How to Submit a Realty Report Ad Design for a Client

The Realty Report offers your clients a professional, branded way to showcase recent property sales in their area, featuring a table of their MLS data (10 to 25 listings) and a customizable ⅓-page ad below. City Lifestyle designers manage the layout and design to maintain brand consistency, making Creative Design Services required for all Realty Reports. You must gather and submit all required information—including both the MLS data and the ⅓-page ad details or print-ready creative—into the ARC system by the publication's Creative Design Request deadline.

Only one Realty Report is allotted per issue, and using City Lifestyle's design team ensures your client's feature is listed in the Table of Contents for added visibility. Please note that client-designed ads do not qualify as a Realty Report, are not featured in the table of contents, and must be booked in the agreement as a standard advertisement.

In ARC, navigate to the Reporting tab on the left-hand side of the home page.
Select the “Ads List” report from the drop-down menu to display.
Select the current month you are working on at the top of the Ads List.
Locate the Status column for the business you are working on and click “Submit Ad.”
Click “Select” under the Let Us Create Your Ad option.
Field 1: Select Your Ad Style
1. Skip this field as it is unavailable for the Realty Report ad since the ⅓ page ad is standardized for the Realty Report Insertion.
Field 2: Ad Copy
1. If your client is providing a Print-Ready ⅓ page ad to be placed below the Realty Report, skip to Field #3.
2. If you want the design team to create the ⅓ page ad placed below the Realty Report, enter the text that will go into the ⅓ page ad.
  1. “What do you want your ad to say to your readers?” is required, and you will need to enter all of the specific text wanted within the ad. You can provide a list of services, product descriptions, a powerful headline, testimonials, or anything that you believe is important for the reader to know.
  2. “Do you have any special services or promotions you want to highlight?” is not required, but you can add any key offers or promotions the client wants prominently featured, such as sales or unique services. This is optional but recommended.
  3. Please note that Designers will apply all text listed in the copy fields to the ad. All notes should be entered in the remaining fields.
Field 3: Add Images, Files, or Ad Inspiration
1. Upload all client-provided files requested in the ad in this field. This includes but is not limited to: logos, high-resolution images such as main images or headshots, and QR Codes.
2. In this field, you can also upload any inspirational images you would like the design team to reference as a helpful tool for the design team to see what you envision for the ad. It is important to note that the designer will not be able to use elements or pull copy from inspiration images, but only use them as a visual guide to understand your intentions for the ad.
  1. Note: AI inspiration may be submitted to convey the intended look & feel for the ad; however, all assets such as icons, images, logos, copy, QR code, and font files must be submitted as separate files or typed into the creative request.
3. Next to each file, there will be a section to label the file with a small note for reference, though detailed descriptions should be added in the “Final Designer Notes” field.
  1. Note: The field next to uploaded images and files does have a character limit and will cut off if too much text is entered.
4. You will have access to Adobe Stock inventory for images as well.
  1. Search for an image using a related description of what you’re looking for.
  2. Click on the image you want to use in your ad.
  3. Copy the file number.
  4. Paste the file number in the customer portal design request in the prompted box.
Field 4: Business Details
1. This section pulls your client’s contact details directly from their account profile. It includes main contact details, website, phone number, address, and additional contact information such as their social media handles.
2. You can fill in any areas that are blank or need editing. Note that details changed here will not update what we have on file for the client.
Field 5: Customization Notes
1. Type any notes to the designer to ensure that the ad reflects the client’s vision, highlights key messages, and meets expectations. Clear and detailed notes help the designer understand preferences, avoid miscommunication, and deliver an ad that aligns with the client’s goals.
2. Best Practices for Providing Designer Notes:
  1. Be Specific: Clearly describe what is wanted. Vague comments like “make it pop” or “make it high-quality” can be interpreted in different ways. Instead, say something like, “Please use bold colors for the headline to make it stand out.”
  2. Organize Notes by Sections: If your ad has multiple sections (headline, body text, images), break notes into categories. This helps the designer follow each element without missing details.
  3. Use Bullet Points or Numbered Lists: This makes it easier for the designer to follow the notes and check them off as they complete the requests.
  4. Design Services include designer access to Adobe & Google fonts. If the brand font is not available through those, the designer will attempt to match the font and will need the font file provided.
Field 6: Realty Report Data
1. Upload the MLS data in the proper CSV format by clicking “Add a CSV”. The data must be listed as:
  1. Neighborhood, List Price, Sold Price, %Sold/List, DOM, Bedrooms, and Baths.
  2. Click “Click here” to download a CSV template available to edit and upload if needed.
  3. Do not add any rows or columns, as the table is not customizable.
Once each section is completed, click on the green “Submit” button.