How to Tailor Your Content for Each Marketing Platform

If you're a real estate agent trying to market yourself online, you've probably heard that you “need to be everywhere.” Between Instagram, email newsletters, your website, and even postcards—your marketing to-do list is always growing. It can feel overwhelming to keep up with every platform, especially when you're also juggling listings, showings, and client relationships. But here’s the good news: more platforms doesn’t necessarily mean creating more content. Instead, it’s about working smarter—taking the content you already have and tailoring it to each platform’s unique format, tone, and audience.

When you customize your messaging for each channel, you’ll connect with more buyers and sellers in a way that feels intentional, not repetitive. And when you're using beautifully branded templates and pre-written content—like those from The Brand Source—it becomes easy to adapt your message across every platform without starting from scratch. Let’s break down how to do it. 

Why Tailoring Content to Different Platforms Matters

Think of your marketing efforts as initiating a conversation with your audience—and just like any good conversation, how you say something matters just as much as what you say. Each platform has its own personality, and people have different expectations for what they’ll get from the content in each environment. On Instagram, users are quickly scrolling through a visual feed or swiping through Stories—they want bold, eye-catching content that stops them in their tracks. In their email inbox, they’re looking for value—content that delivers timely information or helpful resources.Short-form video, like Reels, thrives when it’s personality-driven, a little playful, and rooted in authentic storytelling. And when it comes to print materials? Those feel more personal, tangible, and lasting—perfect for sharing local knowledge, inviting people to an open house, or simply keeping your brand top of mind.

Adapting your content to match the way people use each channel helps your message become more engaging and therefore, more effective—and often gets better results. That said, your audience still expects to see some level of consistency across each platform. According to HubSpot, 76% of consumers expect consistent experiences across platforms, but only 29% say they actually get it. This is where tailoring comes in: it’s not about creating new content for each platform, but rather taking the content you’re creating and adjusting the approach, messaging, and tone to fit each environment. Pair your tailored content with a consistent personal brand, and you’ll be unstoppable. 

How to Repurpose One Idea Across Every Platform

Let’s unpack the strategy of tailoring your content a little more. We know each platform has its own personality, but consumers also want to see consistency in your marketing efforts across channels. How do you balance consistency with optimizing your content for maximum engagement? One approach is to take one idea or piece of content and tailor it for each platform – adjusting the language, information, and tone for each environment. 

Let’s say you have a new listing. Here’s how you could adapt it across platforms:

• Instagram Post: Carousel with stunning photos and caption featuring a compelling listing description, with a CTA to contact you
  
• Instagram Story: Detail-oriented walkthrough video with a “Poll: Would you live here?”
  
• Instagram Reel: 15-second “Top 3 features of this dreamy new home” with text written onto the video calling out the most unique facets of the listing
  
• Email Newsletter: Send a “New Listing Alert” email or feature it in a recurring “Listing of the Month” newsletter, with a “Schedule a Showing” CTA
• Print Mailer: Sent to the neighborhood, advertising the open house
  

With one listing, you’ve created six touchpoints across every channel—each tailored to the format and the audience.

Instagram: Posts, Stories & Reels

Instagram remains one of the most powerful tools for real estate agents to connect with clients, showcase expertise, and stay visible. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), In fact, 82% of real estate agents say they plan to maintain or increase their use of Instagram in 2024 because it helps them build relationships, showcase listings, and grow their personal brand. Whether you're sharing new listings, offering market insights, or showing your neighborhood expertise, Instagram provides multiple content formats, from posts to Stories to Reels, giving you more opportunities for connecting to potential clients.

Instagram Posts

In-feed posts are the backbone of your Instagram grid and should reflect your most polished, branded content. When someone comes to your account, they’ll see all of your posts alongside each other, meaning it’s important to put your best, most visually consistent foot forward. It also serves as a repository of what you’ve accomplished, so potential clients can look back at your previous listings and success stories. When sharing posts, here’s what to include:

• High-quality listing photos – Ensure your listing photography is well-lit and captures the best features of the home
  
• Market updates or insights – Use visually impactful templates and choose 1-2 stats per slide to avoid overwhelming your audience
  
• Client testimonials or success stories – Collect quotes from previous clients and include them, along with any relevant photos 

Captions should be complementary to the content – visual, photo-forward posts benefit from longer captions, whereas more information-heavy posts can be supported by concise captions with instructions on how to get more information. In any case, your captions should be engaging, and always include a call to action like “DM me for more details” or “Tap the link in bio to schedule a showing.” 

Finally, Instagram Carousels allow you to post more than one photo at a time, and are especially powerful for educational content—try “5 Things Buyers Forget to Budget For” or “How to Stage Your Home Like a Pro.” And yes, hashtags still matter. Use a mix of niche hashtags that are specific to your city or expertise (such as #BrooklynHomes), general hashtags that have a large following (i.e. #FirstTimeBuyer), and tags that are specific to you (like #AgentJaneDoe). 

