To help you crush it on Instagram this year, I’m sharing 14 Instagram hacks I used to build my account, The Broke Agent, and the account of our media company, BAM. 

1. Switch Up Your Location Tags

Most agents know that one of the easiest Instagram (IG) tricks is geotagging every post when relevant. After all, you are trying to get business from clients in a specific area, right? One Instagram hack many agents don’t know is that switching up location tags can help get you in front of more people and is a great way to boost engagement.

So try tagging different neighborhoods, small towns, businesses, country clubs, and coffee shops (aka places your current and future clients might be) alongside broader locations like cities or states. Mix it up and see which locations get you the most reach. 

All you have to do when adding a new Instagram post is click the “Add Location” button and choose the location you want to appear on your post when published. Plus, you don’t have to physically be in an area to tag it as long as the location is relevant to the post or caption.

2. Juice the Algorithm

Direct messaging is an excellent strategy for getting more engagement on your posts. How, you ask? Well, any interaction with other users notifies Instagram that your accounts are connected. The more you DM someone, the more they will show up in your feed, and vice versa, as IG views DMs as the most powerful form of communication.

The strategy is simple. Spend 15 minutes before and after you post responding to people’s stories and responding to your own DM’s. 

Another of the best Instagram hacks is returning to your previous posts and liking some old comments. Engaging with these accounts will increase the likelihood that your next post will appear in their feed.

3. Go Live

This trick is a secret of the pros. The second you post something, go live on Instagram. This will put you at the top of people’s feeds and get people interacting with your account if they join. 

IG also likes it when you use all of its features, so the more lives you do, the more they will push your content. Even if you go live for one second and sign off immediately, it will still probably push your recent post in people’s feeds since they see your name pop up on the LIVE where stories are.

You can also plan to host a live event for your followers through Instagram. Some ideas include educating your clients about the market, doing a walk-through of a new listing, introducing yourself to a new farm area, or inviting a guest, like a mortgage broker, to answer client’s burning questions.

4. Start an IG Story With Engagement

Starting your story with a reshare or a link will hurt your story views. Instead, start your story with something engaging that gets DMs: the more DMs and story responses, the more story views. So, ask a question, do a poll, post a sticker that gets reactions, or post something organic. You can also take a front-facing selfie that gets people to react.

5. Work With a Content Creation Platform Like BAMx

Going at content creation alone can take a lot of work. The algorithms are constantly shifting, and we are pulled in many directions by so many different “coaches” and “gurus.” That’s why we created BAMx, our membership platform where you get the content, the training, and the community. 

Every week in BAMx, our members get three social media templates, two video scripts, and one email script to send to your database, all with relevant, up-to-the-week data for you to customize, brand, and post. Every month, you get a new course from BAM Creators, who actually show you how to use these platforms, get engagement, and convert them into clients.

We also have a biweekly mastermind and private member group, so every question you have gets answered. Join one of the fastest-growing communities in real estate, grow your brand, and sell more homes.

6. Reset the Story Algorithm

Wait for your story to expire after 24 hours before posting your next story. This pause resets the algorithm and feeds your new story to more people. The science behind this is that Instagram tests your latest post and does not tie it to the views and engagement of yesterday’s story. Timing your posts is the simplest of the Instagram tricks.

7. Post Links on the Last Story of the Day

If you post a link and want to get a lot of clicks, ensure it is the LAST story you post of the day. If you have another story following the one with a link, people will naturally go to the next one to see what it is. 

So, end your story with a link if you plan on plugging one that day. And the fewer links, the better … they kill engagement on stories because it drives people off-platform. 

8. Use Your Story to Tease Your Reel

Go to “Create Mode” in your IG Story with an all-black or white background and use your story to tease the Reel you just posted. Think of it like a cover photo call to action to watch. You can say something simple like “New Reel” with an arrow pointing right, followed by your Reel. Or you can tease it with something more click-baity like “Want to see my new listing under $800,000 with an incredible kitchen?” Then, story your Reel.

Once you share your Reel, expand it to fill up the entire story. This will make it look like a continuation of the story and will most likely get more views since it’s not a smaller image, directing people toward your Feed.

