Professor Game Podcast, Episode 416:

"From Viral Spike to Sticky Play: Doug Weitzbach on Building Housle"

Date: October 27, 2025
Guest: Doug Weitzbach, TV producer & creator of daily real estate game “Housle”
Host: Rob Alvarez

Episode Overview

In this episode, Rob Alvarez welcomes Doug Weitzbach, TV producer and creator of Housel—a daily real estate guessing game dubbed “Wordle for real estate”—to discuss building lasting engagement, navigating the shock of viral spikes, and leveraging feedback loops. Doug openly details the high and low points of Housle’s journey: from surges in players driven by viral moments to the challenges of audience retention, actionable user feedback, and smart feature development. He shares lessons learned about community-building, organic growth, media strategy, and the real-world grind beneath virality in gamified products.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Daily Life & Background

• Doug is a veteran TV producer (credits: Hell’s Kitchen, World of Dance, Lip Sync Battle) who turned his attention to game development after “Buy My House,” inspired by the intersection of real estate, games, and casual play (03:00).
• Lives and works in Calabasas, LA, embracing remote work and active family life: “My bread and butter day to day is producing television, and post-Covid that whole process has really gone remote.” (03:22)

The Launch of Housle: From Press Buzz to Reality

• Initial Launch:
  • “When I launched Housel, I had all this success, like, overnight. I had tens and tens of thousands of people playing my game instantly.” (05:07)
• The Viral Spike—and the Drop:
  • Doug candidly admits his naivety: “In my head I was like, oh, this is going to be as hot as Wordle, and it’s going to take over. And that’s not the case. …Just because someone clicks into the game… that doesn’t mean they’re going to be hooked.” (05:07)
  • Reality hit as user numbers dropped day after day: “I don’t know if I would say I was depressed over it, but I was definitely, like, I was taken aback. …I had a lot of work on my hands to try to find my community.” (05:50)
• Big Takeaway: Virality can bring users—but doesn’t guarantee retention or engagement.

Lessons in Listening & Iterating

• Customer Feedback:
  • Doug received regular requests from players: “Some people were saying ‘I want more games’... but it took me a very, very long time to act on that feedback. I wish I would’ve moved quicker.” (07:10)
• Missed Opportunities:
  • He underscores the importance of digging deeper: “Can I get to know my customer better? …Are they a certain age, certain bracket…? That all would have been really good information really early on.” (07:40)
• Host’s Reflection (Rob): “Those people who reach out—they’re passionate. …Even critics are passionate.” (08:47)
• Caution:
  • Doug: “You can’t just—because one person says one thing—that doesn’t mean you go act on it. …You want to take an aggregate and a collection of feedback and see if there’s a pattern and a trend and then sort of act from there.” (09:41)

Turning Points & Organic Growth

• Notable Viral Moment:
  (12:00–15:00)
  • Massive influx of players came unexpectedly when Barstool Sports’ “Mostly Sports” podcast played Housle live during a show (10:51).
  • “I woke up one day about two months ago and my daily player count was like 10x, literally 10x. And I was like, what is going on right now?” (10:51)
  • Barstool’s fans recommended Housle during the live stream, leading to a spontaneous, authentic showcase and “truly viral moment.”
  • Doug capitalized on the moment: “I recut the content myself and sort of started to market it a bit.” (12:53)
  • Monetization: Doug had already added features like premium subscriptions and ads, so was prepared for the uptick: “Luckily… this is after the point where I’ve added more features to monetize. It definitely worked out.” (14:56)
• Takeaways:
  • “It sort of revalidated my idea… The fans that are really into the game—they’re so into the game, right? They’re recommending it to their fans. They’re recommending it on a podcast.” (13:50)
  • The importance of being ready for unexpected traffic spikes and opportunities.

Building & Iterating on the Product

• Core Game Mechanics:
  • Housle is modeled on Wordle: “The daily basic game is six pictures/slash clues to guess the list price of a home… That simple mechanic is derivative and absolutely sort of based off that.” (16:02)
• Feature Roadmap Built on Feedback:
  • Doug unlocked an archive of past games for premium users, meeting demands for replayability: “If you pay $2 a month… you can dive into an archive of over a thousand games and play more.” (17:28)
  • Planning for localization: “There’s a whole other part of the world or community that actually wants something more focused on their local community… I want to build the ability for people to play Housel on a very localized level.” (17:58)

Best Practices, Press & Persistence

• On Best Practices:
  • “It’s been a bumpy road… The mobile game community I found to be very competitive and challenging for me, especially because I have no background in the space.” (19:13)
• Press Strategies:
  • Doug’s initial player surge was not purely luck: “That wasn’t accidental. I spent a lot of time targeting very specific writers and media outlets… Who’s writing about mobile games, who’s writing about Wordle, who’s writing about the future of real estate… Persistence, that’s my big advice.” (20:47)
  • “Accepting no’s doesn’t mean stopping. Right? It just means keeping going, keeping going.” (21:48)
• Takeaway: Genuine media outreach, persistence, and hustle matter.

