Social media is no longer optional for real estate agents. It continues to be one of the fastest-growing opportunities we have for building visibility, driving conversations and ultimately generating new business.
As Instagram continues to evolve heading into 2026, the platform is giving us more clarity than ever on what works, what doesn’t and what agents should focus on to grow.
Recently, Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, highlighted several features the algorithm is prioritizing right now in a video he posted.
His suggestions make it clear that agents who lean into the right strategies can increase their reach quickly and consistently.
Below is a breakdown of his suggestions, adapted for real estate agents and paired with practical, real-estate-focused examples of how to put them into action. These are simple, tactical steps any agent can implement immediately to gain momentum on Instagram.
1. Start strong with a high-impact hook
Attention spans on Instagram are short. You have roughly three seconds to stop a viewer from scrolling past your content. That makes the first sentence of your video or the first frame of your Reel the most valuable real estate you own on Instagram.
Hooks that work best call out a clear audience, promise a specific outcome or offer value immediately. Here are several effective examples tailored for real estate agents:
Before you buy in this market, watch this
Targets buyers and creates urgency.
3 mistakes buyers are making right now and how to avoid them
Speaks directly to a fear every buyer has.
If I were buying a house today, here is exactly what I would do
Positions you as a trusted guide.
One strategy that is saving my clients thousands in closing costs is
Offers clear value up front.
Do not start your home search until you see this
Captures buyers at the very beginning of their journey.
Each hook reaches buyers or sellers at different stages of the process, which ensures you attract a broad range of potential clients. Simply swap “buyer” for “seller,” and every one of these examples instantly works for listing content as well.
2. Add captions to every Reel
Mosseri recently said the audio is off about half the time they are in feed on Instagram. That means if your content relies on audio, you are losing reach before the viewer even has a chance to hear what you say.
Adding captions allows viewers to understand your message quickly and improves completion rates on your Reels, both of which the algorithm rewards.
Instagram now generates captions automatically inside the app. I suggest using the built-in tool so the platform recognizes the captions and optimizes delivery. Captions created in third-party apps like CapCut often get treated as graphics, not text, which results in lower visibility.
Different styles, fonts and colors allow you to match your brand while keeping the text legible. If you are unsure, simple white text with a black highlight continues to perform well.
3. Use locations and collaborators to expand your reach
Mosseri encouraged creators to use translations for multilingual audiences, but for most agents, two other features matter more: location tagging and collaborators. Both dramatically increase how many people see your content.
Location tagging
Adding the location helps Instagram understand where your content applies.
This results in stronger local distribution, especially within a five- to 15-mile radius.
Use this every time you:
- Post a market update
- Highlight a neighborhood
- Promote a local business
- Feature a listing
It also gives your content a better chance of appearing on location-based search pages.
Collaborators
When you invite another account to be a collaborator, upon their acceptance, your post has the ability to appear on their feed in addition to your own feed.
This doubles exposure instantly and places your content in front of a whole new audience.
Ideal collaboration opportunities include:
- Local restaurants and coffee shops
- Lenders and inspectors
- Title companies
- Builders and developers
- Other agents when co-marketing a property
Collaborators are one of the fastest ways to multiply reach without spending money on ads.
4. Add trending audio to Reels and Carousels
Audio may not matter much for static posts, but it plays an important role in Reels and Carousels. Instagram is currently prioritizing Reels that use trending audio, but not the heavily saturated tracks everyone else is using.
The sweet spot is audio that has been used between 5,000 and 20,000 times. This allows your post to benefit from trending momentum without getting buried among hundreds of thousands of other videos.
Trending audio is easy to find inside Instagram’s editor. Look for the arrow icon indicating a track that is picking up steam.
Trending audio works especially well for:
- Listing tours
- Deal-of-the-week carousels
- Local business spotlights
- Short educational posts
The goal is not to dance or follow gimmicks. The goal is simply to pair your valuable content with elements the algorithm is actively boosting. If you’re unsure how to find trending audio, ask ChatGPT to help.
5. Test new ideas with Instagram’s Trials feature
One of the most exciting new tools Instagram has released is the Trials feature. It allows you to post content that is shown primarily to non-followers first, without appearing on your main profile.
Trials is perfect for agents who want to test:
- New hook styles
- New content formats
- New video structures
- Market opinion pieces
- Seller or buyer education scripts
If the content performs well with non-followers, you can publish it straight to your main feed with a single tap.
This gives you a low-risk way to experiment with new ideas while also expanding your reach to audiences who have never engaged with you before. Instagram has explicitly stated that creators using Trials consistently will see stronger distribution.
Instagram continues to be one of the most powerful ways agents can build brand awareness and generate business at scale. The platform is telling us exactly what it wants right now. When you pair those insights with strategic, real-estate-specific execution, the results follow quickly.
If you want to get more traction on Instagram in the months ahead, focus on:
- A powerful hook
- Captions on every video
- Locations and collaborators
- Strategic audio choices
- Testing content through Trials
These are simple adjustments, but each one sends a clear signal to the algorithm that your content is worth distributing.
The agents who lean into Instagram for real estate marketing will have a noticeable advantage as we move into 2026. Instagram rewards the people who adapt, experiment and show up consistently.
