Real estate public relations plays a leading role in enhancing brand visibility and shaping reputations. For brokers, it can become a competitive advantage that leads to more listings signed and deals closed. For developers, it can positively shape public perceptions of major projects. Property managers, on the other hand, may leverage real estate PR as a way to build trust. Regardless of the “why”, successful public relations programs are centered around great stories – stories that educate, engage and motivate target audiences.
Why is Storytelling Such an Important Part of PR?
Stories are often the bridges that help prospective clients, customers and partners forge emotional connections to a brand. For example, the broker with a track record for helping young families to find their first home may share stories on social media that highlight their successes – in turn, helping prospective buyers in similar life circumstances to see themselves achieving the “first home” milestone. A restoration company may leverage media relations to show their positive impact on victims of natural disasters, helping to recover and preserve family heirlooms – and priceless memories.
In both of these instances, it’s about more than buying a house or recovering from a natural disaster. It’s about the emotional connection to the circumstances, which are forged through storytelling. And, you simply don’t get that same level of connection from signs that say “For Sale” and “Restoration Services Available.”
What Types of Stories are Ideal Real Estate Public Relations?
There is a proverbial laundry list of factors that impact which stories resonate with reporters and influencers. A multifamily developer in the New York Metro may benefit from stories about economic impact, shoring up housing shortages, and the ability to bring creative and impactful solutions to communities with restrictive zoning regulations. On the other hand, a thriving residential brokerage in New England may benefit most from stories centered around helping buyers to find homes in a highly competitive market. The common thread in both of these stories? Timeliness and relevance.
When determining which storylines are best suited for your real estate public relations program consider these three elements first: Relevance. Timeliness. Novelty. Now, let’s take a deeper look at each of these core storytelling components.
Relevance: Why does it matter? And, to whom does it matter? Your organization could be in the verge of breaking its biggest news to date but if you can’t contextualize it to be relevant for the media and their readership, listenership or viewership, it’s not going to result in the press coverage you’re hoping for.
When looking at the wide array of news angles you could pursue as part of your real estate public relations program, prioritize pitching the media stories that are relatable, impactful and, most importantly, compelling to their readership. While this may require some contextualization – for example, you could take new data about demand for built to rent homes and find a prospective renter whose been on a waiting list for months to share their story – demonstrating a keen understanding of what is important to reporters, editors and their audiences significantly increases the likelihood of a story being picked up.
Timeliness: Let’s say your company commissioned some proprietary research about homeowners’ frustrations surrounding cold weather property damage (think ice dams in gutters and frozen pipes). You completed the research at the end of the season – when these pain points were fresh in homeowners’ minds – and by the time data was collected and analyzed spring had sprung and summer was right around the corner. While you want the data to be fresh when you release it, you also want it to be timely (and relevant). Save this story for the late days of fall and find a more fitting story for the present time.
Novelty: Reporters don’t want to read twenty variations on the same pitch and consumers don’t want to be bored with monotonous news. What is it about your organization’s news that makes it unique? First in a category? Historically significant? Defies a prominent market trend? The only property of its kind in the market? The largest economic development project in the region? Focusing on stories that further differentiate your company from the competition can only help to amplify the success of your PR program.
How Do Leadership’s Personal Brands and Perspectives Fit into Our Company Overall PR Campaign?
We’ve all heard if before. “He’s been the face of the organization for 30-years.” “She’s the fourth generation to lead this firm.” And, then, when Bill or Betty decides to retire, their successor inherits the title of “the new Bill” or “the new Betty.” And what about the board chair who is a spokesperson for the organization they volunteer for and a different organization which they work for? And what happens when the CEO’s personal brand is a bit tarnished and you don’t want their challenges to color the perception of your organization? Simply put, balancing personal brands and business bands is really complicated.
While spokespersons’ personal brands will undoubtedly become intertwined with a business’ brand over time, it is important to maintain a clear identify for the organization and ensure they remain positioned as the go-to source for expert commentary. A few ways to accomplish this:
- Appoint multiple spokespersons (this may be broken down by area of specialty, preferred interview medium, etc.)
- Ensure the second in command has exposure to the media, particularly when a leadership change is pending
- Funnel media inquires through the communications team, rather than the individual spokespersons
- Establish clear policies for what spokespersons can and cannot talk about with the media (e.g. It’s probably not the right time to pitch a reporter about your volunteer project’s upcoming fundraiser or your side hustle when you’re on the clock for an interview about your company’s newest development project)
How Can Storytelling – and PR – Influence Decision Making?
Think about this as the difference between looking at the surface level and taking a deep dive. For example, perhaps you knew that 600 affordable housing units were proposed for your community but you didn’t know that there were more than 1,000 names on the waiting list for those units. Or, you knew there was a large, undeveloped parcel on the city’s border but didn’t know it was designated for a specific use and a relevant project was pending approvals to move forward. These are just a couple example of the stories real estate public relations campaigns can tell.
Real estate public relations can help to maintain a consistent drumbeat to educate and engage key stakeholders on important topics. Repeated exposure to educational, compelling and convincing messages can help to sway opinions and cultivate supporters. Oftentimes, PR programs expose many angles surrounding one topic, which allows media, the public and key figures to become better informed about the depth and breadth of a topic. The steady flow of stories also helps to reinforce that the organization leading the effort is transparent and forthcoming with important information, which in turn helps to build trust. And, that trust may help to sway people’s opinions.
How Can I Prevent a Longstanding Public Relations Program from Becoming Boring?
We get it. There tends to be a set of evergreen news topics that pop up over and over again. There are also signature events that happen annually and a seasonality to the news cycle. These factors – and many more – can lead to a level of redundancy when it comes to the angles and themes of press releases, pitches and contributed articles.
When working to keep a PR program fresh, start by auditing your prior press coverage. Which stories remain perennial favorites with the media? Which have gotten less coverage over time? Are there any stories you have been eager to tell that haven’t caught a reporter’s attention? And, of course, what stories haven’t you already tried to tell? Answering these four key questions will quickly give you a baseline for brainstorming new story ideas. As a next step, you may also consider interviewing any new members of the leadership team about stories they would like to tell and considering if there are any board members who insights could be similarly valuable.
How Can I Amplify the Reach of My Real Estate PR?
As an increasing number of real estate pros embrace social media as an extension of their individual marketing efforts, there are a growing number of places on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and more to showcase compelling stories and powerful media placements. This not only amplifies the reach of your real estate PR, by tapping into team members’ personal networks, but can help to enhance search engine rankings and your overall digital footprint. Similarly, many reporters will share key stories on their own social media channels and taking the time share this content on your organization’s various social channels can help the reporter to increase the reach of their work – it’s a win-win.
Another avenue for putting your real estate PR in front of more relevant audiences is good old email marketing. Whether it’s a current client list, prospect list, roster of strategic partners and referral sources, or another relevant collection of contacts, blasting out a monthly or quarterly e-communication that includes links to recent press coverage can enhance both the visibility and impact of your ongoing PR program.
Real estate public relations can increase a brand’s reach, bolster its reputation, and forge positive relationships with media and key influencers. Focusing on building and curating stories that reinforce your organization’s competitive advantage, showcase thought leadership and set yourself apart from the competition can positively impact everything from reputation and credibility to the business’ bottom line.
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