In the middle of my old office sits an old jeweler’s safe. When we took over the space, everyone said to rip it out. Instead, I turned it into a broadcast studio. We recorded podcasts, voiceovers and more Zoom calls than I can count inside that thing, and it made me smile every single time I closed the door.
I came up through broadcasting and marketing before real estate, and I’ve spent years doing TV market segments, so believe me when I say this: You do not need a studio. You don’t even need my old safe. The best camera in real estate is the phone in your pocket, and fall is the best season of the year to point it at something other than a listing.
Because here’s the thing about listing walkthroughs. They market a house for a few weeks. The video ideas I’m about to give market you all year long. And since Reels deliver up to 67 percent higher engagement than static posts, there has never been a better time to get your face on camera. Squirm now, thank me later. I certainly did when Barbara Corcoran made me put my face on a van.
5 fall video content ideas
Here are five fall video content ideas — listing walkthroughs need not apply.
1. The neighborhood fall guide
Nobody wakes up wanting to watch a market report. Everybody wants to know where to take the kids this weekend. Be the person who tells them. Film a 60-second tour: the best pumpkin patch, the farm stand with the good donuts, the street with the over-the-top Halloween decorations, the festival nobody wants to miss.
Here in Naples, our version of fall is the humidity dropping two percent and everyone celebrating like it’s a ski town. Doesn’t matter. Every market has a season, and the agent who documents it becomes the local insider. That’s the job title you want, because when locals share your video with the comment “We have to go here,” you’ve just been introduced to their entire circle without spending a dime.
2. The local business spotlight
This one is my favorite because it’s built on the principle my whole career runs on: Give, don’t sell. Walk into the coffee shop, the bakery, the boot store, the taco truck. Ask the owner for five minutes. Film them telling their story: why they started, what they love, what to order.
You’ve just given a small business free marketing, and I promise they will share that video everywhere, with your name attached. Another business raving about you is worth more than anything you could say about yourself. Do one a week through the fall, and by Thanksgiving you’ll have a dozen local businesses singing your praises and a feed that says, louder than any slogan could, “This agent loves this town.”
3. The market update with a pulse
Yes, do a market update. No, do not stand in front of a whiteboard reading numbers like you’re delivering a hostage statement. My broadcasting years taught me the one rule that changes everything: You’re not talking to an audience; you’re talking to one person. Picture your favorite client, and tell her what the numbers mean for her life.
Give it a fall spin: “Three things Naples sellers should know before the holidays.” Keep it to two minutes. Translate everything. Not “inventory rose 4 percent,” but “buyers have more choices this month, so here’s how we make your home the one they fight over.” Numbers inform. Stories sell.
4. The seasonal how-to
Fall is when homeowners are staring down two terrifying deadlines: winter and hosting the in-laws. Help them. “Five things to do to your home before the holidays.” “How to get guest-ready in 30 minutes.” “What that weird gutter noise means.” Film yourself actually doing one of them at your own house.
Useful beats polished, and a homeowner who saves your video thinks of you as the person who takes care of homes. Guess who they call when it’s time to sell one.
5. The just-for-joy video
Every so often, post something with no strategy at all. Your team’s costume contest. The bloopers where you forgot your own phone number. Penny, my long-haired Dachshund, has upstaged me in more videos than I’d like to admit, and those always outperform my smartest market analysis. People do business with people who bring them a little joy. Let them see yours.
How to shoot these fall video content ideas on your phone
Hold the phone vertical. Find a window and face it, because natural light is free and flattering. Hook them in the first three seconds (“Stop scrolling. This pumpkin patch is worth the drive”). Add captions, since most people watch with the sound off. And hit post before you’ve watched it back 17 times.
Done beats perfect, every single time. Your fourth video will be better than your first, but only if you actually post the first.
The secret ingredient is showing up
Years ago, I made a commitment to post something heartwarming or motivational every morning before 8 a.m. It sets the tone for my day, and it built something no ad budget could: familiarity.
That’s all consistency is. Show up on their screens enough times with something helpful or joyful, and by January, when they’re ready to make a move, you won’t be an agent they found. You’ll be a person they know.
So grab the phone. Point it at your town, your people, your dog, your delightfully imperfect self. The leaves are falling, or in my case, the humidity is. Press record.
Tiffany McQuaid is a real estate broker, founder of McQuaid & Company, and Regional Director of Strategy and Performance at SERHANT. Get connected on LinkedIn and Instagram.
