From brokerages and membership organizations, to developers and investors, real estate public relations is the key ingredient for heightened awareness, engagement and impact
From industry trade publications to mainstream media, a strategically designed real estate public relations program can help cement an organization’s reputation as the thought leaders in their industry. And, while media relations remains a core component of real estate PR, the growth of digital marketing avenues such as podcasts, video and influencers have broadened the number of channels at real estate pros’ fingertips, offering increased exposure, access to new audiences and opportunities to reach geographically and demographically distinct targets.
Real Estate Public Relations: Where to Start
Whether your company has a longstanding PR program in place that continues to grow share of voice, or real estate PR is a new tool in your marketing mix, developing a strategy, setting measurable goals, and ensuring alignment between business objectives and PR objectives is key.
For the firm that is launching a real estate public relations program: Start by defining your target audiences and aligning those with relevant media targets. Ensure message points are clear, concise and salient. Anticipate questions that reporters, anchors and podcast hosts may ask, and prepare a short list of key points you can reference in the moment to ensure nothing critical is overlooked.
For the firm that is well-versed in real estate PR: It’s time to audit your media footprint. Which spokespersons have become go-to sources for the media? Which message points have proven to be most salient? Are there any key storylines that haven’t piqued reporters’ interests? Does the media narrative match the strengths, specialties and aspirations of your firm?
The most impactful real estate PR programs pitch the most effective spokespersons and compelling angles to the reporters/outlets that are most likely to cover the story. Remember – effective PR is built around adding value, not clutter.
The Role of Media Training in Real Estate PR
The storylines are set and media targets, identified. The editorial calendar has been carefully planned and it’s almost time to launch. Almost. The question is, are the spokespersons ready to engage with the media?
Media training is not about memorizing a bank of key message points with the end goal of rattling them off verbatim. Media training is about mastering a set of messages and being able to deliver them in clear and digestible sound bites. It is also about becoming comfortable conveying these messages over email, by phone, via Zoom, and live on air or in studio. And, let’s be honest – everyone has a different comfort level with the media. The key is to set your spokespersons up for optimal success – and that means putting the right person in front of the right reporter/host on the medium(s) with which they are most comfortable.
If you are setting up a media training workshop – whether it’s the first or simply a refresher – keep these key topics top-of-mind:
- Understanding the Media Landscape
- Message Development – and Refinement
- Body Language and Nonverbal Communication
- Bridging Techniques (i.e. How and When to Redirect)
- Mock Interviews (including opportunities to receive individual feedback)
And, of course, we can’t forget about crisis communications. It’s vitally important to have a plan in place and ensure spokespeople are well-versed on crisis protocols. Because, while it may be uncomfortable talking about a crisis in the moment, transparency is incredibly valuable to a brand’s overall reputation. Which brings us to…
How Public Relations Can Help to Build Credibility Trust
Think of being quoted in your industry’s top trade publication or a well-respected real estate bog as receiving a third party’s stamp of approval. When your real estate public relations program lands a placement in the right publication, that reaches the right audience, it not only grows your share of voice in the industry, but can help to engage prospects, generate leads and bolster your overall reputation as an industry expert.
And, while this can be said of the positive, proactive news your firm may share, it can also be said in times of less positive news coverage as well. If you manage a portfolio of properties and there is an equipment failure during an inopportune time (think heat wave, deep freeze, etc.), the event may end up on a media outlet’s radar. And avoiding the reporter entirely or making a vague comment that skirts the issue at hand, isn’t going to enhance a trusting relationship between your firm and the media – it’s only going to erode trust. Yes, there are times when the intricacies of a crisis involve legalities that cannot be discussed, under the order of legal counsel, but being transparent with the media – to the extent it is possible – will always pay dividends when it comes to bolstering a reputation of trustworthiness and transparency.
Real Estate PR’s Role in Establishing Comprehensive Brand Awareness
The beauty of a diversified real estate portfolio is the ability to lend expertise on a wide range of topics and support clients across a broad range of sectors. The underlying challenge that comes with this, is that not everyone needs – or wants – to know everything that you do. Their priority is the products and services that are most relevant to their own needs.
While it’s great to be a client’s go-to partner for Service A, positive word of mouth in that industry from happy clients can sometimes lead to a misperception about exactly what a firm does. For example, “Oh, that’s my partner for SFR transactions.” Great for others in the SFR space who could benefit from your expertise and partnership…but what about industry peers who need other expertise?