Instagram Stories

Instagram Stories are temporary photos or videos that appear at the top of the feed, and disappear after 24 hours. These are used to provide casual, in-the-moment updates and to stay top-of-mind with your audience daily. Instagram stories are perfect for:

• Open House or Event Reminders – Share event details and remind your clients where to be and when
  
• Quick tips – Post a collection of tips and tricks for the selling process, and encourage viewers to get in touch
  
• Day-In-The-Life Content  – Share behind-the-scenes clips of your life as a realtor, from staging a home to preparing paperwork for a sale, to reenforce your dedication and expertise
  
• Boosting Your In-Feed Content – Re-share something you’ve posted in-feed, like a new listing, to your Stories to increase visibility and engagement
  
  

When posting to Instagram stories, you can boost engagement by leveraging interactive tools like polls (“Are you renting or buying?”), question boxes (“Ask me anything about real estate”), and tagging your location to expand your reach. Since Stories disappear in 24 hours, there’s less pressure—have fun with it, just show up consistently to stay top of mind.

Bonus Tip: Have an idea for a recurring series on Stories? You can create a Highlight that will appear at the top of your account page, and allow your stories to live beyond 24 hours. Some great ideas for highlights include, “Active Listings,” “Ask Me Anything,” or “Neighborhood Faves.” 

Instagram Reels

Reels are Instagram’s customizable video format and are the best-performing content type for reaching new audiences on the platform. These short videos (ideally under 30 seconds) should hook viewers in the first 3 seconds with a bold question or statement—like “This is the #1 mistake sellers make.” Adding audio that’s trending, bold text laid over the video, and closed captions will also help to increase views and accessibility.

💡 Pro Tip: Repurpose the same content idea across all three formats:

• A polished post of your new listing for your grid
  
• A Story showing behind-the-scenes prep – like putting out fresh flowers
  
• A Reel highlighting a key feature or property highlight
  
  

Email Newsletters

Email remains one of the most powerful tools in a real estate agent’s marketing arsenal. It's your direct line to both current clients and warm leads, and it boasts one of the highest conversion rates of any platform. In fact, email marketing delivers an average ROI of $36 for every $1 spent, making it an essential component of any successful marketing strategy.

What to Send:

• Market updates – Keep your audience informed about the latest trends, interest rates, and shifts in the housing market.
  
• New listings or open houses – Highlight your latest properties, paying close attention to listing features and neighborhood benefits
  
• Monthly “insider tips” for buyers and sellers – Offer actionable advice to help your clients navigate the market, from pricing strategies to home staging
  
  

Best Practices:

• Keep emails concise – Aim for one key topic per email, or a monthly roundup of your latest news. Subscribers are more likely to engage with content that is clear and focused.
  
• Craft compelling subject lines – A strong subject line is crucial to get your email opened. For example, “Worried about interest rates?” taps into current market concerns and sparks curiosity.
  
• Include a single, clear call-to-action (CTA) – Whether it’s “Book a tour” or “Find Your Forever Home,” make sure your CTA stands out and guides the reader toward action
  
• Use visuals – Adding a featured image or eye-catching graphic significantly increases the likelihood that your email will be clicked on, making your content more engaging and memorable
  

Pro Tip: While not everyone checks Instagram every day, most people check their email inbox regularly. Use your email newsletter as a tool to stay top of mind with warm leads and past clients. 

Want to learn more about how to use email to grow your business? Check out our blog post on email for real estate marketing, here. 

Print Marketing Still Matters

In today’s digital-first world, print marketing might seem old school—but it’s far from outdated. Print marketing creates a tangible, lasting impression. A beautifully designed postcard featuring a “Just Listed” property or a seasonal market update can be kept as a powerful reminder that you’re the go-to resource for your clients’ real estate needs. It’s also a great way to connect with less tech-savvy audiences or build your reputation in hyper-local areas. 

Still, your print marketing should complement your digital strategy: send postcards announcing the same new listings, open houses, or helpful homeowner tips you’re highlighting on your other channels. 

Pro Tip: Use QR codes on your print pieces to drive recipients to your website or social media, blending offline and online marketing seamlessly.

Strategic Content, Stronger Relationships

You don’t need more content—you just need smarter content.

When you tailor your message for each platform, your brand feels more polished, your content works harder for you, and you stay top-of-mind with buyers and sellers.

The best part? You don’t have to do it alone. The Brand Source gives you everything you need to show up everywhere—without starting from scratch. Each month, you’ll get pre-made content for social and email alongside beautifully designed templates to jumpstart your marketing strategy.