Content (social media) is a nightmare. For real.

That's a direct quote from Eric Simon (The Broke Agent), who somehow managed to build BAM into the 'Barstool Sports of Real Estate' despite the insane amount of work.

And that's not just some random claim. The dude has built a legit media empire with 71.7K Instagram followers, 44K YouTube subscribers, and a 9-person team cranking out content every single day.

But here's the thing - he didn't start with any advantages. He was a struggling agent just like most people reading this email.

So how did he do it? What's his actual playbook? Let's break it down...

(And if you're thinking about building your own media presence, you're gonna want to read this whole thing.)"

— Andrew

Playbook

Let's be real. Even Eric Simon said he struggled as an agent…

The Broke Agent.

Now? He's built BAM (Business And Media) into the "Barstool Sports of Real Estate."

And he did it by creating content that agents actually want to consume. Like, actually enjoy reading. Wild concept, right?

Today, BAM has exploded into:

• 71.7K Instagram followers with legit engagement (1.01%)

• 44,360 YouTube subscribers across 4 different channels

• Insane 47% email open rate (your marketing friends will tell you that's crazy good)

• Daily emails every single week without fail

• 9-person media team cranking out content

• Money flowing from multiple revenue streams

The plot twist? He built it all by creating content he wished existed when he was grinding as an agent.

THE BREAKTHROUGH

Eric's story doesn't start in real estate.

He worked at The Laugh Factory first. Comedy background. Then became a receptionist at some fancy brokerage.

When he finally got his license in 2014, he noticed something obvious that nobody was talking about.

All the real estate content out there was:

• Behind paywalls (why???)

• Boring as hell

• Created by people who hadn't sold a house in decades

• Delivered in formats nobody actually consumed

His thought was simple: "I wanted to build a media company that I wish existed when I was a real estate agent."

Honestly, genius.

THE CONTENT STRATEGY

Eric's philosophy is simple: "I never want to have a day where it's three marketing tips. What about real estate news? What about agent strategy?"

Mix it up. Keep it fresh. Don't bore people.

THE PLATFORM STRATEGY

Here's where most people get it completely wrong.

Despite having crazy social numbers, BAM is all about the EMAIL LIST:

"Email should be your number one focus, because you OWN that list. That is your number one form of distribution, and is not at the mercy of algorithms."

The numbers don't lie:

• 10,000 email subscribers > 500,000 Instagram followers (for real)

• 47% open rate (your marketing friends will tell you that's insane)

• 6 emails every week without people unsubscribing in droves

BAM is everywhere, but with purpose:

• YouTube: Long-form content where they dive deep

• Instagram/TikTok: Quick hits, trending topics, stuff that makes you stop scrolling

• Podcasts: Conversations that feel like you're hanging with friends who know their stuff

• Blog: SEO play for the long game

• Email: Where the real money happens

One thing most people miss:

"One of the smartest things that I did, unknowingly, was get the broke agent handle on ALL platforms... so when you pop up on TikTok, people immediately recognize, 'Oh, I follow this person on Instagram.'"

Stake your claim everywhere. Even if you're not using it yet.

THE MEDIA NETWORK

BAM isn't just one channel. It's a whole ecosystem:

• BAM Main (29.4K subscribers): Where they cover the big industry stuff

• Knowledge Brokers (3.81K subscribers): Deep market analysis for the data nerds

• Byron Lazine (7.69K subscribers): Scripts and tactics that actually work

• Massive Agent (3.46K subscribers): How to build something that lasts

Their shows are like a content machine:

• The Hot Sheet: Daily live show (Byron wakes up at 4am Eastern to prep this)

• The Real Word: News analysis that doesn't put you to sleep

• Knowledge Brokers Podcast: For when you want to sound smart at your next office meeting

• The Walk Thru: Interviews with people actually doing the work

• Over Ask Podcast: Tactical stuff you can use tomorrow

THE TEAM FRAMEWORK

You can't do this alone. BAM built a 9-person media machine:

