Door hangers are the cheapest piece of marketing a roofer can put on a house. They’re also the easiest to waste. Most get tossed in the recycling with the pizza coupons.
I asked my Facebook feed: What do your door hangers look like? What’s the most effective messaging? The thread was short, a few real answers and a couple of great jokes, so I’m pairing what roofers said with what we’ve learned running hangers at Owl Roofing.
- SEO, AEO, Google Ads and LSA for roofers
- Published pricing, nothing hidden
- You own your website and ad accounts
“Not only is our site great, the ongoing guidance we get from Hook is exactly what we needed.”
Steph Laurer, Badgerland Exteriors (roofing)Need the website too? See our Custom Websites
Set the right expectations
It’s like knocking. You’re not gonna get everyone to love you or call. You’re just looking for a few. Play the numbers. If it was so easy, no one would need a roofer.
David Myers
He’s right. Door hangers are a numbers game. Judge them by cost per signed job over a full season, not by how many calls you got the first week.
Stand out from every other hanger
Gotta stand out from the standard door hangers and be creative!
Vadym Shvets
Most roofing hangers look identical: a stock photo of shingles, a logo and “FREE INSPECTION” in red. If yours looks like that, it blends into the pile. A few ways to stand out:
- Make it local. “We’re replacing the roof at 1423 Maple this week” beats any generic headline. Neighbors already saw your trucks.
- Use real photos. Your crew, your trucks, your owner’s face. Not stock.
- Give one clear reason to call. A free inspection after a specific storm date, a neighborhood discount or a simple “Is your roof over 20 years old?”
- Show proof. Your Google rating and review count, big and near the top.
- Try a different format. One roofer, Don Diesel, said simply: folders. Something thicker with more inside (a mini estimate, photos, a warranty sheet) gets kept longer than a flat card.
The messaging that works
Here’s the structure I’d use on any roofing door hanger:
- A headline about them, not you. “Hail hit your street on June 12” or “Your neighbors just got a new roof.”
- One offer. Free inspection, a photo report of their roof, or a fixed-price repair. Pick one.
- Trust signals. Star rating, years in business, local address, licensed and insured.
- A human. The rep’s name and photo, handwritten if you can. “Sorry I missed you. Mike.”
- One way to respond. A phone number or a QR code that goes to a booking page. Tracking number or unique URL so you know it worked.
Pair hangers with knocking
The best use of a hanger is as the second touch. Knock first. If nobody’s home, leave the hanger with a handwritten note. If they answer and aren’t ready, leave it as the thing they’ll find on the counter in three months when the ceiling stains.
The funny answers
Free deductible.
Wes Arnold
To be clear, that’s a joke. Waiving or covering a homeowner’s insurance deductible is illegal in a lot of states. Don’t print it.
My door hangers are No Soliciting stickers.
Aaron T Bethke
Takeaways: roofing door hangers
- Play the numbers. Measure cost per signed job over a season.
- Look different. Real photos, local hooks, a format people keep.
- One offer, one action. Don’t make homeowners choose.
- Put a human on it. A name and a handwritten note beat a logo.
- Track it. A tracking number or QR code on every hanger.
- Use it with knocking, not instead of it.
Want the canvassing side of this? Read our guide to using door hangers in roofing canvassing.
