The Tree Company Attention Plan
How we get more tree company owners to know us, trust us and book a call, across Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and email. Built on what runs today, the always-on content and retargeting system from Mike's video, and our own organic content.
Most tree owners are not ready to buy the day they see an ad. When they are, they call the company they already know. Our job is to be that company: teach them every week, show them proof, and keep the offer one tap away.
The whole ecosystem on one screen
Every way a tree owner finds us drops him into a pool we own. Every pool sees proof. Proof leads to the offer.
Attention
Warm audiences
Proof, then offer
The three paid layers
Teach
Tree Mistakes and our best Shorts as video-view ads. The goal is a watch, not a click.
Prove
Testimonials, case studies, more teaching and a soft offer, about twice a week to everyone who watched.
Offer
The offer ads already running, to the landing page and a booked call.
Every ad we run is an offer
Pulled from Meta, YouTube and our own logs on October 8 and 9. Strong offers and a growing organic library. Until now, nothing collected the people who watch.
What organic is telling us
Same videos, different results: YouTube and Instagram beat Facebook. Top YouTube Shorts by views:
Public YouTube view counts, October 9. The long video "Tree Service Leads | Exclusive Lead Generation" shows 41K views, but 36,845 of them came from running it as an ad. Only 784 came from YouTube search, so it is not organic proof.
Outreach is already working
9 pools, filling every day
Built October 9 in the HSD ad account. Engagement and video pools reach back a year; website pools reach back 180 days. They are lists, not campaigns. The campaigns will use them.
| Audience | Who is in it | Window | Use it for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Video viewers 50%+ | Watched half of any of our 69 videos (Page videos, Reels, every HSD ad video). Client homeowner ads left out on purpose. | 365 days | Layer 2 |
| Instagram engagers | Liked, commented, saved or messaged @homeservicedirect | 365 days | Layer 2 |
| Facebook page engagers | Engaged with the Home Service Direct page | 365 days | Layer 2 |
| Landing page visitors, NOT booked | Hit meta.homeservicedirect.net, never booked | 180 days | Layer 2, the main pool |
| Landing page visitors | Everyone who hit the landing page | 180 days | Lookalikes later |
| Tree pages on homeservicedirect.net | Tree marketing page, tree leads page, tree blog posts | 180 days | Layer 2 (filling from Oct 9) |
| All HSD sites | Every HSD page, every trade | 180 days | Later, other trades |
| Lead (form done) | Finished the form | 180 days | Follow-up, lookalikes |
| Booked call | Booked a call | 180 days | Always excluded |
How the pools feed each other
Ads, organic, outreach, website
Every view, like, comment and page visit lands in a pool automatically.
One warm audience
Viewers + engagers + not-booked visitors + tree-page readers, minus booked calls and the funnel exclusion list.
Campaign 2
Proof and soft offers, about twice a week, until they book.
Still to build
- YouTube viewers and subscribers in Google Ads, once the channel is linked to the HSD Google Ads account.
- Email list as a Meta customer list, refreshed monthly, so subscribers also see us in the feed.
Later
- Lookalikes of video viewers and of Lead, once each pool passes about 1,000 people.
- Other trades from "All HSD sites" when we market beyond tree service.
Teach: our best videos in front of tree owners, for cents
We promote content that already proved itself organically. No new ads to make. Instagram first, because the same videos do better there.
How it shows in the Instagram feed (replica).
- Objective: Engagement, video views (ThruPlay)
- Who: our ~7,000 tree company list + the two 1% lookalikes
- Where: Instagram Reels and Feed first, Facebook Feed second
- Budget: $5 to $10 a day per video, 3 videos to start
- Runs: no end date, reviewed every 2 weeks
The first three videos to promote
What to expect
- Views cost cents, not dollars. real benchmark in week 1
- The pool of 50%+ viewers grows every day. That pool is the whole point.
- Followers and comments rise as a side effect. Few direct leads from this layer, and that is fine.
- Judge it on cost per 50% view and pool size, never on leads in the first 30 days.
Prove: stay in front of everyone who watched, for months
Owners buy on trust and timing. Something happens in their business, they need help, and they call the name they already know. This campaign makes sure that name is ours.
- Objective: Awareness, maximize reach
- Frequency: about 2 times every 7 days
- Who: video viewers 50%+, page and Instagram engagers, landing page not booked, tree-page readers
- Never: booked calls, clients, the funnel exclusion list
- Budget: $10 a day; raise only when Meta says budget is the limit
What it rotates
- Proof: client testimonial videos
- Case studies: Arizona B, On-Track, $895K, 179 leads
- More teaching: the next Tree Mistakes
- Soft offers: "see if your market is open", a 10-minute call
The proof videos: real owners, their own words
The case-study ads that move here
What one warm owner sees in a month
About two touches a week. Never the same ad twice in a row, never only a pitch.
What to expect
- Small at first. Meta will not spend the full $10 a day until the pools grow. That is normal.
- Calls from people who already watched us start as conversations, not cold pitches.
- Measure cost per booked call from this audience against the cold offer ads, monthly.
The offer ads stay on. Now they get warmer traffic.
| Ad (live ad set "Video Ads Testing - Angles") | Status | Lifetime spend | Website leads | Cost per lead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| V-On-Track-1.5M | On | $1,030 | 10 | $103 |
| V-On-Track-2.5M (old footage) | On, new cut | $850 | 5 | $170 |
| V-AZ-Wrong-Leads / V-AZ-Big-Equipment | On since Oct 8 | new | - | - |
| Best past: KC-Fleet / Booked Calendar | Paused | $526 / $240 | 8 / 3 | $66 / $80 |
Website leads = form completions Meta reports. Booked-call quality comes from GHL.
