If you’ve been marketing your listings on social media for a while, you might’ve noticed that “Just Listed” graphics aren’t cutting it anymore.

In this episode, Chelsea and Kayla are breaking down all the creative, eye-catching ways you can market a listing on Instagram. And don’t worry if you don’t have a listing at the moment. They’ll walk you through exactly how to get more listings using content that builds trust, shows your expertise, and makes people think, “Wait, I want HER to sell my house.”

Show the Pinterest Potential

Ever walked into a house with blue carpet, floral curtains, and a kitchen straight out of 1992 and still somehow saw the vision? We consider that a valuable foundational skill that all agents should develop.

During a recent trip to Lake Tahoe, Chelsea shared the perfect example. Her in-laws bought a lakefront home 15 years ago, and at the time, their kids (who were 8 and 10) were appalled by the carpet. But now, that house — with its massive lake-view window and dreamy vibes — is worth way more than what they paid.

Not every listing is fully updated or picture-perfect, but that doesn’t mean it’s not marketable. In fact, showing the potential of a home, what it could be, is one of the most powerful tools in your marketing toolkit.

One of our members, Bailey, nailed this. She posted a reel that started with a dated A-frame home and captioned it: “The feminine urge to buy a cute little A-frame with views of Sedona and turn it into…” Then, she paired the listing with Pinterest-worthy inspo photos of a moody, remodeled cabin. Not only was it creative, it was shareable. Her reel had 30+ shares, which is basically unheard of for a listing post.

Steal this strategy: Use Canva to make a “dream board” for a home you toured with buyers. Show what it could look like with some paint, fresh lighting, and new floors. Better yet, turn it into a reel or add it to your newsletter.

Don’t Have Listings Right Now? Start Here

Chelsea put it perfectly in a recent Marketing Therapy Thursday: the very first thing to ask yourself about your content is: what’s your goal? If the goal is to get more listings, then your content must speak to sellers.

Here are some creative strategies for accomplishing that, none of which require you to have a listing at all!

1. Offer Home Equity Analysis (The Non-Boring Kind)

A lot of homeowners have no idea how much equity they have, and Zillow’s guesstimate isn’t cutting it.

That’s where you come in. You can use your IG stories to share little behind-the-scenes moments like, “Just ran comps for a homeowner curious about their equity. Here’s what I looked at…”

Then follow it up with a poll or question box: “Want to know what your equity looks like? I’ll run a free report for you.”

So even if someone’s not ready to sell today, you’ve planted that seed. And when they are ready, they’ll remember you.

2. Highlight Neighborhoods (Even Without a Listing There)

If you’re waiting until you have a listing to start showing up as the expert in a neighborhood…you’re already late to the game.

You don’t need a listing to talk about an area. Post about where you’d live if you wanted walkability to the local coffee shop. Share your favorite hidden gem neighborhoods. Take B-roll driving through a cute street with a voiceover: “If I had a dollar for every buyer looking in this neighborhood lately…”

That’s what positions you as the agent who knows the area.

Bonus tip from Chelsea: niche down to your city. Not ten cities. One. That’s where your brand power builds.

3. Get Your Face on Camera

We know, it’s tempting to stay behind the Canva templates. But real people want to work with… real people.

Face-to-camera stories or Reels with hooks like: “More open houses won’t fix your stale listing. Here’s what will” or “The one time-saving trick I always tell sellers in [your city]”

These aren’t your typical “3 tips to sell your home” posts. These are perspective-shifting, “I never thought of it that way” kind of posts.

4. Create Bite-Sized Guides

You don’t need to give away your entire seller playbook. In fact, please don’t.

Instead, offer something small but valuable like a staging checklist, or a list of “3 areas buyers always look at that sellers forget.” These types of free resources give your audience a quick win, position you as an expert, and get them onto your email list so you can keep nurturing the relationship.

