Yap-style reels are hot right now, when they’re done right.
North Carolina Realtor Emily McAllister posted a perfect example this week. She speaks directly to the camera, sitting outside on a porch swing, wearing a t-shirt, rather than a high quality production wearing a tailored suit.
No camera tricks. No special effects. It’s pure, unfiltered McAllister.
And to make double-sure her viewers get the message right off the bat (even in silent mode), the text overlay at the top spells it out:
“Marketing does not sell an overpriced listing.”
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Here’s why this post works so well, and how to create one of your own.
Inside the Post: Honesty About What Marketing Can’t Do
McAllister’s caption opens with two short lists side by side: what her marketing has done, and what it hasn’t.
The first list is about trust. She writes that her online presence has built enough trust with clients that she can tell them the truth instead of what they want to hear.
The second list has one line, and it sets the tone for everything else:
“Things my marketing & online presence has not done: 1) sold an overpriced listing”
McAllister’s listings have averaged 33 days on market this year, against a county average of 64. Her average price reduction sits at about $6,500, compared to $15,000 county-wide.
She leads the reel with those numbers, then gets right to the point, calling out agents who point to numbers like these as proof of their marketing skill.
“What a lot of agents will do—that makes them slimy and dishonest—is come online and suggest that, oh look at my numbers, like I’m so much smarter than everybody else because my marketing just is the bomb diggity and that is why I am able to do this. They’re lying to you.”
Her marketing helps her listings get more attention, and more attention gives a listing a better shot at hitting market value. It doesn’t set the price.
Pricing is a decision that’s made before a listing ever goes live; marketing comes second.
“It does not matter how many followers you have, how many views, how many clicks, how much engagement. Nobody gives a crap about that. They care about how much it costs.”
In her caption, McAllister says her clients this year have accepted that the market isn’t at its peak, and a good number of her listings have gone under contract in less than two weeks.
What the caption doesn’t say, and what the reel delivers, is the real talk she brings to clients to set realistic expectations before overdelivering on results.
So, here’s the basic structure of the reel, aside from the caption and text overlay:
- Real data comparing days on market and price reductions for her clients’ listings versus the county average. Those lines separate her from the average agent.
- What a lot of agents will do: hype up their marketing to suggest it can bridge the gap between what the market supports and what their clients want. McCallister flat-out tells the viewer, “They’re lying to you.”
- Moment of truth line: “Above all else, I am not messing around when it comes to the way that I’m pricing my listings.”
- Reality check on what marketing can do but why even the best marketing can’t make up for a price your market won’t support. Boosting visibility is not the same as changing local buyers’ perception of value.
- Real talk on the current market in Greenville, NC, for sellers looking to move in the next six months:
“I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you are a seller and you are considering putting your house on the market over the next six months, now is not the time to be upset because you’re going to cash out $120,0000 and not $145,000. Now is the time to say, “Thank you, sweet baby Jesus, for shining your light and all its warmth directly onto my face. I’m going to take my money, and I’m going to move on with my life.”
That honest, quirky, no-BS explanation may not be exactly what the seller is hoping to hear, but it’s what they need to hear. Ultimately, that’s how McAllister ensures her clients get the best outcome for the current market, delivered by an agent they can trust.
How To Build Your Own Version of This Post
Try this if you want to build something similar:
- Pull your own numbers before you write a word. Average days on market this year, average price reduction, and how those compare to your county or MLS averages.
- Say the thing other agents won’t. Name the exact behavior you’re pushing back on, the way McAllister called out agents who credit their marketing for a fast sale when pricing is what made the marketing work.
- Borrow her caption structure. List what your marketing has done, then list what it hasn’t. Keep that second list short and specific.
- Draw the same hard line she does. What’s something you don’t mess around with—or something you don’t spin to score points with potential clients?
- Close with some real talk for your audience, injecting your own personality so they get a sense of what it’s like to sit down for a conversation with you.
The marketing vs pricing angle isn’t the only game in town, either, though it’s a fun one (and almost guaranteed to get a salty comment or two).
Here are some other ideas to play with if you love this post style but want to take it in a different direction. Each angle starts with an option for the text overlay:
- A five-star review does not mean a deal was easy. Talk about what happened behind the scenes on a transaction that still ended well.
- A bidding war did not start because of a single post. Name what drove multiple offers this year, whether it was low inventory or timing.
- A pre-approval letter does not guarantee a closing. Tell the story of a deal that fell apart after approval and why, especially if there’s a lesson that benefits your audience.
- Staging did not add tens of thousands of dollars to a sale price. Break down what staging changed and what it left the same.
- A neighbor’s sale price does not tell you what your own house would sell for. Explain what makes two homes different even on the same street.
Once you have the number or the honest line, the post practically writes itself. Pick one that speaks to you. If you’re not sure what on earth you’d say about it, use your phone’s audio recorder (or an app like Wispr Flow) and just talk it out.