Two pages, matched to the ad
"80+ Leads A Month". Right for the volume angle (On-Track ads).
"$2K To $15K Removals Your Equipment Was Built For". For the Arizona ads.
The same two campaigns, on the channel that already works best
YouTube runs through Google Ads, not Meta. Same idea: promote the videos that work, then retarget everyone who watched. We have done it before: 36,845 of the 41K views on our long video came from running it as an ad.
What the ad looks like in YouTube search
Watch
Replica of an in-feed video ad. It shows in search results and next to related videos, and we pay only when someone clicks to watch.
Promote the winners
In-feed ads for the top Shorts and the "Tree Service Leads" video (it already ran as an ad once). Aimed at people searching tree business topics (tree service marketing, tree removal leads, how to get tree jobs) and watching tree-work channels. $5 to $10 a day.
Retarget channel viewers
Everyone who watched a video or subscribed becomes an audience. They see testimonials and case studies before other videos. $5 to $10 a day.
Every Short has a next step
Pinned comment + description link, related-video link to the long video, and a "Tree Business Mistakes" playlist so one view turns into five.
Facebook vs Instagram vs YouTube
Same videos, different jobs. Where each one fits for us.
| YouTube | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Organic today | Weakest for our videos | Strong | Strong. Shorts up to 1.3K. The 41K long video was mostly ad views |
| Best job | Offers + proof. The owners are here and the forms convert | Teaching. Reels get watched | Teaching + search. People look for answers |
| Cold campaign | Video views, Feed | Video views, Reels + Feed (lead placement) | In-feed video ads on tree business searches |
| Warm pool | Page engagers, video viewers | Account engagers, video viewers | Channel viewers + subscribers (Google Ads) |
| Offer ads | Yes, the main home | Yes, same ads as @homeservicedirect | Later, once the channel audience is big |
| Outreach | 20 comments a day as the page | 10 comments a day | Replies on our own videos |
| Watch this | Cost per booked call | Cost per 50% view, follows | Cost per view, subscribers |
Comment, email, one video
Every tree agency pitches cold. We follow and comment on tree companies that are already active online, email each one the same day, and send them all to the same place: a YouTube video where you teach the strategy and the "book a call" link sits right below it. The other plays add more ways to reach the same list.
The active list
One main play, four more
Video, then a call
What runs each day
| Play | How many a day | Who does it | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Follow + comment on Facebook and Instagram | 30 | Automatic | Running |
| First email to the companies we commented on that day | About 25 | Automatic, from David | Needs your OK |
| Instagram DM, typed by a person | 10 to start | By hand, about 15 minutes | Needs your OK |
| Text, one to one | 10 | By hand, about 10 minutes | Needs your OK |
| Loom video for the best ones | 5 | David, about 25 minutes | Needs a first test |
| Mass email to the big list | Starts at about 100 | Automatic, separate sending setup | Needs setup, 3 weeks |
| Comment and DM replies on our own posts | As they come | Automatic first message, then a person | Blocked on Meta access |
The YouTube video every play points to
"How a Tree Company That Already Posts Should Run Its First Facebook Ad"
- The hook: you're posting great work, and almost nobody sees it
- Why: organic reaches a small slice of your followers
- Step 1: pick the post that already does well
- Step 2: show it to homeowners within 20 miles
- Step 3: what to set and what to leave alone (the 3 settings)
- What to expect in the first 30 days, and the mistakes that waste money
- The close: "Or have us do it. One tree company per market. Click the link below and book a call."
Where the "book a call" link goes
- First line of the description, above the fold.
- The pinned comment.
- Said out loud at the end, with the end screen pointing down.
- One link, to the booking page. Nothing else to click.
Why YouTube, not a landing page
- Every watcher joins the YouTube retargeting pool. A private video on a landing page can't do that.
- It keeps earning search views long after the email.
- The same video works as the cold YouTube ad and inside the weekly email.
Rules for every message, on every channel
- Name their actual post or job. Never a message that could go to anyone.
- One question, nothing to buy, no price.
- Never say we answer their leads or book their estimates.
- The first message never has a link. The link comes after a yes.
- From David, signed David. Owner to owner.
- If they say stop or no, they come off every channel that day.
- We skip any market where we already have a tree client. One company per market means we can't sell there anyway.
Comment, then email, the same day
This is the core of our outreach. Every tree company we follow and comment on gets an email from you right away. Most of them post good work and run no ads. The email says so, offers the video, and the YouTube video does the selling, with the "book a call" link right below it.
We follow and comment on their post
Facebook and Instagram, as Home Service Direct, on tree companies that post good content. 173 so far, about 30 more a day.
We check if they run ads
A quick look at the Meta Ad Library, done automatically. It decides which line the email opens with, so we never tell a company "you don't run ads" when they do.
The email goes out the same day
"Saw the crane job you posted. You're putting out good stuff, but I don't see any ads behind it. I made a short video on how to run a simple one. Want it?" It names their real post. One question, nothing to buy.
They reply "yes", we send the YouTube video
You teach the strategy for 8 to 10 minutes, then tell them to click the link below and book a call. Asking first means they expect it and actually watch.
