Most Real Estate Agents Use Content Marketing Backwards. Here’s How You Can Flip the Script
Depending on who you ask, content marketing is either the oldest trick in the book… or the next big thing. It’s been called everything from a foundational strategy to a revolutionary trend — and that duality says a lot about how misunderstood (and underutilized) it still is in the real estate space.
To be fair, there’s some truth to both perspectives.
On one hand, the idea of using valuable, relevant information to educate and earn trust has been around forever. Cavemen may not have had a blog or social media accounts, but they definitely shared stories around the fire and jotted them down for posterity on the walls of caves.
On the other hand, the rise of the internet, search engines, social platforms, and now AI has turned content marketing into a seemingly cutting-edge discipline, full of tools, tactics, and tech talk. (Spoiler alert: the “cutting-edge” version is often just a noisier, shallower version of what already worked.)
We’ll come back to the AI angle in a bit, because it absolutely plays a role in how agents are misusing content. But for now, the most important point is this:
Content marketing isn’t a phase. It’s not a trend. It’s one of the few strategies that’s stood the test of time, and it’s not going anywhere.
The problem is, even the agents who firmly believe in content marketing — the ones who post consistently, invest time (or money) in good writing, and put effort into their branding — are often using it in a way that’s way too one-dimensional.
They think of content as a line:
Write something ➜ Publish it ➜ Hope people see it ➜ Hope people react to it ➜ File it away
And that’s where so much potential is lost.
Because content isn’t just a post or a newsletter or a one-time campaign. It’s not meant to sit in some digital drawer, gathering virtual dust the second it’s been used once.
When you shift your mindset from “create and forget” to “curate and reuse,” everything changes. The real power of content marketing comes when you start treating it like a library — a dynamic, ever-growing resource you can pull from at the right time, for the right person, in the right context.
When you do that, your old content becomes new again — not to you, but to them. And that’s what matters.
Why So Many Agents Struggle to Create Content in the First Place
No matter how much agents know they should be doing content marketing — or any marketing, really — most just don’t.…
It’s not because they don’t want to. It’s because they’re busy. Showing homes. Writing offers. Putting out fires. It’s hard enough to keep up with real clients in real time, let alone create content that talks to future clients. Not to mention on a tight budget.
So when agents do try to focus on content, they often do it in short bursts — spending an hour on a social post here, a newsletter there, maybe a quick video if they’re feeling ambitious. But then life gets in the way. Deals heat up, or fizzle out. Family stuff comes up. And the content gets put on the backburner until the next slow week (if that ever arrives).
Even the ones who do make time tend to focus on things like overly polished videos, or trend-chasing posts that sound like everyone else. And that’s not entirely their fault either. It’s what the industry pushes.
But that’s exactly where the opportunity is.
If you’re one of the rare agents who’s willing to step back and systematically write and reuse the same smart things you already talk about with clients in conversation — over and over again, with polish and purpose — you’re miles ahead of the game.
And the best part? It doesn’t have to be complicated.
New Tools, Same Problem: Why AI Still Can’t Fix Your Real Estate Content Strategy
There’s no denying that AI is a useful tool people are embracing. It’s showing up in inboxes, blog posts, captions, and just about every listing description that sounds like it was written by a moderately helpful alien.
Agents everywhere are turning to it as a shortcut. A magic wand. A way to crank out content without having to really think about it. Type a prompt, hit submit, and boom — you’ve got a post. Or a blog. Or ten weeks of email copy. No brainstorming, no rewriting, no worrying if it sounds like you. Just…done.
And sure, some agents are going all in on that strategy. Just like others did years ago with keyword-stuffed SEO content. You remember those:
“Buying a home in Tampa? When buying a home in Tampa, it’s important to consider the Tampa home buying process. Tampa buyers buying homes in Tampa need to know the Tampa market.”
(Helpful, right?)
What you end up with is content that technically exists, but doesn’t connect. It’s not written with real people in mind. It doesn’t reflect your voice, your experience, or the actual questions your clients are asking you day after day.
It’s written to accomplish a task and satisfy an agent enough to feel like they can check it off their to-do list.
AI might sound intuitive and customized, but without your direction, it rarely delivers anything meaningful. It can’t anticipate a client’s concerns in the moment. It can’t read the room, pivot, or emphasize what matters most. And it definitely can’t make someone laugh, which is the secret weapon in content marketing.
So yes, AI can be a tool. But it’s merely the latest tool…it’s still up to you to make it truly useful.
