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Each week on Trending, digital marketer Jessi Healey dives into what’s buzzing in social media and why it matters for real estate professionals. From viral trends to platform changes, she’ll break it all down so you know what’s worth your time — and what’s not.
Social media is built for engagement — but not all engagement is positive. While platforms roll out new tools to automate content and combat misinformation, brands are finding that creativity is often the best defense against online negativity.
Just ask Duolingo. After staging a fake funeral for its beloved owl mascot, the company “resurrected” Duo in a viral stunt that racked up 12.8 million views, over 1 million likes and nearly 10,000 comments. Instead of letting social media’s toxicity take over, Duolingo leaned into humor, proving that playfulness and audience participation can shift the conversation in your favor.
Meanwhile, LinkedIn is finally adding email metrics for newsletters, Facebook is testing automatic post sharing, Instagram is changing how testimonials appear in ads, and Meta’s new Community Notes feature is raising questions about misinformation.
From algorithm tweaks to audience psychology, the way we interact online is always evolving.
LinkedIn finally adds email metrics for newsletters
For real estate professionals using LinkedIn newsletters to build their brand, there’s finally a way to measure impact. The platform has introduced two basic — but necessary — email metrics:
- Email sends: How many subscribers received a notification email about your newsletter.
- Open rates: The percentage of subscribers who opened that email.
Until now, LinkedIn’s newsletters lacked meaningful performance data, leaving creators in the dark about whether their audience was actually engaging. While these are entry-level insights, they’re a step toward better content strategy and audience understanding.
Lesson: Tracking engagement matters. If your open rates are low, it might be time to adjust subject lines, content style or send times to capture more attention.
Facebook tests auto-sharing posts to broadcast channels
Facebook is rolling out a new feature that lets users automatically share their first two posts of the day to their broadcast channel, along with an optional poll or message.
For real estate professionals, this could mean:
- Less manual posting while still keeping followers engaged.
- Increased visibility for updates, listings or market insights.
- More interactive engagement with polls and messages.
The ability to turn auto-sharing on and off makes it flexible, but whether it actually boosts engagement remains to be seen.
Lesson for real estate agents: Automation is helpful — but only if you’re sharing valuable content. If your posts don’t resonate, auto-sharing won’t change that.
Duolingo’s demise (and resurrection) shows the power of creativity
Duolingo’s beloved green owl, Duo, “died” — and has now came back to life. The brand staged a fake funeral for its mascot, triggering an outpouring of reactions, memes and fan-made tributes. A day later, it “resurrected” Duo, racking up 12.8 million views, more than 1 million likes and nearly 10,000 comments on its announcement post.
One of the best responses came from Six on Broadway, referencing the musical’s famous tagline: “Divorced ❌ Beheaded ❌ SURVIVED 👑”
Why did this work? Duolingo thrives on internet humor, self-awareness and audience participation. Instead of playing it safe, it leaned into absurdity, giving its followers something to talk about — and making them feel part of the joke.
For real estate professionals, this is a reminder that creativity can be an antidote to online toxicity. The internet can be a harsh place, full of negativity and knee-jerk reactions. But brands that embrace humor, relatability and audience engagement can shift the conversation in their favor.
Lesson for real estate agents: Don’t just post — entertain.
Creativity is a powerful tool for overcoming algorithm fatigue, negativity and disengagement. Whether it’s a playful spin on a market trend, a lighthearted behind-the-scenes moment or an interactive audience challenge, real estate professionals can use storytelling to stay top-of-mind — without getting caught up in the chaos of online discourse and toxicity.
TikTok drops to 4th place in product discovery
Despite its popularity, TikTok isn’t the top platform for product discovery. A new report from Bazaarvoice found that:
- Facebook ranks first for product discovery
- YouTube takes second place
- Instagram lands in third
- TikTok sits in fourth
For real estate professionals, this means:
- Facebook remains a key lead-generation tool.
- YouTube’s long-form, searchable content is still a major driver of trust and visibility.
- Although TikTok is great for engagement, it may not be the best platform for direct conversions.
Lesson for real estate agents: Don’t rely on trendy short-form content alone — balancing it with longer-form, educational content on Facebook and YouTube may yield better results.
Instagram’s new ‘Testimonials’ ad format shakes up endorsements
Instagram is introducing a new ad format called Testimonials, which allows creators to get paid for text-only endorsements that appear in the comment section of an ad.
For real estate professionals, this could mean:
- A new way to leverage client testimonials in paid advertising
- More credibility for real estate brands if endorsements come from trusted voices
- Potential for misleading promotions if disclosure rules aren’t enforced
This update is part of a larger trend toward influencer-driven marketing, where even text-based recommendations can now be monetized.
Lesson for real estate agents: Word-of-mouth marketing is evolving — but transparency matters. Keep an eye on how Instagram enforces disclosure rules with this new format.
Meta’s ‘Community Notes’ raises new questions about misinformation
Meta is replacing its fact-checking program with Community Notes, which will allow users to add context to public posts across Facebook, Instagram and Threads. If enough people agree with a note, it gets attached to the post as additional context.
This sounds good in theory, but it raises a big question: Who decides what’s factual?
For real estate professionals, misinformation and fake news can be a real issue, especially when it comes to:
- Housing market trends: Misleading claims about pricing, mortgage rates or home values
- Industry policies: Misinterpretations of real estate laws or lending rules
- Clickbait market predictions: Sensationalized headlines that fuel unnecessary panic
The problem? Crowdsourced fact-checking is often influenced by popular opinion rather than expertise.
Lesson for real estate agents: Dealing with misinformation is part of being online. If you see misleading real estate claims, be proactive in addressing them on your own platforms. Building credibility with consistent, well-researched content is the best defense.
TL;DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read)
- Track your audience: LinkedIn’s new email metrics help newsletter creators refine their strategy.
- Creativity beats toxicity: Duolingo’s viral stunt proves that humor and engagement can shift online conversations in your favor.
- Use automation wisely: Facebook’s auto-share feature could save time, but strategy still matters.
- Know where buyers search: Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram still lead product discovery, while TikTok lags behind.
- Testimonials are evolving: Instagram’s new ad format could boost credibility — if transparency rules are followed.
- Combat misinformation: Meta’s Community Notes shifts fact-checking to users, and accuracy remains a concern.
Social media is always evolving, and staying ahead of trends is key — but knowing how to adapt and engage with purpose is what truly sets brands apart.
Jessi Healey is a freelance writer and social media manager specializing in real estate. Find her on Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, or Bluesky.