They book a call, or they stay in our world
The booking link is the first line under the video. Anyone who watches and doesn't book joins the YouTube pool, the weekly email and the Meta pool, so they keep seeing us.
No reply? The follow-ups take over
A bump four days later, then the DM, the text and the straight offer on the follow-ups page.
Two opening lines, picked by the ad check
Most of the list
"You're putting out good stuff, but I don't see any ads running behind it. The homeowners within 20 miles who need that job never see it."
The rest
"I see you're running a few ads too. Most tree companies I look at leave money on the table with the same three settings. I made a short video on them."
What lands in their inbox
to Mike
Hey Mike,
Saw the crane removal you posted on Facebook last week. Clean work, and that's the kind of post homeowners stop scrolling for.
Quick thought: you're putting out good stuff, but I don't see any ads running behind it. Most of your followers never see a post like that, and the homeowners within 20 miles who need that job never see it at all.
I made a short video showing exactly how a tree company that already posts should run a simple ad off a post like yours. Step by step, nothing to buy.
Want me to send it over?
David
Home Service Direct
to Mike
Here it is, about 9 minutes:
youtube.com · Home Service Direct
Start with the post that already does best. The 3 settings at minute 4 are where most guys waste money.
If you'd rather we just handle it, we take one tree company per market. Happy to check if yours is open.
David
No reply after 4 days
"Mike, didn't want this to get buried. The video's about 9 minutes and shows the exact setup. Want it?" One last email on day 14 makes the straight offer. Three emails max without a reply.
After they watch
They move to the weekly email. Seven days later: "Any questions on the video? If you want, we'll check whether your market is open." Then the offer ads take over.
What has to happen to switch it on
1 · Your OK
These go out as you, from david@homeservicedirect.net. Nothing has been sent. Say go and the 143 start, 25 a day.
2 · Record the video
The outline is on The outreach system. We can start the emails before it's done if you're fine sending the first yeses a Loom.
3 · I build the sender
Added to the commenter: run the ad check, write the email from the post we commented on, send it the same day, and watch for replies.
The active list is the real prize
The comments work a little by themselves. One tree company already called in for a proposal after our Instagram comment. What they really give us is a growing list of owners who are active on Facebook and Instagram right now. Those are our ideal clients.
What we have today
Counted from our outreach logs and the prospect list on October 11, 2026.
How a company gets on the list
It has to be a tree business
The page or profile has to say tree, arborist, stump, land clearing or forestry. Golf clubs, nurseries and landscapers are skipped.
It has to be active
300 or more followers and a recent post. A dead page never sees our comment and never answers an email.
We follow and comment
One real comment on a recent job photo, as Home Service Direct. 20 a day on Facebook, 10 on Instagram.
The company is saved with everything we know
Page, Instagram, website, email, phone, city, followers, the post we commented on and what we said. That post is what every later message opens with.
What we still need to add to each company
Do they run ads?
We only checked the Meta Ad Library for 7 of the 139 Facebook companies (4 run ads, 3 don't). The fast rounds skip that check. We need it for all of them, because "you post but don't run ads" has to be true before we say it.
The owner's first name
Only 46 of 173 have one. "Hey Mike" gets read. "Hey there" gets deleted. We can pull names from the website's about page and the Google listing.
Where they stand
One status per company: commented, emailed, DM sent, texted, replied, watched, booked. So nobody gets the same message twice and we can see what works.
Where the list should live
One board in the ad sniper, one row per company, with the status and every message sent. Booked calls move into GoHighLevel like any other lead. Not built yet. It is the first thing to build, because every other play reads from it.
The follow-ups: 14 days, four channels
The comment and the first email go out on day 0. If there's no answer, this is what follows, on a different channel each time. Any reply stops it and a person takes over.
| Day | Channel | What goes out | How |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Facebook Instagram | Follow, and one comment on a recent job post | Automatic |
| 0 | Email 1, the same day: name their post, offer the video, ask one question | Automatic | |
| 2 | Instagram DM | DM 1: a real compliment and one question. No link. | By hand |
| 4 | Email 2: a short bump on the same thread | Automatic | |
| 8 | Text | One short text to the cell number. No link. | By hand |
| 10 | Facebook Instagram | A second comment, on a newer post | Automatic |
| 14 | Email 3: the straight offer. "Want us to check if your market is open?" | Automatic | |
| After | Weekly email | No reply: they get the weekly Tree Mistake email and we stop reaching out one to one | Automatic |
The yes path is the same on every channel
- Send the YouTube video (or their Loom) in the same thread.
- Two days later: "Any questions on the video?"
- Then: "Want us to check if your market is open? Here's my calendar."
- They also go on the weekly email.
When to stop
- Three emails, one DM and one text without a reply. Then stop.
- "No" or "stop" on any channel ends all of them the same day.
- After day 0, never two channels on the same day. It reads as spam.
The messages
youtube.com
Instagram DM, day 2. Typed by a person. The link only comes after a yes. (Replica, example names.)
Text, day 8. One person, one phone, one company at a time. (Replica, example names.)
to Mark
Mark,
Last note from me. We run Facebook and Google ads for tree companies, and we only take one company per market.
Nobody has Springfield yet. Want me to check it for you before someone else asks?
David
Emails 1 and 2 are on the Comment, then email page.
The straight truth on texts and DMs
Loom video outreach
This follows Christian from CB Writes Copy, step for step. His point: don't ask a stranger for a call. Offer a video. The email sells the video, the video sells the call, and you only record for the owners who say yes.
