If you’re a realtor trying to get press coverage to build your brand, you’ll find that pitching journalists can be a real challenge. That’s why I’ve gathered a few of the best methods to master real estate public relations. With a good strategy and consistent effort, real estate agents can successfully generate PR that moves the needle in their business.
Why Is PR in Real Estate Important?
Contrary to popular belief, PR isn’t only important for large corporations or celebrities. In fact, real estate public relations is a critical piece of a growing agent’s business. PR in real estate encompasses your brand’s reputation, visibility, and credibility.
A real estate agent not known by community members or readily available will have difficulty building a client base and generating leads. By using specific PR strategies, agents will naturally generate more real estate leads, build a strong network of leads and partners, and ultimately create a sustainable business.
1. Build Authority Within a Specialty
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Cost: Free
Real estate is a competitive industry, with over 3 million active agents in the US. Public relations aims to stand out from the crowd and become your area’s go-to real estate professional. Therefore, you must build a sense of authority by carving out a niche where you are a clear expert.
With a clearly defined specialty and active online presence, you can more effectively showcase your expertise and share valuable insights. This clarity builds trust and credibility and provides real estate public relations firms and publications with tangible evidence of your industry knowledge and thought leadership.
Make sure to build your authority with key branding elements, like:
- Professional real estate logo
- Relevant realtor slogan
- A good supply of business cards
- A clear agent bio
- An effective real estate website
The other PR strategies you implement can succeed by starting with a solid real estate niche. Therefore, choose a real estate niche that fits your experience and interests. For example, if you have a background in interior design, you can develop a niche as a real estate sales agent and design expert. On the other hand, if you’re passionate about cryptocurrency, you can present yourself as an expert on the future of cryptocurrency in real estate. For more niche ideas, read about Red-hot Real Estate Niches That Can Double Your GCI.
2. Use HARO (Now Connectively) to Get Quoted in Publications
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Cost: $0-149 per month
One of the most direct paths to get your real estate brand circulating in the press is to use Connectively (formerly HARO), an online service designed to connect publications with sources. As a real estate agent, you are a valuable source of information, and using Connectively makes it easy for major journalists and publications to find you. For example, our agents have used this platform to get quoted in Forbes, Apartment Therapy, Realtor Magazine, Inman, Realtor.com, Brick Underground, Fit Small Business, and even The Close!
Help a Reporter Out (HARO) was a well-known platform for connecting with publications. Cision has rebranded HARO and moved it to Connectively. Both platforms are currently available, and the following tips apply to both websites.
A few important tips for sending successful HARO pitches include:
- Create custom searches and alerts: Connectively allows you to search for specific queries from publications by keywords like “real estate.” Save these searches and get automatic email alerts on the paid plan.
- Respond quickly: Respond quickly when you see a query that fits your brand and expertise. Many queries are time-sensitive, and journalists are more likely to use your quote if they see it before others.
- Include your contact information, a link to your website, and your realtor headshot: By including contact information and further details in your pitch, journalists don’t have to send additional messages and are more likely to choose your pitch.
- Don’t ignore anonymous inquiries: The New York Times and other major outlets often submit anonymous queries, so respond to all queries that fit your expertise.
- Respond to the query directly and thoroughly: Include enough information in your pitch to answer the query completely, but don’t overexplain yourself or your business. Journalists want to know that you are the best source for their needs.
3. Create & Distribute Real Estate Content
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Cost: Free
It is always valuable to actively search for opportunities for PR in real estate, but it is even more ideal for journalists to reach out to you directly for quotes or story ideas. You must create and distribute content effectively for press opportunities to find you. This content can include engaging social media posts, informative website articles, insightful blog posts, compelling emails, newsletters, and press releases.
A strong online presence is crucial to generating PR for real estate agents. However, many agents create content, post it to their profile, and hope it will magically attract busy journalists and their local target audience.
To build recognition, you need a strong distribution strategy. This can include resharing content on multiple social media networks, sending emails, guest speaking on podcasts, attending networking events, or sending direct mail. By choosing a strong real estate niche, creating content, and actively distributing it online, you may be surprised at how powerfully your authority is solidified.
