You’re reading the Friday, June 12 edition. Showing an earlier Marketing Pulse.
Marketing Pulse Jun 12

Stop marketing the headline rate — market the gov-loan gap

Three days of CPI-and-rates content has saturated the feed. The open lane: FHA and VA running 40+ bps under conventional — an audience the panic cycle ignored.

Friday, June 12, 2026 30Y 6.54%15Y 5.85%5/1 ARM 6.32%

Three days into the CPI-and-rates story, the macro angle is fully saturated — every LO's feed has run some version of "inflation's up, rates ticked higher" since Wednesday, and this morning's Freddie survey (the fifth weekly increase in seven, to 6.52%) only confirms what borrowers already absorbed. Re-posting the rate-fear or rate-calm take a fourth time won't land. The fresher play heading into the weekend and next week's Fed meeting is to stop talking about the headline rate altogether and start talking about the rate your borrowers don't see in the headline — the government-loan spread.

Here's the gap worth marketing. The conventional 30-year everyone quotes is sitting around 6.5–6.57%, the upper half of its 90-day range. But FHA is running about 6.12% and VA about 6.14% — roughly 40–45 bps under conventional. For a first-time buyer or a veteran on a $400K loan, that spread is real money: it's the difference between the "I'm priced out" number they keep seeing and a payment that actually pencils. That's an audience this week's inflation-panic content cycle completely skipped over, which is exactly why the lane is open.

Build one segmented send and one piece of comparison content. The send goes to your FHA/VA-eligible buyers with their actual number, not the headline — "the rate you've been seeing isn't the rate you'd get." The content is a simple side-by-side: conventional versus FHA (or VA) monthly payment on the same $400K home, shown as two plain dollar figures. A 30-second reel or a single graphic does it. The reason this beats another rate-update post: it tells a specific person their situation is better than they think — the most forwardable message in mortgage marketing.

Do this today

Pull your active purchase pipeline, filter to FHA- and VA-eligible buyers, and send each one a one-line note putting their government-loan payment right next to the conventional number — let the gap make the case for you.

Borrower segments to act on today

Active FHA & VA buyers — their rate beats the 6.5% headline

FHA at ~6.12% and VA at ~6.14% are running roughly 40-45 bps under the conventional 30-year. These in-flight buyers are quoting against a headline number that overstates what they'll actually pay — a file-level payment note reframes the whole affordability conversation.

active loans · purchases · fha/va
VA borrowers above 6.75% — IRRRL streamline candidates

With VA running near 6.14%, veterans who closed above 6.75% can often cut their payment through a VA Interest Rate Reduction Refinance with minimal documentation. A targeted, benefit-specific outreach lands better than a generic refi blast.

closed loans · rate ≥6.75% · va

Today’s content angles

Short-form video

FHA-vs-conventional payment-gap reel for first-time buyers

Quick face-to-camera or two-card graphic: 'If you're a first-time buyer feeling priced out, here's something most people miss — the rate in the headlines isn't the only rate. On a $400K home, an FHA loan today can run a noticeably lower monthly payment than the standard 30-year everyone quotes. Got a VA benefit? Even better. Message me FIRST and I'll run both numbers side by side so you can see your real payment, not the headline.'

Tactics worth stealing

Segment by loan type — one rate doesn't fit FHA, VA, and conventional

Blasting a single 'today's rate is X' to your whole list undersells every borrower who qualifies for a government loan, whose actual rate is materially lower. Split the send by loan type and lead each segment with their own number. Segmented campaigns consistently out-open and out-convert one-size-fits-all sends, and the relevance lift is largest when the segment's reality differs from the headline.

Mailchimp Email Marketing Benchmarks — segmented campaigns