Pitch a video, and say what's in it
Not "want to see how we work?" The video has to be about them or about a real result: "a video on three things I noticed on your Facebook page" or "a video going over the exact ad that got a tree company 112 leads in 30 days".
Send the same pitch three times
Email 2 and email 3 are email 1 again, reworded a little. His reason: a billboard says the same thing every day until it lands.
Record only after a yes
And only for companies worth the five minutes. Start the recording on their own page so their business is the thumbnail next to your face.
Send it as a picture they click, in the same thread
Not a bare link. Tell them to click it, and tell them what's at which minute, like a movie trailer.
Ask "which day", not "do you want a call"
"How does tomorrow or Thursday at 2 work?" in the video and again in the email. The calendar link is the backup.
Follow up every two to three days
First: "Noticed you got a chance to watch." Then a real result. Then a short, funny one. He also follows them on social and calls the number in their signature.
The two emails he uses, written for us
to Mark
Hey Mark,
I was checking out Ozark Tree Pros on Facebook and noticed a few things that are likely costing you calls from homeowners.
Mind if I send you a quick video breaking down what they are and how to fix them?
David
to Mark
Hey Mark,
We get tree companies exclusive leads from Facebook and Google ads, one company per market.
A tree company in Oklahoma City got 112 leads in 30 days.
Mind if I share a video going over the exact ad that did it?
David
The video: three to five minutes
No intro, three things, pick a day
"Hey Mark, thanks for answering my email. Three quick things you can change to get more calls from Facebook."
- Optional, 15 seconds: one slide on who we work with (tree companies, one per market) and one real result. He says this is what gets videos watched to the end.
- Thing 1, their best post: "This crane job should be an ad. Only a small slice of your followers saw it."
- Thing 2, the Ad Library: their page (often zero ads), then a competitor in their city who is running them.
- Thing 3, Google: search "tree service" plus their city. Who holds the top Local Services spots, and how many reviews they have.
"If any of that was useful, how does tomorrow or Thursday at 2 work for a quick call to go through it for Ozark?"
No awards, no life story, no prices, no packages.
to Mark
Hey Mark, here's the video I made for Ozark Tree Pros. Just click the picture below to watch it.
4 minAt 1:10 I show the post I'd turn into an ad. At 2:40 I show who is running ads in Springfield right now.
How does tomorrow or Thursday at 2 work for a quick call to go through it? If it's easier, feel free to grab a time here.
David
After the video goes out
Day 2 or 3
"Noticed you got a chance to watch the video. Worth a quick call? Tomorrow or Thursday at 2?"
Only once, and only if Loom shows they watched.
Day 5
"A tree company in Nashville got 120 leads in 30 days. Sure this isn't worth 15 minutes for Ozark?"
A real result, cities only.
Day 8
"Mark, are you dodging me or just up a tree?"
Short and funny. Then a follow on Instagram and one phone call to the office.
He follows up 20 to 30 times and offers things like gift cards for taking a call. I'd stop at five and skip the gift cards. Your call.
How it fits in your day
| Size | Who gets it | What it is | Your time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Made for one company | The best yeses: big following, great content | A fresh Loom on their page, their city, their competitors | About 5 minutes each |
| Made for one situation | Every other yes | One Loom per situation, recorded once: "you post but don't run ads", "you only boost posts", "you have few Google reviews" | About an hour, once |
| The YouTube video | Anyone, any time | The same public video every play points to | Recorded once |
Source: Christian's videos on the CB Writes Copy YouTube channel: "The Loom Video Cold Email Strategy for 2025", "The Best Loom Video Cold Email Script for 2024", "Print Meetings with A Trojan Horse Cold Email Strategy" and "I Sent 1,000,000 Cold Emails: here are the 3 best cold email scripts". The reply counts he quotes are his own claims, not ours.
Mass email: straight to the offer
The sequence is slow and personal. This is the opposite: one short email to every tree company we have an address for, with a direct offer. We test five angles on small batches and send the winner to the rest. The angles follow CB's formula: say the offer, give one real result or a guarantee, then offer something they can see.
List counts from the prospect list, October 11, 2026.
The five angles
"Is Springfield open?"
"We run Facebook and Google ads for tree companies and only take one per market. Nobody has Springfield yet. Want me to check it for you?"
The shortest one. The limit is real, so it gives a reason to answer now.
"112 tree leads in 30 days"
"A tree company in Oklahoma City got 112 leads in 30 days. One in Nashville got 120. One in Fresno got 90. All exclusive, none shared. Want to see how, for your market?"
Cities only, no client names. These are your figures from the client results file.
"[30 or 60] qualified leads in 30 days"
"[30 or 60] qualified tree leads in your first 30 days, or [what we do if we miss]. One company per market. Worth a 15-minute call?"
Can't go out until you pick the number and what happens if we miss. It is still on your decision list.
"The exact ad that got 112 leads"
"We get tree companies exclusive leads from Facebook and Google ads, one per market. A tree company in Oklahoma City got 112 leads in 30 days. Mind if I share a video going over the exact ad that did it?"
This is CB's best-performing shape: offer, proof, then a video of something real. One video recorded once, sent to every yes.
"A few things on your Facebook page"
"I was checking out [Company] on Facebook and noticed a few things that are likely costing you calls. Mind if I send you a quick video breaking down what they are and how to fix them?"
Two lines, no pitch. Each yes costs you a five-minute Loom, so this one goes to the bigger companies only.