9. Write Engaging Captions With CTAs

Calls to action (CTAs) in captions are another Instagram hack you can use to boost engagement. Now, you can physically tell people to like, comment, and share your post, but that’s always been cringe in my opinion. They will share it if they want to.

If you’re having trouble creating engaging captions, ask yourself: “What statement or question can I post to trigger more comments and engage my audience?”

Here are some examples:

• Which view do you like better? 1 or 2?
• Scale of 1-10: How important is the backyard when considering a house?
• Would you rather live in a house without air conditioning or heat?
• Tag someone who needs a bidet in their bathroom!

Extra hack: Use the poll feature in your caption to get data on your audience and, of course, increase engagement.

10. Take Advantage of Long Captions

Extended captions force people to read longer, which signals to Instagram that they are spending more time on your post. This means that your content should be pushed to more people. So try using your caption to tell a story about a house, a deal, or a client. 

Also, use keywords in your captions to attract your target audience. Include words like real estate, the location, and what the post is about to make your content more searchable. For example, “luxury real estate,” “apartment hunting,” and “Las Vegas home search.” 

11. Post Attention-grabbing Comments on Your Photos

Yes, you read that correctly. Comment on your photo and think of it as a secondary caption. This Instagram hack invites more comments and catches the attention of people who may not read the entire caption but instead head straight to the comments. Sometimes, I’ll give one call to action in the caption and then another in the comments!

Here is an example from my feed that got 481 comments. I posted an engaging caption and TWO comments on my post, like an absolute SAVAGE! One of the best Instagram hacks.

Look. At. That. Engagement. I had people captioning the photo and replying to my comment about showing the house with the snake around the lockbox. I also shared this post to my Story and used the “vote” feature to see if they would show it or not. It was a masterclass in engagement. My phone almost exploded with notifications.

Pro tip: Pin your own comment and another comment that you think will encourage more engagement.

12. Reply to All Comments on Your Posts

Another Instagram hack to try is commenting back to everyone who comments on your posts. This tip is especially crucial for the first hour of the post. If people see a post with many comments, they are likely to stop scrolling, look at what all the fuss is about, and comment themselves.

Also, when people see an account commenting back, they get excited at the opportunity to interact with that person directly. Gary Vee responded to my comment once, and now I comment on every photo, hoping to relive the best moment of my life.

Most importantly, commenting back doubles the number of comments on your post.

If you want to TRIPLE your comments, ask the people who commented a question. This hack will solicit another response and continue the conversation. 

13. Include Relevant Hashtags

Instagram is about to limit the number of hashtags to five. This cutback is good because 30 was ridiculous and unhelpful. If you use captions, include them in the caption as intended, not in the comment section. 

Also, make sure the hashtags are relevant to your actual post. For example, if you are doing an open house in Santa Monica, use a range of specific hashtags that vary in size, like #santa monica, #santamonicaopenhouse, #santamonicarealestate, #openhouse, and #larealestate. You never want to include something super broad that has nothing to do with the post, like #hustle or #grinding.

Want more hashtag ideas? Check out The Close article 107+ Top Real Estate Hashtags: Instagram, Twitter & More.

14. Use Instagram’s Newest Features

Whenever Instagram comes out with a new feature, jump on it immediately. They always push accounts and content that try out their latest gadgets. So, whether it’s polls in captions, collabs, Notes, Reels, Story templates, or whatever … give it a try and watch your content fly.

Not only is it important to stay up to date with Instagram tips and tricks, but you also need to be aware of the updates Instagram is giving to their platform. Here are a few:

AI Features

Instagram is testing artificial intelligence (AI) chat features in the US for group and individual chats. This feature will act as an assistant to help you create AI-generated images, provide recommendations, and connect with the right audience. 

Messaging

Your DMs are getting an upgrade with read receipts, theme personalization, and editing capabilities. You’ll also be able to pin important conversations to the top of your message box to ensure no leads fall through the cracks.

Security

Instagram is working to secure accounts from scams and impersonations. They will send warnings if deceptive messages are sent to your account or if scam follow-up requests are received. Also, they will alert you of suspicious links to prevent you from clicking on them.

Over to You

What are your Instagram hacks? How are you boosting engagement on Instagram? Let us know in the comments!

