If you’ve ever been to a real estate conference, you’ve sat through a social media panel where the gurus spew phrases that get claps and nods but ultimately mean nothing.
Two come to mind immediately:
- “Be authentic.”
- “Done is better than perfect.”
Let’s tackle “be authentic” today.
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The advice everyone repeats and nobody can use
The first problem with the “be authentic” advice is that it’s completely useless because everyone already knows it. Who hasn’t heard this? How is it new information to anyone?
The second problem is that nobody can act on it. Just be myself? Okay, I still don’t have a call to action for how I’m supposed to “act like myself.”
So leave that advice aside and ask a much better question.
What do you want people to know about you?
If someone lands on your profile and has no idea who you are, what would you eventually want them to know?
High on that list, if not first, is that you’re a real estate agent. Then start thinking deeper:
- Are you funny?
- Are you a mom or dad?
- Do you have a special talent or hobby?
- Did you go to a college everyone roots for in your area?
- Do you have specific opinions you want people to know about?
- What communities do you hang out in?
- What’s your favorite restaurant or coffee shop?
- What’s a fact about you nobody would believe that all your friends know?
- What do you actually like talking about?
These little connectivity points are what make you memorable.
In a world where information is abundant, free, and not proprietary to anyone, your perspective is what separates your content from everyone else’s.
Anyone can tell me the median home price. Anyone can make a “5 best coffee shops in Scottsdale” Reel. Anyone can post a generic graphic made by their brokerage. But nobody else has your exact combination of interests, experiences, opinions, personality, and perspective.
There’s a bonus, too. When you talk about stuff you actually care about, your content naturally becomes more “authentic,” because you’re not trying to be authentic.
You’re just talking about shit you actually like.
Look at the people who already do this
Look at Sharran Srivatsaa. On top of all his business content, he’s constantly putting things out there that tell us what he wants us to know about him. He wants to own the Anaheim Ducks. He worked on Wall Street. He played tennis. He had trouble affording meals in his early college days.
Think about Gary Vee. He loves the Jets. He loves collectibles. He loves selling. He loves hip-hop. He talks about his workout journey.
We know all of these things about them because they want us to.
And here’s what they get that a lot of agents don’t: your personal brand isn’t just your headshot, logo, colors, or even your listings. It’s the collection of little things people associate with you.
If you’re just another agent pumping out hyperlocal content with no angle, no perspective, and nothing personal attached to it, you’re basically training your audience to keep scrolling.
Do this instead
Forget “be authentic.” Ask yourself a better question: what are the 5–10 things I want someone to know about me after following me for six months?
Write them down. Then start making content around them. That gives you something a lot more useful than “just be authentic.”
And the next person who says that on a panel? Scream at them.
