Artificial intelligence may be reshaping how agents create content, but authenticity remains the differentiator, according to speakers during a pair of marketing sessions at Inman Connect San Diego on Wednesday.
From YouTube and Instagram to LinkedIn and AI-powered video tools, speakers shared strategies for building a recognizable brand while using technology to work more efficiently. The common theme: AI can streamline content creation, but it shouldn’t replace the person behind the business.
Katie Lance
Standing out in a ‘sea of sameness’
Katie Lance, CEO of Katie Lance Consulting, urged agents to focus on standing out in what she called a “sea of sameness.”
“Their mediocrity is my opportunity,” Lance said, borrowing a quote from Walt Disney. “There are thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of agents and brokers who are creating content and posting videos and using AI, and a lot of them, quite frankly, are a little mediocre.”
Instead of relying on generic market updates or broad homebuying advice, Lance encouraged agents to create hyperlocal, highly specific content that reflects their expertise and personality.
“When it comes to your content, I want to see you,” she said. “I want to know what you sound like, what you stand for and what you’re all about. I don’t want to see the AI version of you. I want to see you.”
Lance also encouraged agents to think beyond individual posts by creating a long-term editorial calendar, batching content creation and repurposing videos across multiple platforms. She recommended using AI-powered editing tools to improve audio, remove pauses and create shorter clips from longer videos, while cautioning against outsourcing an agent’s personality to artificial intelligence.
Andrew Jevin
Climbing ‘Cringe Mountain’
If authenticity was the recurring message throughout the sessions, Andrew Jevin put a name to one of the biggest obstacles keeping agents from creating content: “Cringe Mountain.”
The Compass agent said during a panel discussion moderated by eXp’s Wendy Forsythe that nearly every creator starts on one side of the mountain, battling imposter syndrome, comparison and self-consciousness about appearing on camera. The only way to reach the other side, he said, is to keep creating anyway.
“I do think people connect with us as who we are as a person,” Jevin said. “Being authentically ourselves — whatever that is to you — is important.”
Jevin, who joked that he recently got a “Cringe Mountain” tattoo, said the discomfort never fully disappears. Instead, agents repeatedly push through it as they build confidence and find their voice online.
“I built my business by just being authentically myself,” he said. “The more I’m myself, the more the right business comes.”
Different platforms, different strategies
Paige Steckling
That philosophy carried into a panel discussion featuring agents who have built businesses on different platforms.
On the same panel, Salt Lake City agent Paige Steckling said Instagram listing videos have become a key part of her marketing strategy, not necessarily because they generate the majority of her leads, but because they validate her expertise with prospective clients.
“A lot of people think, ‘She has 100,000 followers. She must be getting all these leads daily from social,’” Steckling said. “Most of it is still coming from my sphere of influence and past clients, but then someone will refer me, and they’ll go check me on Instagram. They’re like, ‘She’s legit. She knows what she’s doing.’”
Steckling said memorable listing videos have helped attract buyers directly in some cases while also giving sellers tangible evidence of the marketing effort behind each listing.
Jevin said LinkedIn has become an unexpected source of business after years of focusing primarily on Instagram.
Following the Los Angeles wildfires, he began intentionally connecting with business managers and financial advisers in the entertainment industry, growing his following from about 200 to more than 7,000 in less than a year.
Rather than creating original market reports, Jevin shares local news articles alongside his own perspective, a strategy he said has helped establish him as a thought leader and led to new professional relationships.
AI as an assistant, not a replacement
Jesse Dau
YouTube strategist Jesse Dau argued that long-form YouTube remains one of the strongest lead generation channels for agents because viewers often arrive with high purchase intent.
Rather than chasing subscribers or viral videos, Dau said agents should focus on creating consistent educational content designed to generate inquiries and closings.
“We do not judge channels based on views or subscribers,” Dau said. “Those are vanity metrics. Leads and closings are the only score that counts.”
Leo Robles, an eXp Realty agent and coach, offered a different perspective on AI, encouraging agents to use it for repetitive marketing tasks while preserving their time for activities that directly generate business.
He demonstrated tools that create AI avatars, translate videos and automatically repurpose content across multiple platforms.
“I get that what AI is doing is eliminating all of our pretend jobs in real estate,” Robles said. “That’s the stuff we probably don’t want to do.”
Robles acknowledged AI-generated videos aren’t for everyone, but argued they can help agents stay consistent if they struggle to record content themselves.
Despite their differing views on AI-generated video, speakers largely agreed that technology works best when it supports an authentic personal brand instead of replacing it.
As AI continues to reshape search, content creation and online discovery, speakers said the agents who consistently share their expertise and personality will be better positioned to stand out, regardless of which platform they choose.