And that’s where the shiny object tends to lose its luster. Most agents think AI is not just going to crank out an incredible copy for them, they also think it’ll intuitively know everything it should write about!
How to Build Your Own Content Library (Yes, You Can)
You don’t need to be a full-time marketer or copywriter to create content that actually works. You just need a plan—one that builds over time and leaves you with a ready-to-go content library you can pull from whenever the moment calls for it.
Here’s a simple DIY system you can use:
Step 1: Create an ongoing list of universal topics
Think about the questions, concerns, and situations that always come up with buyers and sellers. Things like:
- What if the appraisal comes in low?
- Should I buy now or wait?
- What do I need to know before selling with pets or kids at home?
At first, it’ll feel daunting—like there’s a never-ending list of content you need to create. But over time you’ll start to see that you’re covering the bases for a lot of topics that come up over and over again with different types of clients.
Pay attention to the things you find yourself talking to clients and prospects about while you’re out on appointments or on the phone. When a great idea hits, don’t drop everything. Just jot it down and add it to your list.
Step 2: Set time aside and write about one of the topics each week.
One of the reasons it’s so daunting is that it almost seems kind of pointless at first when you have very little content. Like what good is this one piece going to do me? So agents tend to feel overwhelmed, and wish they could just snap their fingers and have a ton of content written, or like they should set everything aside and devote tons of time and attention to it in one fell swoop.
Don’t do that. Unless you’re a frustrated novelist trapped in an agent’s body, the last thing you want is to suddenly take on writing full-time.
Start small. Don’t overthink it. Just pick one topic—ideally something universal you’ll use again and again—and write something helpful for a buyer, seller, or homeowner.
The key is to just write like you’re talking to a real person. (Bonus points if you actually picture a past client and write to them.)
Step 3: Use multiple content formats
One topic = several pieces of content. For example:
- A meme to keep it short and funny and just show someone you understand how they think or feel.
- A quick tip or fact blurb you can use as a social post, or meme.
- An email that sounds personal and conversational and addresses something universal so you can send it off to anyone at any time and it’ll sound like you just wrote it to them.
- A blog or article that is meant for a broader audience, and when shared with a specific client in the future, will enhance your authority and credibility having already addressed a topic that affects them.
- If you want to really roll up your sleeves, write a how-to guide or ebook about the entire buying or selling process!
Again, don’t get overwhelmed or bite off more than you can chew. Just use the time you set aside each week to create some form of content you can use over and over again.
Pro tip: If you have to choose…you might want to stick with articles or email templates. Those will be the best way to dig into recurring themes and topics people want information on year after year.
Step 4: Share it when you’re done… and don’t worry if it flops
If you spend the time writing something, you might as well share it with your audience right away! So share it on social media, send it out to your email list, print it out and hang it on your fridge if you want!
But don’t get too upset if nobody pays any attention to it or gives you any likes, comments, or feedback at all…
People are busy and flooded with content day in and day out and are tired of interacting. Or maybe your audience isn’t ready for it yet. Maybe they didn’t even see it.
That doesn’t mean it’s not good.
File it away.
It’s now a part of your library — and that post, email, or guide is going to be exactly what someone wants and needs to read at some point.
It doesn’t need to impress tons of people all at once…it needs to be ready and waiting to impact one person at the right time.
Step 5: Share it with the right people at the right time!
This is what it’s all about. Content marketing done right isn’t just about creating a never-ending stream of new content that your audience will read over time and remember. It’s for you to share with someone when it’ll actually resonate with them.
Every buyer, seller, renter, and homeowner moves through the process in their own way. But they all share the same universal questions and concerns.
So while you can certainly set up a funnel of content to be dripped and served to your prospects and clients…
…if you want to take it to the next level, don’t just set it and forget it! Be constantly thinking about your content library and look for opportunities to share a specific piece of content with your prospect.
Or… Let a Search Tool Do the Heavy Lifting
Yes, it takes time to build your own library from scratch—but it’s absolutely worth it.
Still, if you’d rather skip the “blank page” part and start with a deep well of ready-made content (all designed to sound like you wrote them), our Inner Circle membership might be exactly what you need if you don’t have the time, patience or writing chops to build a content library from scratch.
You’ll have access to thousands of ready-to-use pieces—memes, articles, email templates, and over 20 different how-to guides you can brand as your own with the click of a button.
Instead of spending your time writing content every day or week, spend just a few minutes using our search tool to find the perfect piece to send to a client or prospect—something that speaks directly to what they’re going through… or what they didn’t even realize they needed to know!
