I predicted pretty early in the year that by now, we’d all be looking at social media posts by other real estate agents with a squinty eye and wondering if they were written by ChatGPT or a human with the prompt:

I’m a real estate agent. Can you please give me 20 ideas for social media posts.

The result gives you a bunch of generic stuff full of chat-gpt-did-this-giveaway-emojis 🤩🙏🙌 which I am sure you see all the time.

That prompt is just for the ChatGPT dabblers, not you serious folks.

For you guys, I have something much better below.

Prospects don’t become customers unless you talk to them

If you don’t follow a guy by the name of Sharran Srivatsaa, you should. I did a podcast with him years ago; sometimes, he comes to Australia to speak. He spoke at AREC this year.

His marketing is really clever, especially when it comes to creating engagement and starting conversations.

And as Sharran will tell you, “Conversions happen in conversations.”

Below is an example post from Sharran - what he would call a “tide riser.”

(You want to google, don’t you?!)

And you’re not the only one: 78 people have commented on this and counting.

The bottom line with social media is that unless it’s driving traffic or generating leads, it’s going to be a low ROI activity that at least your Aunt and sisters will still enjoy…

So, let’s get on with generating some leads by starting some conversations.

I asked ChatGPT if it knew what a social media ‘tide riser’ was, and it told me that it had something to do with a “rising tide lifting all boats”.

For this purpose, that’s a hard “no”, so we will need to give ChatGPT some examples.

Prompt of the Day

Here’s a prompt that will start training ChatGPT:

If I said an example of a tide riser on social media is a simple question that people will respond to, like "What is one thing you do when you get stressed?" or "Do you think people judge you based on the type of car you drive?" or "Who here owns an Airbnb?" or "Who gets a lot of emails from realtors?" Would you understand?

Here’s the response, and now it looks as though we have a base to work with:

So, my follow-up prompt looks like this:

So, let's say I'm a real estate agent, what are some engaging tide risers I could use? Please give me 20 more ideas, I would love them to be loosely about property...

And now, here are your 20 social media conversation starter ideas:

Of course! Here are 20 "tide riser" questions tailored for a real estate agent to boost engagement on social media:

1. "What's the one feature you wish your current home had?"

2. "If you could live in any era based on its architectural style, which would it be?"

3. "Do you prefer open-concept homes or compartmentalized spaces? Why?"

4. "How important is a backyard or outdoor space to you when choosing a home?"

5. "What's the first room you'd renovate in a fixer-upper?"

6. "Would you rather have a home with a mountain view or oceanfront? Explain your choice!"

7. "How do you feel about tiny homes? Could you see yourself living in one?"

8. "What's your take on smart homes? Essential or too techy?"

9. "If you had to choose: A spacious modern loft in the city or a cosy cottage in the countryside?"

10. "How do you feel about homes with a history? Would you buy a century-old house?"

11. "What's one interior design trend you love right now?"

12. "Basements: Valuable extra space or potential hassle?"

13. "What are your thoughts on open houses? Fun way to spend a Sunday or too much pressure?"

14. "How many homes did you tour before choosing your current residence?"

15. "What's the most unusual feature you've seen in a home listing?"

16. "Do you think a swimming pool adds or reduces a home's appeal?"

17. "What's the best piece of advice you've ever received about home buying?"

18. "How important is being close to public transportation when choosing a home?"

19. "Would you ever consider living in a converted space, like a church or warehouse?"

20. "What's the biggest challenge you've faced in your home-buying or home-selling journey?"

These questions are designed to spark conversation, share experiences, and tap into the passions and curiosities of those interested in real estate and home design. Posting them with relevant images or graphics can further enhance engagement.

Large text with your Facebook avatar or a Canva image would probably work best for the actual post.

You can adjust the original prompts to create your own posts and even include some local area or personal stuff (e.g., TV shows, coffee shops, etc.).

Note: This type of posting should not be an everyday thing (that would be kind of exhausting for your followers!) but is a great addition to a holistic real estate social media plan.

Happy Hunting 🚀