Updated October 30, 2026

Profile of an Inman Local Storyteller

Real estate is local, and the people who know a market best are the ones working in it every day. The Inman Local Storytellers gives agents, brokers and other real estate professionals a place to share what’s happening in their markets with the rest of the industry.

Inman covers the people, companies, technologies and market forces shaping residential real estate. Inman Local Storytellers adds the view from the ground: what’s changing in your market, what’s working in your business and what other professionals can learn from it.

Ready to start? Apply here with a writing sample. If you’re accepted, your sample becomes your first story. Questions? Email mimi@inman.com.

Who can contribute?

Inman Local Storytellers is open to professionals who currently work in real estate, including:

Agents, brokers, team leaders and broker-owners
Loan officers
Appraisers, inspectors, property managers and other related real estate professionals

Your experience and perspective matter. We’re interested in the insights, observations, and lessons you can share with your fellow real estate professionals.

To participate, you also need to:

Hold an active Inman Select subscription once you’re accepted, and keep it active for as long as you participate.
Keep your stories free of sales pitches. Local Leaders isn’t a place to promote your products or services.

How often can I contribute?

Most contributors should aim to write one to two articles per month. Writing regularly helps readers in your market become familiar with you, but quality matters more than volume.

What should I write about?

Every article should answer one question: what can another real estate professional learn from this? Our readers are agents, team leaders and brokerage leaders, so write for a colleague in the business.

Strong Local Leaders topics include:

What’s changing in your market: inventory, pricing, days on market, buyer and seller behavior, with local data to back it up.
Local rules and policy: MLS rule changes, zoning, property taxes, insurance, short-term rental limits, and what they mean for agents and their clients.
What’s working in your business: a lead generation tactic, a listing presentation, a client script, a tool or system, with real results.
Lessons from a deal: a transaction that went sideways or a negotiation that worked, with client details removed.
Your niche:luxury, first-time buyers, new construction, rural land, investors, relocation or another specialty.
Running the business: recruiting, retention, team structure, splits and operations for team leaders and broker-owners.
What only locals know: the quirks of buying and selling in your market that agents elsewhere would never guess.

Good to know: Local stories with a lesson that applies elsewhere may also be considered for Inman’s national site.

Our standards

Original and exclusive. Submit your own writing that hasn’t yet been published anywhere else, including your website, blog or social media.

Accurate. Check your facts. Name your sources for statistics, research and quotes, and make clear what’s your opinion and what’s established fact.

Not promotional. Stories can’t serve as advertising for you, your business, your listings, your clients or your business partners. It’s fine to draw on your own experience; the point is what other professionals can learn from it.

Fair. Thoughtful criticism is welcome when it’s relevant, supported by facts and focused on issues or business practices. Stories meant to attack or disparage a person, company or competitor won’t be published.

Transparent about conflicts. Tell our editors about any relationship or interest that could influence your story, or look like it does. For example:

You work for, own or have a financial interest in a business you discuss.
You have a current or past client, business partnership or referral arrangement with someone in the story.
You’ve received payment, gifts, free services or other benefits from someone featured.
You have a personal relationship, competing interest or ongoing dispute with a person or company you write about.

Disclose these when you submit, and let us know if anything changes. A disclosure doesn’t automatically rule out a story. It helps us decide whether to add a note, make revisions or take a different approach.

AI should not be used to write your articles. It can be used for research, ideation, grammar and spelling. A human editor will read your articles.

Tips for writing

Aim for around 500-700 words. Go slightly longer (800) only if the story needs it.
Get to the point in the first paragraph or two.
Use specific examples, local data and real results wherever possible.
Offering advice? Give readers three to five clear takeaways.
Write in plain, direct language, as if you’re talking to a colleague.
We follow Associated Press style. Our editors will handle the fine points.

Images

Submit only photos or artwork you own, or that you have the rights holder’s permission to let Inman publish, distribute and promote. Include the required photo credit and tell us about any usage restrictions. Keep a record of your permissions in case we ask for it.

Each time you submit an image, you’ll be asked to confirm you have the photo rights.. Under the Inman Local Storytellers agreement, you’re responsible for any claims, damages or costs if that confirmation turns out to be wrong.

Editing and publication

Ownership. Under the Local Leaders agreement, you transfer copyright of the stories you submit to Inman. Inman may edit, publish, distribute and promote them across its platforms.

Editorial review. Every submission is reviewed, edited and approved by Inman‘s editors, including headlines. Be ready to answer questions, provide sources and make requested revisions.

No guarantee of publication. Being accepted into the program doesn’t guarantee every story will run.

If you’re accepted, the writing sample from your application becomes your first story, subject to the same review.

Questions? Contact Mimi@inman.com.