How to Get Real Estate Leads on Social Media

Stop chasing lukewarm referrals and start attracting active buyers and sellers directly from your social media feed. Done right, your social profiles can become a consistent, predictable source of real estate leads without the hard sell. This guide walks you through the exact content strategies, engagement tactics, and paid ad frameworks to turn your followers into qualified clients.

Choose Your Platforms Wisely

You don't need to be on every social media platform. Spreading yourself too thin is a recipe for burnout. For real estate, a few key platforms consistently outperform the rest. Focus your energy where your ideal clients are already spending their time.

Facebook: The Community Hub

Facebook is still a powerhouse for real estate marketing, primarily because of its community-focused features. It's where people go to connect with their local area.

• Your Business Page: Think of this as your digital storefront. It should house all essential information: your contact details, service areas, links to your website or listings, and client testimonials. Use it to share listings, educational content, and success stories.
• Facebook Groups: This is where the real opportunity lies. Joining and actively participating in local community groups (e.g., "Springfield Parents," "Hill Valley Community Board") positions you as the neighborhood expert. Share valuable information - not just listings. Post about local events, market updates, or ask questions to spark conversation. Eventually, you become the go-to person for real estate questions.
• Facebook Marketplace: Don't overlook this. You can list rental properties here and even homes for sale, driving direct inquiries from people actively looking in the market.

Instagram: The Visual Portfolio

Real estate is a visual business, and Instagram is the ultimate visual platform. It's perfect for showcasing beautiful properties and building a personal brand that connects with potential clients on an emotional level.

• Reels & Video Tours: Short-form video is a non-negotiable part of modern marketing. Use Reels to post quick property tours, before-and-after transformations, neighborhood highlight reels, or Q&A clips answering common questions. Reels have massive organic reach and can get your listings in front of thousands of people who don't already follow you.
• Stories: Use Stories for authentic, behind-the-scenes content. Think day-in-the-life clips, "just listed" sneak peeks, interactive polls ("Which kitchen do you prefer?"), or Q&A sessions. The informal nature of Stories builds trust and makes you more approachable.
• High-Quality Photos: Your main feed should be your curated portfolio. Post professional photos of your listings, happy clients at closing (with their permission!), and content that reflects your brand's aesthetic.

LinkedIn: The Professional Network

While often overlooked by agents, LinkedIn is a goldmine for connecting with professionals, investors, and clients in higher-end markets. It's where you establish your credibility and expertise.

• Share Market Insights: Post updates on local market trends, analysis of housing reports, and insights on real estate investment. This makes you an authority, not just another salesperson.
• Engage with Local Professionals: Connect with mortgage brokers, lawyers, inspectors, and business owners in your area. Building these relationships can lead to a powerful referral network.

Optimize Your Profiles for Lead Generation

Your social media profile is often the first impression a potential client will have of you. An incomplete or unprofessional profile can be a major turn-off. A few simple tweaks can turn it into a lead-capturing tool.

• Official Headshot: Use a clear, high-quality photo of yourself. People want to work with a person, not a logo. A friendly, smiling headshot builds instant trust.
• Clear Bio: Your bio needs to state three things immediately: who you are, what you do, and where you do it. For example: "Helping families find their dream home in Austin, TX | Realtor at ABC Realty." Add a touch of personality or mention a specific niche if you have one ("Specializing in first-time homebuyers").
• A Strong Call to Action (CTA): Tell visitors exactly what you want them to do next. Don't leave them guessing. Your CTA should be in your bio.
• The "Link in Bio": This is the most valuable real estate on your Instagram and X profiles. Instead of just linking to your homepage, use a free service like Linktree or Carrd to create a simple landing page. This page can include links to:
  • Your featured listings
  • A form to schedule a buyer/seller consultation
  • A sign-up for your neighborhood market report
  • Your blog or YouTube channel

Create Content That Attracts, Not Sells

The biggest mistake real estate agents make on social media is only posting "Just Listed" and "Just Sold" graphics. This broadcasting approach doesn't work. Your content should provide value, solve problems, and build relationships. Aim for a mix where only about 20% of your posts are direct promotions of your listings.