Enter, your carefully planned, well-strategized and seamlessly executed real estate PR program. Establishing a planning calendar that is mindful of everything from seasonality to special issues of key publications and your company’s growth targets, helps to ensure a balanced media message and opportunities to showcase the many facets of your organization. This approach will build and maintain a more holistic perception of the company with all audiences, while still ensuring niche markets maintain their perception that your firm is the go-to for those intricate and specific needs.
Where Do Podcasts, Influencers & Video Fit in Your Real Estate PR Program?
According to Statista, an estimated 504.9 million people will listen to podcasts in 2025. And, while there are reportedly 4.2 million podcasts to choose from, landing a spot on a relevant podcast with robust listenership can enhance the reach of your real estate venture’s PR efforts. When implementing a podcast pitching strategy, remain mindful of which spokespersons are best suited to be interviewed in that format. PS – Not all podcasts accept guests, so keep that in mind, too.
While mainstream influencers are likely not the best fit for a real estate public relations program, micro influencers bring value. Reaching a carefully cultivated following of the right people who could be your potential customers can be far more impactful than casting a wide net to reach a less relevant audience. For a brokerage firm, this could be a prominent community figure who listed or bought with you. For a membership organization, a prominent member who is widely using your proprietary data. For a developer, key electeds and other community figures who want to share the impact of your latest project with their followers.
Incorporating video into your real estate public relations campaigns can give press releases a multimedia advantage, help broadcast reporters to see how a potential interviewee performs on camera, make your email marketing dynamic, diversify social media content and more. And, it doesn’t have to be a professionally produced piece of long format video content. While those are certainly nice to have, and can be edited into shorter pieces for various applications, sometimes a short video clip snagged on an iPhone can achieve the desired objective.
Diversifying the channels through which you are delivering company news, industry insights and thought leadership can reach and engage new audiences, heighten brand awareness and amplify impact.
Real Estate Public Relations and the Ripple Effect
Imagine: It’s been 24-months since your brokerage firm launched a comprehensive, tri-state media relations program to showcase your dominance in the New York Metro. You’ve enjoyed a record number of press placements in key industry trades and mainstream media (business, lifestyle, etc.), reporters have started proactively reaching out to your firm/spokespersons for quotes and expert commentary on market trends, and existing clients are commenting that they’ve seen you on the news. When you look back at the goals you set for the real estate public relations program 2-years ago, you realize every goal has been met and a few have even been surpassed. Now, it’s time to look at the bonus KPIs – otherwise known as the ripple effect.
- Were you invited to be a panelist or keynote speaker as a result of your real estate PR placements?
- Did your media coverage play a role in new clients secured and bids won?
- Have you attracted new strategic partners and lead generators because of PR’s impact on your awareness, credibility and more?
And, the list goes on.
While media placements and impressions are direct impacts of a public relations program, the ripple effects can also be powerful.
Real Estate Public Relations: Refining the Approach for Continued Success
Ensuring a PR program remains fresh and relevant is key to continued success. While you want to maintain a focus on the news angles that continue to engage media and result in meaningful coverage, you also don’t want the program to become monotonous or one note. After all, part of leverage public relations as a competitive advantage is remaining one timely news angle – or two – ahead of the competition.
As you work to refine your public relations campaigns for optimal success, consider:
- New industry trends
- Reversals of once popular/prominent industry trends
- Data that defies trends
- Novelties (one-of-a-kind properties, client experiences, etc.)
- Major milestones (for the company and/or key team members)
- Newsjacking (how can you insert your thought leaders into the media current dialogue in a relevant and meaningful way?)
Ongoing public relations campaigns give companies of varying specialties and scale opportunities to lend their expertise, showcase their successes and spark engaging dialogue. For real estate firms, PR can help to stretch the impact of a marketing budget, maintain a steady brand presence in the marketplace and spotlight the thought leaders who are the heartbeat of the firm. Whether you are a real estate membership association seeking a PR program to engage members and share proprietary research, a brokerage looking to provide expert commentary on market trends, or a developer seeking to tout its economic and community impact, investing in a sound public relations strategy, ensuring the ongoing program is aligned with overall business/organizational goals and setting appropriate metrics for evaluating impact is key to success.
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