Social media marketing for real estate agents: 30 post ideas for every listing

Many agents post about a listing twice: one "Just listed" photo, then nothing until "Sold". That leaves weeks of good material unused.

Good social media marketing for real estate works the other way. Every stage of a listing gives you something new to show, and the weeks between listings are your chance to show what you know about your area.

Below are 30 ideas by listing stage, each with the best format, followed by platform tips, a weekly schedule, captions, hashtags, compliance and how to measure results.

30 real estate social media post ideas, by listing stage

The formats: a feed post is a 4:5 photo, a story is a 9:16 post that disappears after 24 hours, a reel is a short 9:16 video, and a carousel is a set of swipeable slides.

Coming soon

Check your board's coming soon rules first. Some limit what you can share before a listing is on the MLS®.

1. The teaser. One strong photo, the area and "coming soon". Invite messages for details. Feed.
2. The prep story. The photographer arriving, the sign going in, fresh paint. Story.
3. Guess the street. A nearby park or corner with a poll sticker. Reveal the home on launch day. Story.
4. Three things buyers will notice. Three close-ups, like the fireplace or the garden, with no address yet. Carousel.

Just listed

1. The launch post. Your best photo, the price, beds and baths, what stands out, and how to book a showing. Feed.
2. The photo tour. A cover slide, five photos in walk-through order and a key facts slide. Carousel.
3. The listing reel. 20 to 30 seconds of your best photos, the address on screen and your details at the end. See how to make a real estate video from photos. Reel.
4. The phone walk-through. Walk the home slowly in one take, pointing out what a buyer would ask about. Reel, TikTok or YouTube Shorts.
5. One room, one reason. One photo and one sentence on why the room works. Feed.
6. The area guide. Four or five nearby places with walking or driving times: a park, transit, groceries, schools. Carousel.
7. The link story. A link sticker to the listing website and its full photo gallery. Story.

Open house

1. The announcement. Date, time, address and main photo, three to five days ahead. Feed.
2. The countdown. "Tomorrow, 2 to 4 pm" with a countdown sticker. Story.
3. We're open. A short clip as you open the door. Don't film visitors. Story.
4. The set-up. Signs going out and flyers on the table. Reel.
5. The thank-you. Thank visitors, and say how to book a private showing. Feed or story.

New price

1. The new price post. A "New price" tag, the price and the main photo, worded with your seller's OK. Feed.
2. What the price gets you. Size, lot, parking and the best features, one per slide. Skip "steal" and "won't last". Carousel.
3. The re-cut reel. Your listing reel with a new opening card showing the new price. Reel.

Under contract and sold

1. Under contract. A "Sold conditionally", "Pending" or "Under contract" tag, in your board's term and with your seller's OK. Feed.
2. The sold post. A sold tag and the main photo. No price unless your seller agrees and your board allows it. Feed.
3. How it sold. The challenge, the plan and the result in three to five slides, with no private details. Carousel.
4. The client thank-you. A photo with the keys or a short quote, with written permission. Feed or reel.
5. The neighbour post. "Just sold on your street. Wondering what yours is worth?" Feed or story.

Between listings: local and personal brand

1. The market update. Three or four numbers from your board's monthly stats, what they mean and the source. No predictions. Carousel.
2. A local spotlight. A café, trail or shop you like, with the owner's OK if they appear. Reel or feed.
3. A day in the life. Showings, paperwork and the drive in between. Reel or TikTok.
4. Answer one question. "What does a home inspection cover?" in under a minute, to camera. Reel, TikTok or YouTube Shorts.
5. Myth or fact. A belief clients often mention, and the facts. Name the source of any number. Carousel.
6. Meet me. Who you are, the areas you serve and how you work. Pin it to your profile. Feed or reel.

What to post on each platform

You don't need to be everywhere. Real estate agent social media marketing works best on two platforms you'll actually keep up with.

• Instagram: 4:5 feed posts, carousels, stories for reminders and links, and reels to reach people who don't follow you yet.
• Facebook: your sphere and your local community. Listing posts with more detail, open house reminders and market updates. Read a local group's rules before you post a listing there.
• LinkedIn: your professional network. Sold stories, market updates and lessons from a tricky deal suit it better than a stream of listings.
• TikTok and YouTube Shorts: vertical video. Walk-throughs, quick answers and day-in-the-life clips. Open with your best shot, and add music from the platform's own library when you post.

A simple weekly schedule for one listing

Here's one week for a listing that launches on a Monday, with a weekend open house. Move the days to fit your launch.

After the first week, post about the listing once or twice a week, and fill the other days with ideas 25 to 30.

A caption formula that works

Use five parts in every listing caption:

1. Hook: the news and the place, in the first line.
2. Facts: price, beds, baths and size.
3. One detail: what makes this home different.
4. Call to action: one clear next step.
5. Fine print: your name and brokerage, a disclosure line if any photo is edited, then your hashtags.

For example:

Just listed on Maple Crescent: 3 beds, 2 baths and a south-facing yard.

$849,000 · 1,650 sq. ft. The kitchen was redone in 2024, and the basement has its own entrance.

Open house Saturday, 2 to 4 pm. Message me to book a private showing.

Some photos are virtually staged. Originals: [link]

Jane Agent, ABC Hillside Realty Ltd. #Burnaby #Edmonds #JustListed

Check every fact before you post.

