How to market a listing on Instagram

Instagram is where many of your sellers' neighbors, past clients and future sellers already spend their time, so a new listing should show up there in more than one post. The goal isn't one big announcement. It's a short run of posts, each with its own job, built from the media you already have for the listing. Here's a plan that works for most homes.

Start with the right media

Instagram favors vertical video and strong photos. Before the listing goes live, make sure you have:

• Photos that hold up on a phone. The first photo in a carousel sets the crop for the rest, so lead with one that still works framed a little tighter, like the kitchen or the front of the house. Our listing photos come in both print and MLS formats, ready to post.
• A vertical video. A Reel is the post most likely to reach people who don't already follow you. Our listing video is shot vertical for exactly this, with you on camera walking buyers through the home.
• Aerials, if the setting sells. A few seconds of drone footage opens a Reel better than almost anything shot from the ground.
• A floor plan. It makes a useful last slide in a carousel. More in real estate floor plans.

A post-by-post plan

Before it goes live: a teaser

A short teaser a few days ahead gives your audience a reason to watch for the listing. Show one detail, not the whole house: the front door, a fireplace, the view from the back deck. Check your MLS's and your brokerage's rules before you post anything; many restrict public marketing before a listing is in the MLS.

Launch day: the Reel

Post the listing video the day the home goes live. Open on the best thing about the house, not the front walk, because the first seconds decide whether someone keeps watching. Put the town and the key facts (bedrooms, baths, one standout feature) in the caption, and say how to book a showing.

A day or two later: the photo carousel

Lead with your strongest photo, then walk through the home in the order a buyer would: the outside, the entry, the main living space, the kitchen, the primary suite, the yard. End on the floor plan. A carousel lets people take their time with the rooms the Reel moved past quickly.

The open house

Post a reminder the day before, and a short Story from the open house itself: the kitchen with people in it, or the front door with your sign. Stories mostly reach people who already follow you, which makes them the place to remind your sphere that you're busy.

Under contract and sold

These posts are for your next seller, not the next buyer. Reuse a photo or a clip from the listing video, and say something specific about how the sale went. Leave out anything the seller wouldn't want public, like details of the negotiation.

Write captions that do a job

• Lead with the place and the one big feature. "Four-bedroom colonial in Westfield with a finished basement" says more than "Just listed!"
• Describe the home, not who should buy it. Fair housing rules apply on social media too. Talk about rooms, features and the town, never the kind of person a home is "perfect for."
• Give one next step. Book a showing, come to the open house, or send you a message. One, not three.
• Tag the town as the location. People browse the places they're thinking of moving to.
• Include your brokerage and any disclosures your brokerage requires on advertising.

Collaborate instead of reposting

Instagram's collab posts put one post on two profiles at once, with the likes and comments in one place. Invite your brokerage, your team or a co-listing agent as a collaborator, and the post reaches both audiences. If we shot the listing, you're welcome to invite AdReach Studios too.

Send it to the seller

Sellers notice where their home is being marketed. Send them the Reel when it goes live; many will share it with their friends, which puts your work in front of exactly the people who may sell next. It's one of the simplest ways to win more listings with video.

Keep the media working after it sells

A listing's photos and video stay useful long after closing. Save each listing Reel to a "Listings" highlight on your profile, and keep the clips on your phone for listing appointments. When a seller asks how you'll market their home, showing them the last one answers the question better than any slide.