The post 14 Instagram Hacks From The Broke Agent appeared first on The Close.

Fast forward to 2023, where the landscape of real estate Instagram (IG) has completely changed for the better. Agents have embraced authenticity and found countless ways to promote their real estate business through entertaining, educational content—without being too salesy. 

If you want to grow your own account, you need to learn from agents who are already racking up followers, likes, and leads. To help, I put together this list of the best real estate Instagram accounts to follow for inspiration and strategies to grow your following.

1. Taya DiCarlo @tayadicarlo

Taya DiCarlo is a Compass agent in the South Bay area of Los Angeles. If I had to recommend one profile for new agents to draw inspiration from, this would be it. Her feed is a perfect variety of real estate posts, market updates, humor, education, hobbies, and family life.

Her content is both professional and relatable as she showcases her wins, losses, and charismatic personality. My favorite part about her real estate Instagram is her weekly series called “Taya’s 2 Cents.” In it, she educates her followers on everything from real estate definitions to the aspects of a deal.

Key Takeaways for Realtors

• Create a weekly show like “Taya’s 2 Cents.” It will help you stay consistent and give you something to regularly send to your database.
• Don’t just share your wins. Watching a real estate robot pump out nothing but success stories isn’t very relatable.

2. Gila Goodman @agentgila

Gila Goodman has some of the best house tour content in the real estate game. I particularly like her voice-overs and her simple verbal hooks, such as, “This is what you can get in Lake Las Vegas.” All agents can replicate this formula in their own markets with a hook like, “Here’s what you can get for $2 million in {your area}.” 

Notice how she’s always at the beginning of every video, which helps with retention because people want to see you and not just the property. It makes it more visually appealing and adds a personal touch. I also love the idea of doing voice-overs after you film. This puts less pressure on you to nail it in a traditional real estate tour video, where you awkwardly have to detail every aspect of the property. 

Key Takeaways for Realtors

• Voice-overs are a very popular content style that more Realtors should implement in their property tours.
• Some of the best hooks in the game are, “Here’s what you can get…” Try it in your market.

The Close Recommends

If you want to build a successful Instagram following of your own, it starts with sharing content your audience will actually enjoy. Coffee & Contracts provides exclusive content for agents to customize, brand, and share on social media (including materials developed by The Broke Agent himself). As a special thank you to Close readers, use promo code THECLOSE for $15 off your first month.

Check Out Coffee & Contracts

3. Jason Cassity @jason_cassity

Jason Cassity is a team leader with Real in San Diego. What I like about Jason’s Instagram is that it doesn’t annoy me. He posts with a purpose and focuses on quality over quantity. For example, during the height of the pandemic, he filmed videos that promoted restaurants and small businesses and provided COVID resources for his followers. He also did a cool IG Live series where he interviewed other agents, organizers, and marketing experts and later published them in full to Instagram.

He comes across as a genuine, approachable community leader who isn’t constantly trying to jam real estate down everyone’s throat. Almost all of his Instagram content is educational or helpful to people in San Diego. His best videos are when he does listicle breakdowns about San Diego restaurants. Here’s an example:

Tactically, this video is really smart because he tagged the restaurants for shares and exposure and gets a great conversation going in the comments as his audience voices its opinions. 

Key Takeaways for Realtors

• Film listicles, meaning videos with numeric lists. They make people watch the entire video and often create great debates in the comments.
• Food videos always crush: Highlighting your favorite coffee shops, breweries, and sushi restaurants is a great way to promote local businesses and keep people watching. 

4. Krys Benyamein @krysbenyamein

In a world oversaturated with content in a never-ending fight to capture attention, the first two seconds of a video must hook you in and stop you from scrolling. Nobody has better hooks than Krys Benyamein. This guy will pop under bathroom stalls, jump on the screen, or just use his clever repertoire of verbal scroll-stoppers to make sure that you watch his content—and also watch it all the way through.

He’s funny, informative, inspirational, and does a great job of mixing in content for his market and for other agents, building a large referral network and database. Take particular notice of how he films his green-screen videos and try to replicate it in your own market!