Go Hyper-Local: Become the Town Mayor

People don't just buy a house, they buy a community. Position yourself as the go-to expert on your local area. This builds trust and shows you are highly invested in the community.

• Feature local businesses: Interview the owner of a new coffee shop, highlight the best parks, or create a guide to the best local pizza spots. Tag the businesses you feature, they'll likely share it, expanding your reach.
• Promote community events: Share information about farmer's markets, festivals, school functions, and parades.
• Post local market data: Create simple, visually appealing graphics showing stats like the average sale price in a specific neighborhood, days on market, or new housing developments. This proves your expertise and provides tangible value.

Educate and Empower Your Audience

Most buyers and sellers find the real estate process confusing and intimidating. By creating content that simplifies it, you become an invaluable resource and build incredible trust.

• Answer common questions: Create a list of the top 20 questions you get from clients. Turn each one into a social media post, a short video, or a blog article. Examples: "3 Things Lenders Look For on Your Application," "How to Prepare Your Home for Photos," or "What Does 'Contingent' Really Mean?"
• Explain the process: Create a step-by-step series that walks people through the home-buying or selling journey. This demystifies the process and makes them feel more confident taking the next step with you.
• Client Success Stories & Testimonials: Social proof is everything. Share screenshots of positive reviews or record short video testimonials from happy clients. Frame it as their story - what they were looking for, the challenges they faced, and how you helped them achieve their goal.

Let Them Get to Know You

Fact: People do business with people they know, like, and trust. Let your personality shine through. Share behind-the-scenes content that helps people connect with you on a personal level.

• A day in the life: Share short clips on your Instagram Stories of you prepping for an open house, grabbing a coffee between appointments, or doing paperwork.
• Share your why: Why did you get into real estate? What do you love most about your job? Sharing your passion is a powerful connector.
• Showcase your hobbies: A passion for gardening, hiking, or vintage cars makes you more relatable and human. It gives people something to connect with beyond real estate.

Leverage Targeted Social Media Ads

Organic content is great for building your brand, but paid ads are essential for consistent lead generation. Social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram have powerful targeting tools that allow you to put your message directly in front of your ideal clients.

Start with a Goal

Don't just "boost" posts hoping for the best. Run ad campaigns with a specific goal in mind. For lead generation, the most effective goal is typically "Lead Generation" or "Conversions."

Targeting Your Audience

This is where the power lies. You can target users based on:

• Location: Target specific zip codes, neighborhoods, or a radius around a city. You can even exclude your current clients.
• Demographics: Target by age, income level, and parental status.
• Behaviors & Interests: This is huge. You can target people who platforms know are "likely to move" or show interest in real estate sites like Zillow or Realtor.com.
• Life Events: Target people who have recently gotten engaged, married, or had a child - all common triggers for needing a new home.

Create a Compelling Offer

Your ad needs a strong "lead magnet" - an offer valuable enough for someone to exchange their contact information for it.

• Home Valuations: The classic "Find out what your home is worth" ad still works. Send them to a custom landing page for an instant home value estimate.
• Custom Listing Alerts: Offer to send them a curated list of homes that meet their specific criteria (e.g., "See every 3-bedroom home with a pool in Scottsdale under $700K").
• Free Guides: Offer a free downloadable PDF guide, such as a "First-Time Homebuyer's Checklist" or a "Guide to Selling Your Home for Top Dollar."

Use Facebook's Lead Ad format to make it easy for users to submit their information without even leaving the app, significantly increasing conversion rates.

Final Thoughts

Generating real estate leads on social media comes down to a simple formula: deliver consistent value, build genuine connections, and establish yourself as the trusted local expert. By focusing on helpful, engaging content and serving your community, you transform your profiles from online brochures into lead powerhouses attracting eager buyers and sellers.

Staying consistent, especially with video content, and managing all the comments and DMs that come from a strong strategy can be a real challenge. That's actually why we built Postbase. We were sick of legacy tools that struggled with today's content formats like Reels and TikToks and made collaboration a headache. We offer a clean, visual calendar to plan your content, rock-solid scheduling for all platforms, and one unified inbox to manage all your engagement, making it much simpler to follow through on the strategy we've outlined here.