Are We Making Content — or Just Advertisements?

Go to your watch history for a moment. Look at what you have been watching on LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube and the rest. Most of it probably did one of two things: it entertained you, or it taught you something. Comedy, a skit, a drama clip, a tutorial, a "how to" video, a story that gave you a new perspective — that is what we stop for.

Then look at what we post

But when we, as real estate professionals, create content, we often forget this. Our posts become:

• "We have a property at this price."
• "We have a discount."
• "It is in a great location."

And that becomes the content. Every post is the same post. The problem is that people do not come to social media only to buy a house. They come to watch, learn, discover and be entertained. If all we show them is what we want to sell, they recognise it instantly as an advertisement — and keep scrolling. Not because the property is bad, but because nobody opens their phone hoping to be sold to.

The one question to ask before you post

So before creating our next piece of content, we should ask ourselves: "If I came across this on my own feed, would I actually stop and watch it?"

• Would it entertain me?
• Would it teach me something?
• Would it give me a new perspective?

Be honest. If you would scroll past your own post, so will everyone else.

What real estate content can look like

The good news is that this industry is full of material that people genuinely want. A few directions that work — and cost nothing but attention:

• Teach. How to read a sales contract before signing. What "gross area" hides. How to check a title document in Addis. Why the delivery date matters more than the discount.
• Tell the story. A day on a construction site. The mistake a buyer almost made and how it was caught. What a first-time buyer asked that nobody expected.
• Offer perspective. What is actually moving prices in the city. What a law in another country would change here. What developers see that buyers don't.

This blog exists for exactly that reason. Almost nothing on it says "buy this unit". It tries to make you a smarter buyer — and, in my experience, smarter buyers are the ones who eventually call.

The advertisement still has a place

None of this means never posting a listing. It means the listing should be the exception, not the feed. Earn the attention first with something worth watching; then, once in a while, show what you have. People forgive an advertisement from someone who has taught them something. They scroll past one from someone who only ever sells.

So — the last five things you posted: content, or advertisements?