewards.
One line we never cross: the reward is for watching and booking, never for filing an insurance claim, never tied to a deductible and never tied to whether the homeowner hires you. Many states regulate roofer incentives around insurance claims, so check your state’s rules with your attorney before launch.
Florida is different. Florida law (Fla. Stat. 489.147) bars roofing contractors from offering a gift card or anything of value in exchange for a roof inspection or an insurance claim. So in Florida, ACE campaigns reward only watching your video. The reward never depends on booking or completing an inspection. We review every campaign before launch, and you should confirm with your own attorney.
Step 4: Call fast, then follow up
A homeowner who just watched your video is the warmest lead you’ll get all week. Treat it that way.
- Call within minutes. We give your team a call script built for this moment: they already know your name and have just seen your story.
- Follow up automatically. People who watched but didn’t book get a text, an email or a retargeting ad reminding them the inspection reward is still waiting.
- Turn jobs into the next jobs. After the roof is done, a referral reward turns that customer into introductions on their street. Then ask for an honest Google review while they're happy with the new roof. Never attach a reward to the review; Google bans it.
What we’ve seen in real roofing campaigns
- About 9% activation. In a typical ACE roofing campaign, roughly 9 in 100 homeowners who receive the offer activate it. Across all our campaigns, engagement has ranged from about 5% to 28%. For comparison, direct mail response rates usually sit in the low single digits.
- 20 minutes to a booked inspection. In one direct mail campaign for a roofing company, a homeowner activated the offer and booked an inspection within 20 minutes of opening the mailer.
- Strongest where others can’t get in. No-soliciting neighborhoods and gated communities have been some of our best-performing areas, because the roofer’s offer isn’t competing with a dozen knockers.
These are results from past campaigns, not a promise for yours. Market, offer and follow-up speed all change the numbers.
When this isn’t the right fit
- You can’t call leads back quickly. The reward gets their attention. If nobody calls for two days, it’s wasted.
- You won’t record a short video. The video is the heart of the offer. Your phone and a few minutes are enough, and we write the script.
- You need leads tomorrow. A campaign usually takes 2 to 3 weeks to launch. Set it up before storm season, then turn it on when hail hits.
- You’re outside the U.S. ACE only serves U.S. businesses.
Frequently asked questions
How do roofers reach homeowners in no-soliciting neighborhoods?
Use direct mail, text and email instead of knocking. An offer with a real reward gives the homeowner a reason to engage on their own terms, which is why no-soliciting and gated neighborhoods often respond best.
How do roofers get into gated communities?
Mail goes where crews can't. A mailer with a unique code reaches every home behind the gate, and the homeowner decides whether to watch the video and book.
What's a good response rate for a post-storm roofing mailer?
Traditional direct mail usually lands in the low single digits. ACE roofing campaigns typically see about 9% of recipients activate the offer, with results ranging from about 5% to 28% across our campaigns.
Isn't paying homeowners to book an inspection risky?
The reward is a small thank-you for watching a video and booking, paid only after the action is verified. It's never tied to an insurance claim, a deductible or hiring you. Check your state's rules with your attorney.
Does this replace my door knockers?
No. It makes them more effective. Reps leave an ACE card when nobody answers, so the conversation continues after they leave.
How fast can we launch after a storm?
A campaign usually takes 2 to 3 weeks to set up, mostly to record your video. Build it before storm season so it's ready to go.
About the author
Jake Nicks is the founder of ACE (Actual Consumer Engagement), a customer acquisition firm in Frisco, Texas. He has 10 years in paid media and has directed more than $2 billion in ad spend. ACE’s verified-action gift card technology is protected by U.S. Patent No. 11,847,634 B2.
See who’s in market in your storm zone. On a free 15-minute call, we’ll pull 50 homeowners in market for roofing in your area, live while you watch, scrubbed against Do Not Call lists. You keep the list. Claim your free 50