How we send it without hurting our real email
The setup
- Separate web addresses. Two or three look-alikes of homeservicedirect.net, used only for this. If owners mark it as spam, our real address is untouched.
- Warm them up for two to three weeks before the first real send.
- A cold email tool (Instantly or Smartlead). Postmark does not allow cold lists, so it stays for the weekly email only.
- Clean the list first. Every address is checked. Bad ones come out.
- Slow. About 30 a day per mailbox. Six mailboxes is about 180 a day.
The rules
- Plain text, three or four sentences, from David. No pictures, one question.
- No price. Never say we answer their leads or book their estimates.
- Our business address and a one-line way to opt out in every email. That is the law for this kind of email.
- Skip every market where we already have a tree client, and every current and past client.
- The active list (the 173) stays out of this. They get the personal sequence.
How we pick the winner
- Judge each angle on replies that say yes and calls booked. Not on opens.
- We don't have our own numbers yet. The first 2,500 emails give them to us in about three weeks.
- Each company gets three emails, two to three days apart. Emails 2 and 3 are the same pitch, reworded. That is how CB runs every campaign.
- The winner goes to the rest of the list. The runner-up goes out a month later to everyone who didn't answer.
When they come to us
Our own posts are bringing in comments, likes and follows. Each one is an owner raising a hand. Here is what we send back for each, and what Meta lets us do automatically.
| They do this | We send this | Automatic? |
|---|---|---|
| Comment the keyword on our reel or post | One DM right away, plus a public "Sent you a DM!" reply | Yes, once Meta approves our access. One DM per comment, within 7 days. |
| Send us a DM or answer ours | The DM flow below | Yes, for 24 hours after each message they send |
| Comment anything else on our post | A real public reply, then one DM | By hand |
| Follow us | A welcome DM with one question | No. Meta doesn't tell tools who followed. By hand, 5 minutes a day. |
| Like or save a post | Nothing direct. If it's a tree company, it goes on the active list and gets a follow and a comment. | By hand |
| Comment on a YouTube video | A public reply with the next video. YouTube has no DMs. | By hand |
The DM flow
youtube.com
Replica, example names. The first message is a draft and still needs your OK.
City
Starts a real conversation and tells us if the market is open.
Ads or organic
Picks which video they get.
The video
The YouTube video, booking link below it.
Their number
Once they give it to us, text follow-up is fair game and can be automatic.
A person takes over
The lead is saved and a note goes to Slack so someone can pick up the chat.
The new-follower DM (by hand, every morning)
"Thanks for the follow, Mark. Saw you run Ozark Tree Pros. Are you mostly doing removals, or trimming too?"
Open the follower list each morning, message the new tree companies, and add them to the active list. No link, no pitch. When the account gets near 1,000 followers we can look at ManyChat's follow-to-DM feature again. Small accounts generally aren't let in.
The list we own
Feeds and algorithms change. An email list doesn't. Two kinds of email: the outreach sequence (one owner at a time) and the weekly email (everyone on the list).
Where the list comes from
The weekly email
One email a week, same day, same shape: the newest Tree Mistake, three lines, one tap to watch. It's the newsletter half of the system.
to me
Most estimates that go quiet aren't a no. They're a "not yet".
The tree companies that close the most send one simple text a few days later. Here's the exact one:
Why No Reply Doesn't Mean No
David
P.S. We take one tree company per market. Reply "MARKET" and we'll check if yours is open.
The rhythm
How we send it
- Postmark sends it (a broadcast stream on its own subdomain, the best chance at the Primary inbox). GoHighLevel keeps the list. From David, plain-text style, so it reads like an owner, not a newsletter.
- The list also goes into Meta monthly, so subscribers see us in the feed.
- Watch replies, video clicks and "MARKET" replies. Replies go to the sales team.
Two Short series, two YouTube videos, one link in bio
The Mistakes series brings reach and followers. The Growth series brings the bigger owners. Both point to the same two YouTube videos, and everyone who watches one joins our retargeting pool.
Tree Business Mistakes
Tree Service Growth
The two long videos
Mistakes vs Growth
| Tree Business Mistakes | Tree Service Growth | |
|---|---|---|
| Talking to | The owner still on the truck | The owner running 2+ crews who wants the next level |
| Tone | "Here's the mistake I see most" | "Here's what the big companies do" |
| Look | Tree b-roll, your voice, one line of text | You on camera (cut from the Playbook recording) plus b-roll |
| Length | 20 to 40 seconds | 30 to 60 seconds |
| Comment word | LEADS (the follow-up checklist) | GROW (the Playbook video) |
| How often | Daily now, then 2 a week after #30 | 3 to 4 a week after #30 |
| Judge it by | Shares, follows | Comments, Playbook views, calls from viewers |
Where every link goes
@homeservicedirect, tapping the link in bio (replica, counts are examples).
Tree Business MistakesShorts playlist
Tree Service GrowthShorts playlistStart here2 videosThe YouTube channel home (replica). New visitors see the Playbook first; the playlists keep them watching.
Ideas worth adding
Record once, post for a month
One Playbook recording gives us the long video, its chapters, and 15 Growth Shorts cut straight from it. Your camera time is one session.
"Comment GROW" on every Growth Short
The automatic DM sends the Playbook link. That works because they commented on our post first (see "Comment LEADS").
Client sit-downs
A 10-minute talk with a client, like the Owner.com video in your playlist. Troy, Jeremy, Brandin and Joe are already on camera for us.