4. Pitch Directly to Publications
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Cost: Free
One of the most direct ways to generate PR in real estate is to pitch story ideas to local publications. Leverage seasonal events, current news, or emerging trends in the real estate market to offer stories or unique perspectives that interest a local audience. This method requires time and effort to generate story ideas and find contact information, but it can be an especially powerful real estate marketing idea because it positions you directly in front of a local audience.
For example, one real estate team leader was spotlighted in Pittsburgh Magazine for discussing a new and interesting concept about artificial intelligence (AI) in real estate. Look for opportunities in regional magazines, online publications, real estate podcasts, or even local celebrities or influencers.
Here are some online publications where you can pitch story ideas:
- Real Estate Agent Magazine: An online and print magazine for real estate agents
- Realtor.com® Resource Hub: The blog section of the realtor.com website, which gets millions of monthly views from real estate professionals, homebuyers, and homesellers
- Inman: A widely respected publication about the real estate industry
- The Real Deal: A real estate news magazine that is primarily focused on New York City
- Curbed: An online publication that covers a variety of topics about homes and real estate
- VanEducation Center: A real estate education platform that accepts contributions about real estate news, trends, education, and marketing
- Realty Times: An online real estate publication for both real estate professionals and homeowners
- HousingWire: A well-known real estate magazine that addresses news in the real estate and mortgage industries and frequently publishes op-eds from industry professionals
5. Partner With Influencers
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Cost: Free to thousands, the range is based on the influencer and the agreement
Building an audience takes time and consistency. However, you can partner with people who already have an audience to increase your publicity. This is one of the strategies we use at The Close to reach real estate agents with our content.
For example, Instagram allows you or another account to create a post that will be placed on both of your profiles. This automatically puts your content in front of everyone who follows another local professional or influencer in your area. This is a great way to reach a highly targeted audience and build relationships with other business owners in your community.
6. Get on Real Estate Podcasts
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Cost: Free
Podcasts have become extremely popular over the last few years, with over 504 million listeners in 2024. Real estate podcasts cover everything from real estate investing to general real estate strategy. Pitching yourself as a guest speaker to podcasters can be an excellent PR strategy that can put you in front of a new audience. One of the main benefits of appearing on podcasts is that they offer you a chance to dive deep into your subject and show off your expertise.
Pro tip: Include a link to your website in the podcast description and add the podcast logo to your website. This helps convert podcast listeners into new leads.
7. Hire a Publicist to Pitch for You
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Cost: Can range from hourly rates for freelancers to $2,000 retainers with PR firms
If manually drumming up story ideas and writing pitch emails doesn’t appeal, another option is to hire a publicist to pitch for you. This strategy can be a significant upfront investment, but it may also generate a great return on investment (ROI) because many journalists would rather work with a professional publicist than an individual. Plus, publicists already have a network of media contacts, so they can get your story to the right places at the right time.
Large real estate public relations firms and PR companies can charge $2,000 or more as a retainer, but you can search online for local or real estate-specific firms. A more affordable option is to search for PR consultants on freelancer sites like Upwork or Fiverr. They may have less experience and fewer contacts, but will often work for much lower hourly rates. Unless you’re running a large team, you will likely only need a few hours per month of their time. Also, some larger brokerages like Douglass Elliman have in-house PR teams.
FAQs: Real Estate Public Relations
What is public relations in real estate?
Real estate public relations can differ slightly for individual agents vs large brokerages or companies. However, it includes all the strategies used to manage or influence the public’s perception of the real estate business, including social media, local publications, charity work, sponsorships, and community involvement.
Is public relations good for real estate?
Yes, PR is extremely important for real estate professionals. A strong PR campaign goes hand-in-hand with a strong marketing strategy and will build brand recognition and authority. By starting with a strong online presence, generating publicity will multiply an agent’s reach and expose them to new potential clients.
What is the difference between in-house public relations & public relations agencies?
A public relations agency or firm is a separate company that works with a real estate agent or broker to generate more press and manage their visibility and reputation. On the other hand, some large real estate brokerages and teams opt to create a department within their team that manages their PR.
Bringing It All Together
A strong real estate public relations strategy doesn’t have to be extremely complex, but it requires time, effort, and consistency. Using these real estate PR strategies, agents and teams can generate press, increase visibility, and grow their businesses.
Are there PR strategies you’ve used that work like a charm? Let us know in the comments!
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