If you’re feeling overwhelmed by Instagram’s many features, you’re not alone. Real estate agents are busier than ever, and knowing where to show up on social media, without wasting time, is key to staying visible and growing your business. With Reels, Stories, and Lives all vying for your attention, how do you decide what to prioritize in 2025?
Let’s break down the differences, what’s working right now, and where you’ll get the biggest return for your effort.
Reels: Best for Discoverability and Long-Term Growth
Reels are still the heavyweight champion when it comes to reach and discovery. With Instagram continuing to prioritize short-form video content, Reels are your best bet for getting in front of new people.
Reels help you attract fresh eyes to your page, whether you’re showcasing a dreamy kitchen, busting a real estate myth, or sharing tips for first-time buyers. Think of them as your “digital billboard.”
What works best is property tours, before-and-after transformations, homebuyer tips, and fast-paced, educational content tend to perform well. Reels also have a longer shelf life than Stories or Lives, which means more bang for your content buck.
Bonus tip: Add trending audio and strong captions to boost visibility, but always keep your branding front and center.
Stories: Best for Building Trust and Day-to-Day Connection
The best way to connect with the people who already follow you is in Stories. Think of this feature as your casual coffee chat, quick updates, behind-the-scenes moments, and little reminders that you’re a real human (not just someone who posts sold signs).
Stories are also where you stay top of mind. This is your chance to share the real-life hustle, funny client wins, or your favorite local coffee shop without needing a polished post. Polls, countdowns to open houses, client shoutouts, daily routines, and Q&As all work well here. Using Stories consistently helps you create familiarity and build trust, two things that are absolute gold in real estate.
You can use location tags and hashtags in your Stories to increase your local reach and engagement.
Lives: Best for Real-Time Engagement and Education
Lives are underused and that’s exactly why they’re powerful. Instagram notifies your followers when you go live, making it an incredible tool for real-time visibility. But here’s the thing: you don’t need to go live every week to get value from this feature.
Going live is perfect for hosting mini-classes, answering FAQs, walking through listings, or bringing in guest experts (like lenders or inspectors). They show off your expertise in real-time and invite people into a conversation.
You want to make sure you keep it short and focused. Announce it in advance, use a clear topic (like “3 Things First-Time Buyers Need to Know”), and save it to your feed or as a Highlight afterward. Even a 5-minute live session can boost your visibility, and repurposing the recording gives you even more mileage from one piece of content.
So Where Should You Show Up First?
If you’re just getting started with video, start with Reels. They’re easy to batch, they don’t need to be perfect, and they do the heavy lifting of helping new people find you.
Next, layer in Stories to nurture your current followers, stay consistent, and keep your face top of mind (because the agent they remember is the one they refer).
Use Lives sparingly but intentionally. When you have something valuable to say or teach, show up live. It’ll elevate your credibility and build real-time trust.
Final Thoughts
You don’t need to master all three platforms at once. Start where your energy is. Reels for visibility, Stories for connection, and Lives for engagement. Once you find your rhythm, the content game feels a lot less overwhelming and way more strategic.
Need done-for-you caption prompts, trending audio ideas, or a plug-and-play content calendar that makes showing up simple? Head to PorchLyte.com and get the toolkit made for real estate agents who want results without the stress.