Key Takeaways for Realtors

• Without a powerful hook, nobody will watch. The first two to three seconds are crucial for the performance of your video.
• When using a green screen, make sure to have constant movement to keep people’s attention. Don’t just sit there with the same static background: Jump around to different parts and highlight the sections that you’re speaking about while you’re speaking about them.

5. Kyle Toomey @kyle_toomey

Kyle Toomey knows that our attention span is nonexistent. So, he found a clever way to make sure we watch every second of his videos. (BTW, video retention is the number one metric you should be focused on. More than likes, comments, shares, or saves.) 

Kyle gives what he calls “Gen Z” house tours, where he athletically speeds through his listings while hilariously showing the features of the house. He knows that movement = attention in today’s content space. That’s why he also does educational videos in a full-out sprint (see above).

Key Takeaways for Realtors

• Speed and quick-cuts are great ways to keep people’s attention throughout your videos. Your number one goal with Reels should be retention, and Kyle’s “Gen Z” style of filming with constant movement is definitely something to emulate.

6. Matt Lionetti @matt.lionetti

Matt Lionetti is a top producer with The Agency in Toronto. He also happens to be my arch nemesis and my co-host on the Over Ask Podcast. So, this pick is slightly self-serving.

But, as much as I hate to admit it, Matt produces the funniest and most accurate real estate videos on Instagram. His first posts were skits of frustrating, yet all-too-relatable phone conversations with clients and other agents. He really started to gain traction after his infamous “Freddie Mercury” parody, and has now reached legend status among his agent peers.  

His edgy car rants almost always go viral and his content has continued to evolve as his focus shifts to giving his listings as much exposure as possible. Matt understands that humor is the ultimate attention-grabbing hook, and his unique ways to work laughs into his listing videos remain unparalleled. 

Key Takeaway for Realtors

• It’s not always the highly produced videos that get the most traction. The authenticity of filming in the car is relatable to everyone, especially other Realtors. 

7. Aken Moose Musa @yourfriendlyneighborhoodmoose

Aken Musa, aka “Moose,” is a Connecticut agent with one of the best personalities on Instagram. He takes the happiest closing pics with his clients that I’ve ever seen. It’s actually kind of annoying because I’m cynical and jealous that he has clients and successful transactions. Even still, it’s hard not to smile at his posts.

Moose posts a wide variety of content on Instagram that includes home improvement tips, wacky marketing promos, rap parodies, and memes. He’s also recently made multiple appearances on HGTV’s “House Hunters.” He looks to me like a fun guy to have 10 closing drinks with, and I imagine his followers and clients feel the same.

Key Takeaways for Realtors

• Variety is very important to growing an Instagram following and keeping people’s attention. Always be switching up the style of post: feed, carousel, still image, Reels, etc.
• The more you smile, the more likely people are to follow you and work with you.

8. Dan O’Neil @danoneil

Dan O’Neil built the number one team on Long Island all while maintaining a perfectly trimmed beard and neckline. He caught my attention when he posted a hilarious real estate parody of the Netflix show “You.” He seems to outdo himself with every video, as he can be seen falling off jet skis, riding horses, and smashing fax machines with a bat.

Next, I’m assuming Dan is going to tightrope walk the Grand Canyon with nothing but a just listed sign for balance. Recently, Dan’s content has shifted from strictly comedy to opening his new office in Sarasota, building his team, business planning, and more serious content about who he is as a person. His Instagram stories are pure chaos, but he does a fantastic job at posting about his life as if it were his own personal reality show. And as a result, his audience is always invested in his shenanigans and adventures. 

Key Takeaways for Realtors

• If you’re trying to grow a team page, make sure you collab with all the agents on the team to grow all the accounts together.
• Find other ways to show you’re closing business than the just solds and just listeds. Dan O Neil’s fun bell-ringing technique on his team page is a great way to showcase victories without posting a boring, generic graphic.

9. Marie Lee @movemetotennessee

Every agent should be optimizing their Instagram profile to get as many follows and leads as possible. If there is one profile setup I recommend copying, it is Marie Lee from Tennessee. 

First off, the “movemeto____” IG handle is iconic. Just like Katie Day’s @movemetotx, it immediately tells people what you do in a fun and clever way that can be branded across all platforms. Also, her username—“Marie Lee ⌂ Nashville Realtor”—is specific and searchable (important because your handle and username are the only things searchable on IG profiles). 