Invite the companies that reply
Tree companies that answer our comments or emails get asked on as a guest ("how I run my crews"). Their followers watch, and we get a warm conversation.
A Tree Service Growth scorecard
The 8 playbook pieces as a 2-minute quiz ("score yourself 1 to 5"). Their email gets them their score. It fits the weekly email and the sales call.
The Playbook is also the ad
The same video runs as the cold YouTube ad (YT 1) and its best minute runs in Campaign 1 on Meta. One recording feeds every layer.
How to Grow Your Tree Service: the full playbook
The video you give on every sales call, recorded once. About 20 minutes, in chapters, for any tree owner who wants to grow. It's link 1 in bio, the featured video on the channel, and where every Growth Short points.
Title options (search phrases first)
- How to Grow Your Tree Service (The Full Playbook)
- How to Grow a Tree Service Business Fast in 2026
- Tree Service Marketing: The Complete Playbook
Search does find long videos titled with a real search phrase ("tree service leads" brought 784 search views), but most of the 41K views on that video came from ads.
The chapters, in your words
Each chapter is something you already say on sales calls. The quotes are your own lines from the call recordings.
The open: results first
Show the proof in the first 40 seconds: the Kansas City client from $1.2M to $3.5M, the Arizona jobs board. Then who you are, in 15 seconds.
Know your numbers
"It's not necessarily just about the lead cost. It is more about your average job."
Cost per job, close rate, and why a $65 shared lead can cost $2,700 a job. Shows the lead cost calculator.
Google reviews
"As quick as you can, get some Google business reviews."
Ask every customer right after the job, by text with the review link. Note: never send unhappy customers somewhere else instead of Google. Google calls that review gating and it breaks their rules.
Local Service Ads
"He's got 320 reviews. You're at eight."
Why reviews come before Local Service Ads, and what to set once you have them.
Google Ads
Removal searches, your towns only, calls tracked. The steady source when people are searching.
Meta ads
"Facebook is usually about half of what you would pay on Google, but you're usually a worse close ratio."
Filter with questions and zip codes. Show equipment so you look like a real company. It also carries you through winter.
CRM and follow-up
"Close ratio is everything."
Every lead tracked from call to closed job, and the follow-up on every price you send.
The office manager
"I tell all my clients this: get out of your own way."
Someone answers the phone while you're in the tree.
Hiring ads
"They ultimately get employees on a regular basis. It's employees on tap."
The same ads that bring jobs bring climbers and groundmen.
What to turn on at your size
One crew, two to three crews, four or more: what comes first at each stage. Then one step: "Want us to check if your market is open?"
The stage order in chapter 9 is a draft for you to set. Any number said on screen gets checked before it's published.
The long-form series after it
One long video every week or two, each modeled on a style from your "Long Form Video Style" playlist or the 85 long-form videos saved in the sniper.
Run Your First Facebook Ad (Tree Companies)
The video we email after a yes. Step-by-step screen share.
Modeled on Daniel Dimsey, "How to Run Facebook Ads for Tree Service Businesses"I Read 101 Tree Company Ads. Here's What Works.
Our real research: 4 companies running the same "founder story" ad word for word, one ad running since 2018, likes instead of calls.
Shared Leads: Why a $65 Lead Cost $2,700
Our best Short, made long. Angi, HomeAdvisor and Thumbtack math, with the calculator on screen.
If I Owned a Tree Company, Here's My First 90 Days
The playbook as a plan: week by week, what you'd turn on and in what order.
How a Kansas City Tree Company Went From $1.2M to $3.5M
A sit-down with the client plus their real screens. Same claim as the approved ad; name only with their OK.
Modeled on Owner.com, "I Got 60,000 5-Star Google Reviews" (the owner interview inside)Tree Service Google Ads, Start to Finish (2026) · Local Service Ads for Tree Companies: Full Setup
Plain how-to screen shares titled with what owners type into YouTube. In the sniper, Brandon Ewing's Local Service Ads masterclass is at 10.8K views.
Thumbnails made with Codex from your real photos, in the style of Steve Hunsaker's thumbnails. Real footage can replace any of them.
What the best ones in your playlist do
The shape every long video follows
- 0:00 the result (proof on screen)
- 0:40 who you are, 15 seconds
- Before and after: how the owner was doing it, and what changed
- The system, step by step, on screen
- Proof again, then one next step (a free tool, a comment word, or the link)
Tree Service Growth: the Short series for bigger owners
Starts after Mistake #30. Same idea as the Mistakes series (one point, numbered, every day you can), but it talks to the owner who already runs crews. Each one is a single piece of the Playbook, and each one ends with "Comment GROW and I'll send you the full playbook."
Cover drafts. The line under each is yours, from a sales call.