Kayla made a great point: no one wants to be overwhelmed with every single step of the transaction upfront. (Think about a hairstylist explaining every chemical in your bleach. You’d just ask for a trim and bounce.) Your goal is to make things feel simple, doable, and in-control.

5. Introduce a Signature “Turndown Service” for Sellers

Okay, hear us out. You know how hotels do a little turndown service with dimmed lights and a chocolate on your pillow? Chelsea came across this idea from Hannah Brencher and had the best real estate spin on it.

What if you offered your sellers a cozy, curated showing prep routine? Something like:

• Switch on the lamps
• Light a candle
• Turn on your curated playlist
• Toss the throw blanket just right on the couch

You could even turn it into a story series: “How I help my sellers prep for a showing: The Cozy Listing Turndown.”

6. Nurture Past Buyers (They’re Future Sellers!)

Your next listing might already be in your texts.

We’re talking about past clients. Even if you worked mostly with buyers in the past, don’t forget: buyers become sellers. And it’s way easier to turn a past client into a repeat client than to find someone new from scratch.

Start simple. Maybe you could text them a memory about their home search or drive by their neighborhood and let them know if another home is for sale and what it’s listed for.

Chelsea even recommends setting a saved search for yourself in each of your past clients’ neighborhoods. Then when a home hits the market nearby, it’s the perfect excuse to reach out with value.

Another option: “Curious what your home is worth now? Want me to run the numbers?”

You Got the Listing… Now What?

Pop the bubbly, because you got the listing!

This is where most agents just go into “Just Listed” autopilot mode. Cue the templated graphic, a dry caption about square footage, and maybe, maybe a carousel of photos.

But you? You’re about to do way more than sell the house. You’re about to market a whole dang lifestyl and turn one listing into weeks of binge-worthy, brand-boosting content.

Here’s how to make it happen.

1. Sell the Lifestyle (Not Just the Square Footage)

You know that Friends episode where Joey accidentally buys a boat because Rachel starts describing the wind in his hair and the fantasy of it all? That’s what we’re going for.

People don’t fall in love with bedrooms. They fall in love with how life feels in a space. That theater room with the lights dimmed and popcorn popping? The playroom that made showing time a breeze for the buyers’ kids? The hot tub under the string lights that makes you want to stay forever?

That’s what sells a home.

Chelsea’s go-to tip: create “cozy moments.” Turn on the music, light the candles, stage the iced coffee on the porch. This will influence the story buyers will tell themselves while walking through.

2. Capture That Magic for Social Media

This is where your content strategy starts to shine.

While you’re setting the scene in-person, don’t forget to record B-roll, capturing how it feels to live there, not just how it looks. Examples:

• Pouring a glass of wine in the kitchen
• Mixing cookie dough on the counter
• Sipping lemonade on the back patio
• Sitting by the fire with a book in hand

Then, repurpose that content into reels, stories, and posts.

Genius hack: Use those same clips later with a voiceover for totally different posts (like, “What sellers get wrong about open houses” or “3 reasons this home sold in 5 days”).

3. Highlight the Neighborhood

Sure, people want to know what the house looks like, but what about the coffee shop down the street? The trick-or-treating scene? The fact that the park is two blocks away and it actually feels like Stars Hollow in the fall?

Kayla used this exact strategy when she had a listing in a less-popular town, but a highly desirable school district. She didn’t just show the house; she showed the parks, the local riverwalk, and all the things that made that area feel like home.

Don’t skip this. Especially for homes that aren’t exactly… jaw-dropping. Most listings aren’t!

4. The Top 10 List That Makes Your Listing Memorable

One of Chelsea’s favorite tricks: Ask your seller to make a “Top 10 Things We Love About This Home” list.

Trust us, you’ll learn things no MLS sheet is telling you.

Like the buyer who fell in love with Chelsea’s house because she read that the neighborhood had the best trick-or-treating. (She literally said Halloween was her favorite holiday.)