Leadership:

• Eric Simon: Content guy

• Byron Lazine: Business strategy

• Bobby Kawecki: Makes the production happen

Content Team:

• Production Lead (video, editing, publishing)

• Lead Writer (blogs, newsletters, scripts)

• Full-time Producer (manages podcasts, interviews, live shows)

• Two Video Editors (one for long-form, one for short-form)

• Social Media Manager (posts, engagement)

• Community Manager (partnerships, relationships)

This squad creates an insane amount of content:

• 22+ long-form videos EVERY WEEK across their channels

• 7 podcasts per week (not episodes, SHOWS)

• 10+ clips per week

• 5+ lives per week

• 4-5 blogs EVERY DAY

• 3+ short-form videos daily across 5-6 platforms

• Daily emails

Quality still matters though:

"Every clip that gets posted is posted by me. I review the clips, I put a text-based hook on it... Every email that gets sent out is me."

No shortcuts on the stuff that matters.

THE MONETIZATION MODEL

BAM makes money in five ways:

• Sponsorships & Ads (50%): But not with just anyone

• Events & Masterminds (20%): BAM Camp, virtual stuff, in-person gatherings

• BAM X Membership (15%): Premium community, exclusive content

• Courses & Training (10%): Educational products that deliver

• Affiliate Partnerships (5%): Tools and services they actually use

Their approach to sponsors is simple:

"We've only picked and used sponsors that we actually use, so that Byron has used in his real estate business, or something that I use for marketing."

No selling out. No promoting garbage.

And the #1 rule: Monetize AFTER building trust & community.

Get that backwards and you're dead in the water.

THE CONTENT MACHINE

BAM plans content like a pro sports team:

• Calendar-Based Planning: "Looking at the calendar is such an underrated thing... if it's January, NFL playoffs, college football... New Year's Day, so it's New Year's resolutions."

• Trend-Jacking: Jumping on what's already hot

• Performance Analysis: Doubling down on what works

• Comment Mining: Using audience questions (genius move)

They avoid what Byron calls a "Museum of Content" - just creating stuff with no purpose:

"We get really upset when we go a week where we're just posting shit and nothing happens... I'm not doing this for the fun of it. It is fun, don't get me wrong. But it's a business too."

Every piece of content needs a WHY.

THE GROWTH JOURNEY

BAM didn't happen overnight:

2014: Eric spots the gap in real estate content

2015-2019: Grinding away building The Broke Agent brand

2020+: Expansion into podcasts, YouTube, newsletters

2024: Full-blown media network with multiple channels

Patience. Consistency. Vision.

LESSONS LEARNED

Even BAM makes mistakes:

"Today, I did that satire piece on Barron Trump joining real brokerage. Onion style, hilarious. Tons of engagement, but there's 10% of comments that are saying, 'Why was this posted? This is exactly what not to post, unfollowing.'"

Political stuff is always risky. Even when it's funny.

And failures were common:

"I did a Kickstarter for real estate animation once... $7,500 for one episode on Instagram, and it failed. It got way less likes than me posting another data and inspection meme."

"I came out with a book in 2018 called Commission Impossible: Rogue Agent. A comic book did nothing, literally sold 10-15 copies, if that, and put so much time and effort into that."

Test small before going all in.

THE FUTURE VISION

BAM keeps evolving with three main focuses:

• Premium Community Products: Exclusive stuff for the die-hards

• Email Marketing Segmentation: Getting the right message to the right agent

• AI-Driven Content: Scaling without losing quality

But here's Eric's shocking advice to his younger self:

"Just be a real estate agent. I would have told myself, what the hell are you doing? Take all this marketing knowledge and just be a real estate agent. You make so much more money."

That tells you everything about the grind of building a media company.

"Content creation is a nightmare. I'm serious. It's great. I love it. But it never ends."

The truth? Building a media empire isn't for everyone.

But if you're crazy enough to try, now you have the playbook.

Want BAM's full playbook? Watch our complete conversation with Eric now.