Should a realtor start a local news brand?
Short answer
It can work, and realtors are already out-reaching legacy local media on social. The rule: keep self-promotion to about 10%. Do a housing report now and then, but 90% of what you publish should be about the town. Expect a long horizon; even a realtor newsletter sold with a 6-to-12-month horizon lost a client around month three.
A lot of realtors are starting to do local news, and it's hurting legacy local media, because the realtors get way more traction than the outlets doing the actual reporting. They repackage local news in a more engaging format. I expect a lot more of this.
What's the biggest mistake realtors make?
Doing it in their own name and constantly pushing "I'm a real estate agent, hire me." You're building a local brand. You happen to sell houses.
"Do it a little bit, housing reports, but 90% of what you do needs to be not that."
Is real estate a good fit for a local newsletter?
Yes, with a caveat. Realtors only need a couple of deals; one a year and they're good. That makes a local audience valuable. It also means the volume is low. Only about 2% or 3% of people buy a home or get a new roof in a given year, which is why I think insurance agents are an even better fit (everybody buys insurance).
How long until it pays off?
Longer than most realtors expect. A realtor newsletter service I'm involved with sold it as a "digital billboard" with a 6 to 12 month horizon, and it still lost a client around month three over cost and no visible results. Part of that was the client not doing his part.
The hard part is attribution. When a client closes a big deal without ever clicking a link in the newsletter, nobody can prove the newsletter did it. Clients compare that to ads that show results instantly. My fix is capturing intent at signup with a conditional form, so you know which readers are thinking about buying or selling.
Will other realtors buy into this?
Not until they see proof. My neighbor is huge in real estate and loved the idea, but told me nobody would buy it until we had proof that it produced real estate deals. Realtors with a back-end business do have an edge over side hustlers, though. The newsletter becomes a high-engagement lead engine for something they already sell.
What should a realtor's local brand include?
- A neutral town or region name, not your name.
- A face who posts first-person local content on Instagram.
- A newsletter about restaurants, openings, events and local news.
- Occasional housing reports.
- Your brokerage in the footer.
The broader playbook is in how a local business can use a media brand to win customers.
Answered by TJ Larkin. From office hours, consulting calls and peer conversations in 2025 and 2026. Last updated .