Use that list to inspire your marketing:

• Make it a reel (you on camera walking through the house with their top 3 highlights)
• Add it to the listing description or email
• Share snippets in stories and say, “You wouldn’t know this from just looking at photos, but…”

It’s those little details that stick.

5. Use the Listing to Build Your Brand Long-Term

Think of every listing as content gold. Even after it closes.

Pull one story from the transaction — a client win, a surprising lesson, a behind-the-scenes moment — and run with it.

Then run with it again.

As Chelsea says: tell it 10 different ways. Reels, captions, stories, email content, carousels, voiceovers. People don’t remember something the first time you say it. So keep saying it, with a new angle every time.

In this way, you can stretch one listing into months of brand-building content.

6. Want to Go Next-Level? Name Your Listings. Gamify the Experience.

You’re not just listing a house. You’re putting on a show.

Kayla’s idea: Hide an object in the listing photos (like an eagle statue if your town’s mascot is the Eagles) and turn it into a social media scavenger hunt. It’s fun. It’s unexpected. And even people not in the market will want to play along.

Chelsea loves naming listings, like “The One With the Dreamy Porch” (a nod to Friends, obviously). Use that name in your emails, tease it in stories, make it your listing identity. It creates curiosity and gives people a reason to pay attention.

7. What If You’re Not the Listing Agent? A Little PSA…

Look, we know the topic of using other agents’ listings for content can be a little… messy. But here’s the deal:

• Don’t fake it. Don’t pretend it’s your listing if it’s not.
• Don’t inconvenience the seller just to get content.
• Do collaborate if it’s a win-win for everyone.

If you love creating content but don’t have a listing, consider offering a marketing package to other agents. Go on photo day, capture content, make a few reels, and either tag them or hand it over for them to use. You get portfolio work, they get better marketing, and everyone wins.

It’s all about doing it with permission, professionalism, and actual value.

8. Create a Repeatable Listing Content System

Don’t wing it. For every listing, have a checklist:

• Reels to film
• Story series to post
• B-roll moments to capture
• Community features to highlight
• A post-closing takeaway to share

That way, you’re not reinventing the wheel each time, but you are consistently showing up like the listing agent everyone wants.

9. After Closing, Keep the Content Coming.

The listing might be off the market, but the marketing isn’t over.

Use the story. Use the outcome. Use the lesson.

• “This couple listed their home and moved across the country in 7 weeks—here’s how we made it happen.”
• “Ever bought a house with a dead owl in the backyard? My clients did. And yes, they still loved it.”
• “One tip I always give sellers before listing? Paint the purple wall. You’ll thank me later.”

Jot down the story while it’s fresh. Then pull five different hooks from it. Need help spinning it into content? Drop it into ChatGPT and let the brainstorming begin. Turn it into an email, a carousel, a Reel… or all of the above.

Your Listing Action Plan

Feeling inspired? We hope so, because your listings are about to start working overtime for your business.

Let’s break it all down into your next steps.

Want More Listings?

• Create content that speaks directly to homeowners (not just buyers!)
• Show off your expertise with value-driven ideas like home equity reports
• Share local listings with your past buyers to keep the convo going
• Make a simple lead magnet that gives potential sellers a bite-sized win
• Nurture your past clients

Got the Listing?

• Ditch the basic walkthrough, and market the lifestyle instead
• Show cozy moments: the wine glass on the patio, the cookie dough in the kitchen, the music playing as the lights dim
• Lean into location — what makes the neighborhood just as dreamy as the house?
• Ask your sellers for a Top 10 list and use it to inspire your reels and stories
• Name your listing. Gamify it. Make people want to watch

And Don’t Forget to…

• Repurpose everything
• Show up on camera
• Share the story behind the sale
• Keep telling those stories, again and again, in new ways

Remember, you’re not just selling a house. You’re building your brand, positioning yourself as the go-to girl, and showing the world why you are the agent everyone’s lining up for.

This episode was edited by Adrienne Cruz.