MrBeast’s Employee Handbook was leaked in 2020.
And considering this guy has 480 million followers and built a $5 billion empire with his YouTube content, it’s not surprising content creators across the globe wanted a peek.
There’s been lots of peeking since then. But for the most part, people have skimmed the handbook and then moved on. Zoodealio CEO Kala Laos, on the other hand, read it all. Every word. Three times.
She recently shared 10 plays from MrBeast that “every Instagram creator should steal” and made the full handbook available as a free download to anyone who wants it. Once you soak up those 10 plays in Kala’s post, you’ll want it.
But more than that, you’ll want to put those 10 plays to work immediately.
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Read on for the plays and what real estate agents can take from them.
10 Plays Every Real Estate IG Creator Should Steal
Kala pulled these from the MrBeast playbook and translated them into something Instagram creators can use right away. And naturally, we’re looking at how real estate agents, in particular, can apply the 10 plays in Kala’s post.
Honestly, it’s like she was thinking of real estate agents when she made this post. Because every slide belongs in your content playbook.
1. Your hook decides everything
This should surprise no one who’s been on Instagram more than five minutes. Real estate content lives or dies in the first moment. Ask yourself, ‘Why should anyone care about this post?’ and craft your hook to lead with the biggest payoff.
Kala shows how framing changes performance with a simple comparison from her carousel:
“‘My morning routine’ → ignored.
“‘I tried a billionaire’s morning routine for 30 days’ → saved, shared, watched.
“Same content. Same effort. Different hook.”
People you don’t know (yet) and who don’t know you have no reason to care about your morning routine. But they might care about a billionaire’s routine and whether it made you richer, smarter, healthier, etc. They’re already asking themselves:
- Which billionaire are you talking about?
- Is this morning routine of theirs part of what made them billionaires?
- Could this routine make my life (and bank account) way better?
And you’ve just suggested that, only 30 days in, the results are impressive enough to share. Anyone looking to see big results in a fairly short period of time will stick around.
2. The first 3 seconds matter more than the next 30
Attention is fragile at the start. Viewers decide within seconds whether something is worth sticking with for longer. It’s part shorter attention span and part lower tolerance (or zero tolerance) for content that wastes their time.
Kala sets the expectation clearly in her post:
“On Instagram, you have three seconds. Maybe.”
Think about the most recent IG posts that made you stop to read or listen. What can you take from those and apply to your next post?
Take Kala’s post, for instance. The first slide immediately got our attention with these simple words, including a personality anyone familiar with YouTube would know:
“Leaked”
“MrBeast’s Employee Handbook”
“10 Plays Every Instagram Creator Should Steal”
“He built a $5B empire using these exact rules.”
How does any Instagram creator familiar with MrBeast not stick around to get those plays?
And Kala is 100% right: this is one post you’ll want to save. And share.
3. Match the promise. Always.
A hook sets a clear expectation. The content needs to deliver on that exact idea, or your viewers will A) be disappointed and feel cheated of their time and attention, and B) immediately associate your name/brand with deceptive or misleading marketing tactics.
Not a good look. And not a smart strategy for anyone building their brand on IG.
Kala captures the rule in one line from the carousel:
“If your hook says ‘yellow bouncy castle,’ the video better have a yellow bouncy castle.”
When you tease something of value (or interest) to your viewer, you’re essentially making a promise. All it takes is one broken promise to tank your brand for every viewer who lingered long enough to find out.
4. Creativity beats budget. Every time.
Ideas that stand out tend to come from specificity and originality. Anyone who’s been a content creator long enough knows spending more money does not guarantee stronger performance.
Kala uses a cost comparison to ground the idea:
“‘$20,000 cash prize’ = $20,000
‘A year’s supply of Doritos’ = $1,825 [out of pocket].”
Sometimes, the fun prize that costs 10x less is the better play, especially if it gets people talking about and sharing your content. Sure most people would love to win $20K, but most people don’t expect to be the $20K winner.
The Doritos prize feels more attainable. And more fun to brag about.
5. Add a “wow” factor only YOU can pull off
Memorable content includes something distinctive that feels tied to the creator. This creates recognition over time.
Kala highlights this directly in her carousel:
“Do one thing per video that no other creator in your niche would do.”
