Sometimes the best marketing conversations don’t happen in conference rooms. They happen in everyday moments in the unscripted conversations where ideas flow naturally, and creativity takes over.
Recently, I had the chance to sit down with Eric Simon, better known across the industry as The Broke Agent, and talk about what’s actually working on social media right now. Within minutes, the discussion turned to the types of content formats that stop people mid-scroll and get them to engage.
One theme quickly became clear: Most real estate content doesn’t struggle because the information is wrong. It struggles because the format looks exactly like everything else.
Here are some of the frameworks agents can use to change that.
Start with a pattern interrupt
Scroll through social media long enough, and you’ll notice a pattern. Most real estate videos look the same.
- An agent sitting behind a desk.
- An agent standing in front of a listing.
- An agent delivering five tips to the camera.
That’s why pattern interrupts work. A pattern interrupt is simply something that visually breaks the rhythm of what people expect to see in their feed.
Filming a conversation in a car, for example, immediately feels different. It feels casual and unscripted. It reminds viewers of formats they already recognize from entertainment, things like “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” or “Carpool Karaoke.”
Simon said the familiarity of those formats plays a big role in why they work.
“When you see two people talking in a car, it’s almost voyeur-style content,” Simon said. “You feel like you’re popping in on a conversation. That’s way more interesting than someone just sitting at a desk saying, ‘Here are five reasons to buy a house.’”
When viewers see something that looks familiar but unexpected, curiosity kicks in. They pause to see what’s happening. The lesson for agents: The setting of your content matters just as much as the message.
The ‘man on the street’ format
Another content style that consistently performs well is the man-on-the-street interview. The idea is simple: Walk around a public area, and ask people a question about real estate.
An example question someone might ask using this format is: “What do you think the average home price is in this city?”
The answers are usually wildly inaccurate, and that’s the point. Some people guess $300,000. Others guess $3 million. The range creates entertainment, which then opens the door for education.
Instead of simply stating the average price, you reveal it after showing the guesses. Now the statistic becomes part of a story. And stories hold attention far better than straight information. Simon said the unpredictability of the responses is what makes the format effective.
“You’re going to get hilarious numbers because no one actually knows what the average home price is,” he said. “Some people will say $4 million, some people say $400,000. Then you can come in and say, ‘Actually, it’s $650,000.’ It becomes a much more entertaining way to educate.”
One of the surprising elements of the “man on the street” format is that the mistakes often become the best parts. Some people refuse the interview. Some interactions are awkward.
Showing those moments actually increases engagement because viewers see the creator as human. Perfectly polished marketing content can sometimes feel distant. Authentic content feels relatable.
The ‘FaceTime’-style video hook
Another format gaining traction on social media is what creators often call the FaceTime-style video. Instead of starting the video already talking, the clip begins with the creator setting the phone down, almost like someone just answered a FaceTime call.
The hook might sound like this: “Hey, I just had the craziest conversation with a buyer, and I need to tell you about it.”
That moment creates the illusion that the viewer has entered a live conversation. Simon referenced Marley Presswood, an agent out of the Mount Pleasant, South Carolina area, who has mastered this approach.
“She’ll start every video by saying something like, ‘I just had this conversation with a buyer,’ and then she sets the phone down like she’s FaceTiming someone,” Simon said. “Sometimes she’s making a sandwich or doing something with her hands. It feels like spur-of-the-moment content instead of something overly scripted.”
That sense of spontaneity keeps viewers watching.
Use movement as a hook
Movement at the beginning of a video is one of the easiest ways to capture attention. Instead of starting with a static shot, creators might:
- Walk into frame
- Open a door
- Sit down
- Get into a car
Even a few seconds of motion can make a video feel more dynamic. Simon said those visual cues can buy creators the most valuable currency on social media: attention.
“Even something simple like getting into the car and closing the door becomes a visual hook,” he said. “You immediately think, ‘OK, what is this person about to talk about?’”
Those extra few seconds often determine whether a viewer stays or scrolls.
Timeliness beats timing
One of the biggest misconceptions in social media marketing is that success depends on posting at the perfect time. The reality is that timeliness matters far more than timing.
Timeliness means connecting content to what people are already paying attention to. This strategy is often called trendjacking or newsjacking. Simon shared an example of a meme he posted during the Super Bowl.
“It was literally a two-second video referencing Bad Bunny’s halftime performance,” he said. “It got over a million views and 10,000 shares because everyone was experiencing that moment at the same time.”
For agents, this could mean creating content tied to the following:
- Major sporting events
- Trending television shows
- Local news stories
- Restaurant openings
- New developments
When content feels relevant to the moment, it travels further.
Leverage pop culture in listings
Another tactic many agents are experimenting with is incorporating recognizable audio into listing videos. For example, some agents have used trending audio tied to shows like Dancing With the Stars or The White Lotus. When viewers recognize the audio, they immediately feel connected to the content.
But the key is timing. Simon said posting content tied to pop culture works best when the show or event is currently trending.
“If someone watches that show and hears the audio, they’re instantly hooked,” he said. “Sometimes the audio alone is enough to make someone watch the whole video.”
Look beyond real estate for inspiration
One of the best pieces of advice from the conversation was simple: Stop studying only real estate content. Great creators pull inspiration from everywhere. Comedy creators. Food channels. Lifestyle influencers.
Other industries experiment with storytelling formats constantly. Simon says he spends a lot of time studying how creators outside real estate package their content.
“I’m always looking at what’s working in other industries,” he said. “Sometimes it’s just a simple packaging style or format that you can adapt to real estate.”
Often, the format matters more than the topic.
The simplest strategy of all
After discussing hooks, frameworks, and trends, one insight stood out above the rest. The best content often comes from sharing what you genuinely enjoy.
Simon put it simply: “Post about what you like doing,” he said. “If you’re a golfer, make content on the golf course. Other golfers will connect with that. They’ll think, ‘Oh, this person golfs like me.’”
When agents create content around the things they naturally do, their personality comes through. And personality builds connection. People don’t just hire agents because of expertise. They hire people who make them feel comfortable.
The real goal of real estate content
The ultimate goal of content isn’t to impress other agents. It’s to build familiarity. When someone in your community hears a conversation about buying or selling a home, you want your name to come to mind first.
That happens through consistent visibility. Not one perfect video but a steady stream of authentic moments that show who you are and how you think. Sometimes the best content strategy really is as simple as turning on the camera and capturing the conversation already happening.
March is Marketing and Branding Month at Inman. As the spring selling season kicks in, we’ll examine the proven tactics and new innovations driving results in today’s market — and celebrate the industry’s top marketing and branding leaders with Inman’s Marketing All-Star Awards.
Eric Simon can be found on Instagram.
Jimmy Burgess is the Chief Coaching Officer for HomeServices of America and President of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices. Connect with him on Instagram and LinkedIn.