She also includes a great call to action in her profile with her link called “Freebies and Consults.” This leads to her linktree with options for a consultation, newsletter sign-up, and a lead magnet for a free buyer’s guide. That last one is a great setup to book appointments with prospects and get them into your database with an enticing downloadable. 

Her highlight section, overall aesthetic, and IG layout are also something I would copy. She has cover photos for her Reels (making her content more rewatchable than the average profile) and has pinned posts showing exactly who she is and what she does. Oh, I forgot to mention her actual content is also fantastic. 

Key Takeaways for Realtors

• Make sure your profile is optimized to convert followers and leads.
• Have a strong call to action in your bio that goes to a lead magnet, an appointment scheduler, or a linktree that includes all of the above.

10. Derrick Gregory @derrickswflrealtor

Derrick Gregory is a Florida Realtor whose Instagram strategy has been to go heavy on high-quality comedy videos. He does parodies, Reels, memes, and character-driven skits, and recently collaborated on one of the most viral videos of the year, “If Brokerages Were People.” 

When you go to his feed, you will immediately notice a consistent aesthetic, eye-catching thumbnails, and hyper-relevant content. It seems like he’s got a video for every holiday or pop culture event that takes place. I wouldn’t be surprised if he makes a video for Flag Day. 

Another thing I like about Derrick is that he has the guts to go live on Instagram. Even if he’s just playing the ukulele to seven viewers, he understands that going live pushes his name and content to the top of people’s feeds. The goal of a real estate agent is to stay top of mind, and Derrick Gregory is always at the top of your feed. He should make a shirt that says, “Top of your mind and top of your feed.” Actually, no, he shouldn’t.

Key Takeaways for Realtors

• Trendjack as much as possible: Creating content around relevant holidays and pop culture events will give your content an enormous boost in engagement. 
• Try to maintain your own aesthetic on Instagram. Consistent color schemes and posting styles help condition your audience to recognize your real estate brand.

11. Kim Santana @buffalorealestatelady

Kim Santana is a Buffalo real estate agent—and I know this because her Instagram handle says so. Kim has a “unique” Instagram approach where she actually memes herself and puts captions above her own pictures and poses. She must have read my e-book.

My favorite part about her Instagram profile is her Story strategy. She does funny rants in her car and consistently engages with her followers via polls and questionnaires. If you follow her, you will also get the pleasure of occasionally seeing her cute and fluffy doodle, Louie.

Key Takeaways for Realtors

• If you are going the meme route, use yourself as the meme (in your feed) instead of a trending photo. It makes it more personal and will perform better since your audience already recognizes you in the content.

12. Byron Lazine @byronlazine

Byron Lazine is a real estate renaissance man as well as my partner and cofounder of our media company, BAM. He runs the number one team in Connecticut, hosts three podcasts (including a live show called the “Hot Sheet” every weekday at 9:30 Eastern Time), and runs the business operations of BAM. 

Byron’s Instagram content is unique in the real estate space because of his podcast clips and unique, seasoned takes on industry news. He’s become a go-to voice and commentator, breaking down market nuances, current events, unfiltered opinions about useless trade organizations, brokerage gossip, and more. Nobody produces more podcasts and content than Byron.

The more you watch Byron’s content, the more you learn about what’s going on in the real estate industry. He’s a great example of how you can spin your local real estate market’s news into your own shows and mini-media company.

Key Takeaways for Realtors

• Use the news as much as possible in your content. The most powerful form of trendjacking is using local news in green screens, blogs, and YouTube videos. 
• Use news headlines as your video titles since they are already trending.

13. Dan Lee @dan_lee_plum

Dan Lee is an Australian agent with Plum Property. His Instagram is full of high-production, fast-paced, comedic listing and marketing videos that look like they were shot in Hollywood. One of my favorites is a seven-step series called “The Road to Tosser,” where he plays the character of an insufferable real estate asshole, similar to the ones I mentioned in the intro. It’s basically a “what not to do” guide for real estate agents, and he nails every single one of them. The series is legitimately laugh-out-loud funny.