MrBeast is pretty well-known for doing over-the-top stunts and being over-the-top with his prizes for fans. But if you’re thinking, “I can’t be throwing thousands of dollars at random people in every post,” it’s actually better that you don’t.
The whole point here is to do your own thing, not someone else’s.
If you’ve ever asked AI, “What do you know about me?” and felt properly spooked by its answer, maybe leverage that and ask, “What’s something I could do in my post that no other creator in my niche would do, to add a ‘wow’ factor?” Worth a try.
6. Your content is only as good as what you consume
Inputs shape output. Creators who study their space tend to produce more relevant and engaging work. It’s similar to Stephen King’s point that every writer must also be a reader. And specifically, a reader of the kind of books they want to write.
Same thing applies here. If you want to create memorable real estate content that converts, get familiar with content creators who are doing the thing.
And don’t waste your time on content that teaches you nothing.
Kala sums it up with a blunt line:
“Garbage in = generic content out.”
Words to live by.
7. Build formats. Don’t chase one-off ideas
Formats create consistency and give viewers a sense of what to expect from you. They also make it easier to repeat what works.
Kala points to a familiar structure to illustrate the idea:
“‘Last to leave wins $100K’ works because the payoff is at the end.”
If you’ve watched enough MrBeast, you get it. And we’re not saying you can’t try the same idea. One-off ideas can be fun, especially when you see them working so well for others.
But if your entire Instagram is built on that, viewers don’t get a sense of who you really are and what makes you unique.
That pitch with the $100K payoff gets people thinking about MrBeast for a reason. He made it his own, and he kept his promise. Again and again.
That said, sticking with just one format gets old. Mix it up to keep things fresh.
8. Never signal the ending
Viewers often bail and scroll on when they sense an ending. Ending at the moment of peak interest keeps attention through the final second.
Kala calls out this behavior directly:
“The moment a viewer thinks, ‘This is wrapping up,’ they leave.”
So, that means:
- No “thanks for watching” followed by a message they have no reason to care about
- No outros of any kind (especially of the long-winded variety)
- No recap that feels like a final review
Heartfelt thank-yous are nice, and a few viewers might stick around for them. Most won’t. Deliver the payoff, but cut before they lose interest.
9. Never take the first no
I love this message from Kala’s post:
“‘No’ from one person means try the next door. Not stop knocking.”
That’s the heart of this play in a nutshell. Sometimes a no just means you ask someone else. Or, if there is no one else to ask, you give them a reason to change their mind.
But often, there are other people with skin in the game who could change the outcome.
Kala includes a moment from the MrBeast team to show how this plays out:
“When MrBeast needed Dollar Tree to film inside, the manager said no.”
Obviously, it didn’t stop there. He tried one door after another until he got a yes:
- Other employees
- Their boss
- Their boss’s boss
- Other stores
- DMs to their social team
Dude was persistent. And it paid off.
10. Consistency over perfection. Results over hours
Content creators who try things, fail, and learn from their mistakes get ahead a lot faster than those who hold back because they want every post to be perfect before setting it live. It’s never going to be perfect.
The “fail faster” approach is how you learn, as quickly as possible, what your audience likes (and doesn’t) and what formats and styles work best for you.
As long as you’re not lying or misleading your audience (which has long-term consequences), you’re not going to tank your brand by putting out content that flops.
Plus, publishing consistently, even when the posts aren’t as polished as some other IG creators’, gives you more opportunities to learn and improve.
Kala reinforces the focus on outcomes with this line:
“You will be judged on results, not effort. Make the video happen. Move the goalpost. Repeat.”
What This Means for Real Estate Content Creators
One thread runs through all ten plays: attention is something you earn on purpose. Every piece of content either gives people a reason to stay or a reason to leave.
Most of these ideas circle back to a few pressure points:
- Your opening moment carries more weight than any other second in the video
- The promise you make upfront shapes how viewers judge everything that comes after
- How you end determines how much of your content people actually finish watching
From there, it comes down to repetition. Consistent formats and persistent output create the conditions for those moments to build on each other.
None of this requires a bigger budget or a larger team. It just asks for sharper decisions and a willingness to ship.
