Abigail Stryker 
If you’re a PR practitioner who works with real estate clients, you know that many local publications will run new real estate listings. You may also know that it’s gotten harder to get listings featured. There are several reasons for this, including shrinking newsrooms and higher demand for unique listing content. This means that while a multimillion-dollar luxury home is fun to look at, it might not be interesting enough to receive media coverage.
Outlined below are some elements to consider when conducting media outreach for high-end real estate listings.
Sustainable homes aren’t enough to garner interest.
While it’s great to note the sustainability of a home in your pitch, those elements aren’t enough to secure interest. Sustainable homes were trendy to cover a few years ago, but now, specifically for newly renovated homes, it’s expected that homes have sustainable elements. What is newsworthy is when we can provide fresh insight on materials, practices, or development trends.
Pictures matter.
Unfurnished listings are great for the buyer, but not for media. If a home isn’t furnished, it’s less likely to receive media interest. Additionally, reporters are only interested in high-resolution images. We always upload the listing’s images into DropBox and share that with the reporter once they have confirmed interest. Be sure you’re offering them a plethora of photos to select from, including the home’s floor plans, and provide the photography credit.
The more interesting, the better.
(Extremely) high-priced (ridiculously) luxury homes can garner interest in your hyperlocal outlets or trades such as Cottages & Gardens, Robb Report, or Mansion Global. However, if the home has a unique feature, like maybe it was formally owned by Bruce Willis, Mr. Titanic, or used to be a train station, then it’s more likely to get picked up and syndicated. Different outlets have different criteria, which is why it’s important to know who you’re pitching and only ping them when you have something relevant to their beat.
If you want to generate buzz but aren’t sure if the listing is newsworthy, social media is a great alternative. Maven client Houlihan Lawrence constantly shares their new listings to their social and utilizes reels to showcase new listings. There are also numerous ways to showcase your company’s great work through public relations.
If you’re a real estate company looking for insight on how to create a PR plan, don’t miss Emily White’s Real Estate PR blog, or you can always drop us a line!
Posted In Real Estate & Related Services