The first 15, each from your sales calls
| # | The point | Your line (from the call recordings) | Playbook chapter |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Close rate is everything | "That changes the business from going to a hundred thousand a month to a hundred and fifty thousand by just following up the leads." | CRM |
| 2 | Get out of your own way | "I'm telling you, you need somebody." | Office |
| 3 | Your ads hire for you too | "It's employees on tap." | Hiring |
| 4 | Word of mouth has a ceiling | "You're never going to get to any million-dollar company off of word of mouth." | Numbers |
| 5 | A lead company can drop you any day | "The minute a lead company decides they don't want to work with you any longer, you're dead in the water." | Numbers |
| 6 | Reviews before Local Service Ads | "He's got 320 reviews. You're at eight." | LSA |
| 7 | What reviews do to your phone | "The majority of our clients that have 300-400 get 20 calls a day." check before posting | Reviews |
| 8 | Facebook vs Google leads | "Half of what you would pay on Google, but you're usually a worse close ratio." | Meta |
| 9 | Filter Facebook leads before they reach you | "Negative out certain zip codes, filter out during the questions." | Meta |
| 10 | Look like a real company | "Show equipment, show you're a branded company." | Meta |
| 11 | Pruning is cheaper to advertise | "It's way cheaper to advertise for pruning than it is for removals." | Google Ads |
| 12 | The winter plan | "During the winter months, the two big ones that you really hit hard are Direct Mail and Facebook." | Meta |
| 13 | You think you close 70% | "Let's say you think it's 70, but it might be 60, right? Maybe it's 55." | CRM |
| 14 | Can you handle 25 leads a week? | "We look for companies that can handle at least 20-25 leads a week." | Stages |
| 15 | It's not the lead cost | "It is more about your average job and what you're willing to pay." | Numbers |
How it gets made
1 · Record the Playbook
One session, about 20 minutes on camera. The long video comes from this.
2 · Cut 15 Shorts
Each chapter gives one or two 30 to 60 second cuts, plus b-roll and big text. Same editing process as the Mistakes series.
3 · Post + "Comment GROW"
Instagram, Facebook and YouTube Shorts. Comments get the Playbook link by DM. Viewers join the pools.
Your coaching, turned into YouTube videos
Client OS already holds everything you coach tree owners on: 14 modules, ordered by what comes up most across 827 of your recorded calls. Module 7b was added today from your call with the Santa Rosa client. Each module becomes one YouTube video and three Shorts, all talking straight to the owner.
How this fits the plan
- The Playbook video's chapters are these modules. Record it once and every module has its first take.
- The Shorts below are the Tree Service Growth series. The 15 on that tab are your sales-call lines; these add the coaching ones.
- The videos are public; Client OS stays the client-only version with the full detail and the "do this week" steps.
Start here
Why Good Tree Service Owners Get Stuck at $1M to $3M
The opening chapter of the Playbook. Every bigger owner recognizes himself in the 70-hour week.
- "I tell all my clients this: get out of your own way."
- The 5-question test: could your company run a week without you?
- He did $7M once. Then three flat years at $3.5M. Here's why.
173 Leads, 52 Jobs: The 5 Numbers Every Tree Service Owner Should Know
Real Ads Manager screen, the math done on a whiteboard. Pairs with the lead cost calculator.
- "You think you close 70%. It might be 55."
- Why a $24 lead beat a $10 lead
- The only number worth putting on the wall: cost per customer
Stop the leak
You Lost This Tree Job in 20 Minutes (Speed to Lead for Tree Companies)
Play the real recording (no names), then the three rules. Easy story, everyone has lived it.
- Your lead is getting your competitors' ads right now
- The one number trick: call from the number that texted her
- One missed call isn't a dead lead. This is.
What Missed Calls Really Cost a Tree Service (Do This Math)
The math on screen with a real missed-call count turns "I'm busy" into a dollar figure.
- The call you missed was a $2,000 removal
- AI answering: what it does and what it won't
- Your Google profile is ringing too. Who answers it?
The Day 7 Call That Wins Tree Jobs Back (Word for Word)
Role-play the call on camera. Owners love a script they can use tomorrow.
- "Let me think about it" isn't a no
- The crew-on-your-street line
- Why your estimator should never do follow-up
The flywheel
How a Tree Company Went From 221 to 492 Google Reviews (The 10-Second Habit)
Real before and after, checkable on Google. The strongest proof video in the set.
- The 10-second habit behind 271 new reviews
- What to say in the yard so they leave a review
- Your reviews are why you can charge more
Why Tree Companies With the Owner in the Ad Pay Less per Lead
Side-by-side of a generic ad and an owner ad. Leads straight into module 7b.
- The ad no competitor can copy
- 4 photos that make your ads work
- "Show equipment. Show you're a branded company."
Tree Service Content That Gets Jobs: Film This, Not That
Show real good clips next to bad ones (high drone, washed-out color). Useful to every owner, and it sets up our content service.
- Your drone is too high
- 7 seconds of action beats an hour of flying
- Organic and ads are the same video now
Build the company
The First Hire Every Tree Service Owner Should Make (It's Not a Climber)
Counter-intuitive title, real hiring ad on screen, the four-jobs-in-one-person diagram.
- Your ads hire for you too
- Hire before you're drowning
- The $30 hiring ad that got 7 applicants
Same $2,400 Price, Different Answer: How to Train Your Estimator to Close
Act out the flat and the better version back to back. Easy to film, very shareable among owners.
- Same price, completely different job
- Listen to 3 of your own calls this week
- Your estimator closes less than you. Here's why.
Why Big Tree Companies Should Take Small Jobs (the Route Trick)
A map animation tells the story in five seconds. Goes against what owners believe, so it gets comments.
- The small job isn't the problem. The drive is.
- "We've got a crew on your street Thursday"
- 50 extra reviews a year from jobs you almost refused
Grow
How to Open a Second Location for Your Tree Service (Crew First, Then Leads)
The four-step launch order with the real market table. Speaks straight to the bigger owners.
- Your home market is the worst place for your next dollar
- Hire the crew before you turn on the leads
- Why Local Service Ads won't work in a new market yet
Storm Money Isn't Growth: What a $7M Tree Service Year Really Was
A true story with a twist. Big owners have all had the storm year.