Recommended Resources

• Podcast Recommendation:
  • “The All In Podcast… Highly successful Silicon Valley venture capital and entrepreneurs… inspiring and beyond educational. It… helps me stay well-rounded, you know, with all different types of topics.” (24:21)
• Guest Suggestion:
  • Andrew Chen from A16Z and the Speedrun program as someone with cutting-edge insights into mobile gaming (22:22).

Personal Reflections & Superpower

• Networking as Superpower:
  • “I have a very, very large network. …I am always open and willing to help anybody… vice versa, I’m also not afraid to ask for a favor or ask for an intro or advice. I feel like that is my superpower.” (25:29)

Gaming Preferences & The Power of Casual Play

• Favorite Games:
  • “I’m pretty obsessed with the New York Times game community of games… Wordle, the mini crossword, there’s a new game called Pips.” (26:34)
  • On the cultural power of casual, repeatable games: “All these major, the largest media companies out there… are all launching games to engage daily with their community for retention, for engagement. …That’s Housel’s secret sauce.” (27:31)
• On Game Streak Frustration:
  • Host’s experience losing a streak and losing motivation to play: “The streak feature is great if you have a chance to sort of come back from it. If not, it can be very frustrating.” (29:22)
• On LinkedIn & Gamified Engagement:
  • Doug: “LinkedIn… want you there every day. …Is there something else that we can guarantee to drive people to our site daily…?” (30:42)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• The Reality of Virality:
  • “Just because someone clicks into the game… doesn’t mean they’re going to be hooked. That doesn’t mean they’re going to come back the next day. …That’s not the case.” — Doug Weitzbach, 05:07
• On Listening & Acting on Feedback:
  • “People were saying I want more… but it took me a very, very long time to act on that feedback. I wish I would’ve moved quicker.” — Doug Weitzbach, 07:10
• Persistence in Press Outreach:
  • “Press is always helpful to getting your story out there. …It takes a hundred no’s to get one yes. Accepting no’s doesn’t mean stopping. Right. It just means keeping going.” — Doug Weitzbach, 21:20
• On Networking:
  • “I like supporting people. I like lifting rising tides, you know, I like lifting people… It gives me pleasure.” — Doug Weitzbach, 25:29
• On the Power of Casual Daily Games:
  • “We’re presenting a home as a fun daily game to, to play… now you’re talking about real estate with somebody, right? Bringing up that conversation in a fun, simple way.” — Doug Weitzbach, 27:31

Key Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment/Topic | |-----------|-------------------------------------------------------| | 03:00 | Doug’s background and daily life | | 05:07 | Housle’s viral launch & painful reality check | | 07:10 | Feedback, slow action, and lessons learned | | 10:51 | The viral Barstool Sports moment | | 14:56 | Monetization and being prepared for virality | | 16:02 | Wordle as inspiration & new feature development | | 19:13 | Discussing best practices & hard lessons | | 20:47 | Press outreach strategy & persistence | | 22:22 | Guest suggestion: Andrew Chen, A16Z Speedrun | | 24:21 | Podcast recommendation: The All In Podcast | | 25:29 | Doug’s superpower: Networking | | 26:34 | Favorite games: NYT Games and daily casual games | | 27:31 | The engagement power of casual daily games | | 29:22 | Losing a streak and player disengagement | | 30:42 | Gamification strategies on LinkedIn |

Final Thoughts

Doug Weitzbach’s journey with Housle is a vivid case study in the power and challenges of viral growth, the necessity of audience understanding, and the grit required for sustained product engagement. The episode delivers actionable lessons for anyone building gamified products—emphasizing persistence, feedback loops, being prepared for luck, and maintaining a strong network. Housle’s evolution echoes a core insight: Virality is a gift, but sticky play is a craft.

Find Housle:

• Web: www.housel.house
• iOS/Android: Housel app
• Socials: Instagram, TikTok
• Email: Dougl House