Many realtors and agents have discovered that among all the social media, Instagram is among the leading platforms to highlight and share property listings. There are over 2 billion monthly active users on Instagram which presents a great scope for getting your listings across to prospective buyers and tenants.
An effective means to accomplish this is through creating an Instagram Story. By sharing stories consisting of pictures and videos, disappearing after 24 hours will build anticipation before your newest listings.
Mastering the art of compelling Instagram Stories is the key to showcasing properties in an exciting, visually engaging format that grabs attention and drives real estate leads.
Why Use Instagram Stories for Real Estate?
Here are some of the key benefits of using Instagram Stories for real estate:
- Increased reach – When you post something to your Instagram feed, only some of your followers will see it. But when you share a Story, it goes out to your entire following immediately.
- Shows off listings – Instagram stories that display beautiful quality pictures and short video clips of listings can prove very effective. You can virtually drive through each property’s grounds.
- Creates buzz – Posting short sneak peeks of coming soon or just listed properties helps generate buzz and gets people talking about the newest, most exciting listings before they hit the market.
- Allows interaction – You have the option of allowing viewers to comment on or DM your Stories, enabling them to tap on your bio link and get more information.
- Tracks performance – Analyzing the viewer counts, replies, and traffic sources for each Story provides insight into what content is resonating most with your audience.
How to Shoot Compelling Instagram Stories
The key to success with Instagram Stories is capturing viewers’ attention quickly. Here are some tips for shooting compelling footage:
- Use good lighting – Proper lighting is crucial. Shoot during the day or use artificial lighting. Avoid dark or grainy footage.
- Capture wide shots – Mix in wide establishing shots showing the exterior or full rooms to provide context.
- Get dynamic angles – Capture dynamic angles by shooting from above, below, around corners, through doorways, and other perspectives to add visual interest and avoid flat, boring head-on shots.
- Highlight key features – Zero in on important details like the kitchen, bathrooms, backyard, etc.
- Be steady – Use a tripod or steady cam to prevent shaky footage that’s hard to watch.
- Keep it short – Keep individual video clips short at 10-15 seconds max so you leave viewers excited and wanting to see more.
- Show lifestyle – Shoot-styled spaces with people interacting and props like books, food, plants, etc. to help viewers picture themselves there.
Captions That Drive Engagement
Captions are hugely important for guiding the storytelling and prompting engagement. Follow these best practices:
- Ask questions – Pose questions in your captions to get viewers to comment and interact. Ex: “How gorgeous is this kitchen??”
- Use emojis – Use emojis strategically in your captions to help convey excitement about the listing and draw more attention to the text.
- Tag partners – If you worked with a stager, contractor, or other partner on the listing, tag them to help expand your reach.
- Add location – Enable location services on your Stories to expose your content to local audiences.
- Link in bio – Remind viewers to check your bio for more info so they can visit your main Instagram profile.
- Call to action – Include a strong CTA prompting viewers to contact you for showings or open houses.
- Tag listing – Tag the exact listing with a location tag so people can learn more about that property.
- Share stats – For extra buzz, you can tease listing details like square footage, lot size, number of bedrooms, etc.
Types of Stories to Post
The possibilities are endless when crafting Instagram Stories. But these types of real estate content tend to perform extremely well:
Coming Soon Teasers
Tease an upcoming listing by posting short video snippets and photos of staged spaces or renovations to generate excitement about what’s coming soon.
Just Listed
Create buzz around a new listing by giving a mini video tour showcasing the best features immediately after it hits the market to generate quick interest.
Open House Reminders
Promote upcoming open houses by posting reminders in your Stories in the days leading up to the event. Share the date, time, and address.
Home Staging and Decor
Give a behind-the-scenes look at the staging and decorating process. This shows off your expertise while making the listing aspirational.
Neighborhood Features
Highlight area amenities like parks, restaurants, shops, and other local attractions near the property to sell the desirable lifestyle. Tagging those businesses gives them extra promotion too.
Client Testimonials
Collecting and sharing positive client reviews and testimonials is a great way to showcase your excellent service.
Market Updates
Share useful stats and data like average days on the market, top-selling neighborhoods, price trends, etc. Position yourself as an expert resource.
Optimizing Your Instagram Stories
Here are a few final tips for optimizing your Instagram Stories strategy:
- Post consistently – Post at least one Story per day, ideally in the late afternoon or evening when audiences are most engaged.
- Use relevant hashtags – Include hashtags like #realestate, #forsale, #opendor, etc. to reach interested audiences.
- Tag your brokerage – Make sure to tag your real estate brokerage or agency to expand your reach and get their help with promotion.
- Re-share reviews – Ask happy buyers and sellers to post reviews and then re-share those Stories to showcase your success stories.
- Make it shoppable – Enable shopping capabilities by linking your Instagram profile to your real estate website so you can seamlessly tag listings and drive traffic.
- Cross-promote – Get more mileage out of your best Stories by repurposing them into Instagram feed posts, longer IGTV episodes, and sharing across other platforms like Facebook to extend reach.
- Analyze performance – Pay attention to viewer counts, replies, and traffic sources to understand what content performs best.
- Refine over time – Continuously test out new types of Stories and improve upon what’s working.
Turn Instagram Stories into Appointments
The ultimate goal is to drive real business results from your Instagram Stories. Make sure to include an effective call-to-action in each Story prompting viewers to:
- Schedule a showing (Houzeo)
- RSVP for an open house (RSVPify)
- Contact you with questions
- Explore listings on your website
Include links to scheduling tools like Calendly or booking calendars directly within your Instagram Stories to make it seamless for interested buyers and sellers to book appointments.
Key Takeaways
- Instagram Stories provides a robust platform to showcase and promote new real estate listings in front of qualified audiences.
- The key to creating compelling Instagram Stories is capturing high-quality, eye-catching footage, writing engaging captions, and optimizing your content for maximum exposure.
- Some of the most effective Story types include coming soon teases, open house reminders, neighborhood tours, client testimonials, market data updates, and much more.
- Consistently posting Stories, cross-promoting, and analyzing performance helps refine an effective strategy over time.
- Most importantly, always include a strong call to action to drive appointments, website traffic, and real connections.
By implementing these Instagram best practices, real estate agents can showcase their listings in an eye-catching format and generate more leads through Instagram Stories.