Hashtags: local first, and only a few

Instagram now limits posts and reels to five hashtags (Social Media Today). A few relevant tags work everywhere.

• Start with place: your city and your neighbourhood.
• Add the stage: #JustListed, #OpenHouse, #NewPrice or #Sold.
• Add one general tag if it fits, like #RealEstate.
• Skip trending tags that have nothing to do with the post.
• On Facebook, LinkedIn and TikTok, one to three is plenty.

Compliance on social media: what to check before you post

Social posts are advertising, so the flyer rules apply here too.

• Brokerage name on your profile and every ad. Put it on the image when you can, since images get shared away from your profile. In BC, BCFSA's advertising checklist says your social profile must show it. See ad rules agents often miss.
• Personal Real Estate Corporation wording in BC. If you have a Personal Real Estate Corporation, ads that name you, and your bio, must use the PREC's licensee name, with "Personal Real Estate Corporation" clearly included.
• Your licence number in California. Your name, DRE licence number and responsible broker's identity must appear on first-contact marketing, including online ads (Business and Professions Code 10140.6).
• Label virtually staged and altered photos on the image, and keep the label visible when you crop to 4:5 or 9:16. Show the whole photo on a plain background, or crop first and add the label after. Our guide to honest AI photo edits explains which edits need a label.
• Link to the original photos in the caption or your bio. California's AB 723 requires a disclosure and a link or QR code to the unaltered image. See our virtual staging disclosure guide.
• Describe the home, not the buyer. "Perfect for young families" describes people. The US Fair Housing Act bans housing ads that show a preference based on race, colour, religion, sex, disability, familial status or national origin, and provincial human-rights codes cover similar ground. Try our free fair housing checker.
• Boosted posts. Meta requires the Housing special ad category for housing ads aimed at the US or Canada, which limits targeting by age, gender and postal code (Meta's guide).
• Sold prices only with your seller's consent, and only if your board's rules allow it.
• Client testimonials and photos need the client's written permission first.
• DMs in Canada. The CRTC treats social media direct messages as messages sent to an electronic address. So a DM that promotes your services can fall under CASL: you need consent, must identify yourself and must offer a way to unsubscribe. Public posts generally aren't covered.

How to measure what works

Likes don't tell you much. Once a week, check your insights for:

• Saves: people want to come back to it.
• Shares: people sent it to a friend.
• Profile visits: the post made someone curious about you.
• Link clicks: people went on to the listing website or your agent website.
• Leads: showing requests, messages and open house sign-ups. This one matters most.

Each month, note which post types earned the most saves, shares and leads, and do more of those. For signs and flyers, a QR code with scan tracking shows which offline marketing sends people online.

Where Trulisted fits

Trulisted makes the listing posts on this list from one upload: social media posts and stories in feed, square, carousel and story sizes, captions for Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn, and a 9:16 listing reel. Edited photos are shown whole so their labels stay visible, every image shows your brokerage name, and captions carry the disclosure line and originals link when an edited photo is used.

Listing campaigns remake the set for coming soon, open house, new price and sold, with the sold price hidden unless you choose to show it. QR codes count scans from your sign and flyer and mark the leads they bring in.

It doesn't post or schedule for you: you download the set and post it yourself. Social posts and the reel come with every plan, including your free first listing. Campaigns come with Starter (CA$23 / US$17 a month), Pro, the Group plan and One Listing (CA$34 / US$25 once).

Frequently asked questions

How often should real estate agents post on social media?

Pick a pace you can keep for months. For many agents, that's three to five feed posts a week, plus stories on most days. Post more in a listing's first week and around open houses, and fill quiet weeks with market updates and local posts. Steady beats a burst followed by silence.

What should a real estate agent post on Instagram?

Mix listing posts with local and personal ones. For a listing, post a 4:5 launch photo, a carousel, a reel and a story that links to the listing website. Between listings, share market numbers, local businesses and answers to common questions. Label staged photos, and keep your brokerage name in your bio.

What can I post when I don't have any listings?

Share a monthly market update from your board's stats, a local business you like, a short answer to a common client question, a myth and the facts, or a day in your work. With your client's permission, tell the story of a past sale. These posts build trust with people who aren't ready to move yet.

How many hashtags should a real estate post have?

Three to five on Instagram, which now caps posts and reels at five. Lead with your city and neighbourhood, then the listing stage, such as #JustListed or #OpenHouse, and one general tag if it fits. On Facebook, LinkedIn and TikTok, one to three is plenty. Skip long lists and unrelated trending tags.

Do I need my brokerage name on every social media post?

It depends on where you work. In BC, BCFSA says your profile screen must show your brokerage name, and each post doesn't need it. US states vary, and some expect the broker's name on each ad. The safest habit is to put it on the image itself, because images get shared away from your profile.

Do I have to disclose virtual staging on social media?

Yes. Rules about altered photos apply to all your advertising, not just the MLS®. Keep the label on the image, make sure a 4:5 or 9:16 crop doesn't cut it off, and add a caption line that links to the original photos. In California, AB 723 requires that link for any digitally altered image you advertise.

This article is general information, not legal advice. Advertising, privacy and anti-spam rules differ by province, state, board and brokerage. Check your board and brokerage before you post.