- Your best year might have been weather
- Call us the day the storm hits, not the week after
- Don't hire on storm money
If You Win Every Estimate, Your Tree Service Is Too Cheap
A hook that stops owners scrolling. The "another guy was $600 cheaper" role-play is the payoff.
- "He came in $600 cheaper." What to say.
- A 95% close rate is a pricing problem
- Fuel went up. Did your prices?
Record in this order
The four with the strongest proof
Review engine (221 to 492 reviews), your five numbers (173 leads, 52 jobs), the first five minutes, and Film the Action. Real screens make them the easiest to trust.
The bigger-owner ones
The first hire, the second market, storm money. These pull the owners the /big/ page is for.
The rest, one a week
Whiteboard and face, 8 to 12 minutes, the style of the Will Nelson and Cami videos in your playlist.
Thumbnails made with Codex from your real photos, in the style of Steve Hunsaker's thumbnails. Numbers on screen come from Client OS, which prints its sources; clients stay unnamed.
"Comment LEADS" on our best videos
The strongest Tree Mistake episodes end with one line: "Comment LEADS and I'll send you the checklist." Every comment is an engager in our pool, a DM conversation, and a signal to Instagram that the post is worth showing.
The post (replica, example comments).
The automatic DM, then a person takes over.
Why we can DM them here when we can't cold-message
Instagram and Facebook let a business send one private message to anyone who comments on the business's own post, within 7 days of the comment. They started it by commenting, so it isn't a cold message. Once they reply, the chat stays open like any other conversation.
- Works on our posts only. We can't DM people for comments they leave on other companies' posts.
- Runs on our own Meta connection, the way you asked. Not GoHighLevel, not ManyChat.
- Blocked for now: Meta has to give our app access to Instagram messages. The two things you need to do are on the When they come to us page.
1 · The trigger
Someone comments the keyword LEADS on Instagram or Facebook, and the first DM goes out in seconds.
2 · The trade
The checklist for their email. The email goes on the list and into the weekly email.
3 · The bridge
One question ("ads or organic?") leads straight into the outreach video.
The Tree Company Lead Cost Calculator
Built from our best Short ("Why a $65 lead cost $2,700 per job"). An owner puts in what he pays per lead and how many turn into jobs, and sees what a job really costs him. To get the full breakdown, he leaves his email. Try it, it works:
Example inputs. The math: what you spend a month divided by the jobs you get = cost per job.
Where it lives
A page on homeservicedirect.net (it fills the tree-pages audience), linked from Short descriptions and the weekly email.
How it spreads
"Run your numbers" as a Layer 2 ad. A useful tool is an easier yes than a call.
What it gives us
An email on the list, his real numbers for the sales call, and a reason to follow up.
Make organic and paid work as one machine
Promote the winners, weekly
Organic finds the winners for free. Any post that beats our average in its first 48 hours goes into Campaign 1 at $5 a day.
A monthly "client numbers" post
One real screen a month
- Leads, booked jobs, average job. A real client screen, names blurred.
- Posted organically, then added to Layer 2.
- Fresh proof every month beats the same old proof forever.
Same video, every channel, same week
The owner who sees it on one channel sees it again on another. Repetition is the point.
The first 90 days
Set up
- Audiences done
- Campaign 1 with 3 videos
- Campaign 2 with proof
- Link YouTube to Google Ads
Fill the pools
- Real cost per 50% view
- Record the YouTube video
- First outreach emails
- Weekly email starts
Warm leads
- Calls from people who watched first
- Compare to cold offer cost
- YouTube retargeting live
- "Comment LEADS" live
Scale
- More budget on winners
- Calculator page live
- Lookalikes of viewers
- Retire weak proof ads
Budget, and what to judge each layer by
| Layer | Daily budget | Watch this number | Not this |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 · Teach (Meta) | $15 to $30 | Cost per 50% view, pool size | Leads in month 1 |
| 2 · Prove (Meta) | $10 | Reach, ~2 a week, booked calls from the pool | Cost per click |
| YT 1 + YT 2 | $10 to $20 | Cost per view, subscribers, channel audience | Same-day leads |
| $0 | Replies, video clicks, "MARKET" replies | Open rate alone | |
| 3 · Offer (running) | unchanged | Cost per booked call, close rate | Website leads alone |
New spend for layers 1, 2 and YouTube: about $35 to $60 a day. Starting numbers, adjusted after two weeks of real data.
Decisions for David
- Go on Campaign 1 + 2 (built paused for review)
- Which videos lead Campaign 1 (default: the three in Teach)
- Budget for the new layers (suggested $35 to $60 a day)
- Record the YouTube outreach video
- Record the Playbook (one session, gives the long video + 15 Growth Shorts)
- Outreach: OK for hand-typed Instagram DMs and texts, 10 a day each
- Mass email: OK to buy the look-alike addresses and a cold email tool
- Loom: a first test of 5 videos, CB's way
- Guarantee: 30 or 60 qualified leads in 30 days
- YouTube: link the channel to the HSD Google Ads account
- Email: OK to start the outreach sequence to the 143
- Instagram connected to the page done
- Meta: turn on message access for @homeservicedirect (steps on "When they come to us")
Numbers pulled from Meta Ads (account act_905897089608545), the HSD Facebook page, Instagram, public YouTube view counts and our outreach logs, October 8 to 11, 2026. Phone and email screens are replicas built for this plan; names, emails and comments in them are examples.