One other takeaway I have from his content is that Dan starts nearly every video off with a quick-hitting joke. He understands that the first three seconds are critical to keep the audience engaged and watching.

Key Takeaways for Realtors

• Having a series like “Road to Tosser” is a great way to get people invested in your content and account.

14. Eric Simon @thebrokeagent

Editor’s note: I was given the rather unpleasant task of editing Eric’s “article” and wanted to point a few things out. First, he handed in his first draft on crumpled up Burger King napkins he found under the seat of his car. Second, Eric is way too modest for someone who runs a bona fide real estate comedy empire. As any agent on the platform knows, @thebrokeagent is the funniest real estate Instagram account around. So if you’ve been living under a rock for the past few years and don’t know about his profile, do yourself a favor and follow him right now as well as his media company, @nowbam. 

Key Takeaways for Realtors

• Consistency is everything. I didn’t grow this account from a viral post or re-share, I grew it by posting every single day on my feed and Story no matter what. It’s all about getting points on the board and setting up digital real estate signs in everyone’s head.

15. Shane Burgman @shaneburgman

Shane might have the highest-quality videos in real estate Instagram. The audio and visual experience watching a Shane Burgman video is so different from watching normal real estate content. You can tell how much effort he puts into each video. Also, he’s extremely versatile. He posts clips from his podcasts, agent-to-agent tips, hyperlocal content for his clients, and trendjacks more than I do. I checked in on him midway through October and he’d already posted like, five Halloween videos. His content is always cutting-edge, funny, and relevant. 

Key Takeaways for Realtors

• Having great lighting and audio in your videos is highly appreciated by the audience. Spending the extra few bucks on a good mic and ring light, as well as the right background, can take your content to the next level.

5 Steps to Grow Your Real Estate Instagram Account in 2023

Hey all, Emile here. Since Eric is busy running his new site, BAM Media, I wanted to quickly jump in and offer something you’ve all been asking for: Actionable advice for how to actually grow your real estate Instagram account in 2023. Here are the five steps that most successful accounts used to grow their following. I also included links to deep-dive articles to learn more. 

1. Create Your Instagram Bio

If you want to actually get leads from Instagram, you need to make sure your bio sells your personal brand. Trust me, leads will check out your bio before even thinking about reaching out. 

If you need some bio inspiration, check out Jodie Cordell’s excellent guide below. She goes over 20 example bios, and even better, explains why they work.

2. Use Our Marketing Calendar to Plan Your Posts  

If you want to get more likes, comments, and followers on Instagram, you need to post consistently. That means planning out your posts each month so you’re not scrambling for ideas at the last second. 

To help you get started, we put together a full year’s worth of social media marketing ideas here:

3. Sign Up for a Social Media Marketing Service

Instead of reinventing the wheel every time they post, smart agents use templates from social media marketing services like Coffee & Contracts, LabCoat Agents Marketing Center, and Agent Crate. 

If you want to focus on short-form video, Coffee & Contracts even includes scripts for Reels that you can practice and post without writing your own. Check out the various marketing company reviews from The Close below to learn more.

4. Learn How to Make Short-form Videos      

Since quick-hit video sites like TikTok launched, Instagram has been slowly losing market share. To compete, they tweaked their algorithm to favor video in a big way. If you want your content to actually show up in your follower’s feeds, you need to learn the art of short-form video. 

Parkbench has a great crash course in video. Read our review of the course here to decide if it’s right for you:

5. Engage With Popular Local Accounts & Influencers 

After short-form video, the next thing the Instagram algorithm looks for is engagement. Since it will be hard to get your followers to engage with your content before you have real momentum, you can cheat a bit and engage with popular local accounts and influencers. So like their posts, leave comments, and try to add value or humor to local accounts to get your profile noticed. 

If you want to more tips for how to build engagement on your own account, check out Eric’s guide here:

Over to You

There are many more agents who are crushing it on real estate Instagram, but I had to stop somewhere. Overall, it’s been awesome to see so many agents embrace their personalities and utilize humor as a tool for Instagram growth and marketing. 

Who are your favorite agents on Instagram? Let me know who I should follow next in the comment section.

The post 15 Must-follow Real Estate Instagram Accounts (+ 5 Growth Hacks) appeared first on The Close.