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What Marketing Do I Need to Do When I Get a New Real Estate Listing? (Complete Checklist)

2026-02-04·9 min read

New listing day is exciting. It's also the day most agents accidentally leave marketing value on the table — either by skipping steps, posting too late, or creating the same generic content they did last time.

Here's the complete checklist. Bookmark it. Run through it every time.

Before You Publish (Pre-Launch)

Photos and media:

  • [ ] Professional photos delivered and reviewed
  • [ ] 1–2 hero photos selected for social media
  • [ ] Drone/aerial photos if applicable
  • [ ] Video walkthrough or at minimum a 30-second Reel clip shot on your phone

Copy ready to go:

  • [ ] MLS description (short: 50–100 words)
  • [ ] MLS description (long: 200–300 words)
  • [ ] Instagram caption (feed post)
  • [ ] Instagram caption (Reel)
  • [ ] Facebook post
  • [ ] X/Twitter post (and thread if you're doing it right)
  • [ ] LinkedIn post
  • [ ] SMS/text blast text
  • [ ] Open house announcement copy (if applicable)
  • [ ] 3-email drip sequence (Just Listed, Open House Reminder, Final Call)
  • [ ] Video script for walkthrough Reel

Contact and logistics:

  • [ ] Professional photos and copy sent to your broker/team for any co-marketing
  • [ ] Showing instructions confirmed and clear
  • [ ] Lock box code or showing service set up

Day of Listing

Morning:

  • [ ] MLS listing goes live
  • [ ] Send "Just Listed" email to your full sphere
  • [ ] Post to Instagram (both feed and Stories)
  • [ ] Post to Facebook (personal page and/or business page)
  • [ ] Post to X with thread or single strong post
  • [ ] Post to LinkedIn

Within 24 hours:

  • [ ] Text blast to your active buyer list (personally, not mass text if possible)
  • [ ] Post on Nextdoor with community-appropriate tone
  • [ ] Send to any buyer's agents you know who have buyers in this area/price range
  • [ ] Upload to your personal website or portfolio

First Week

Days 2–3:

  • [ ] Instagram Stories: behind-the-scenes from the listing, "walk with me" format
  • [ ] Facebook: response to any comments or questions
  • [ ] Follow up with anyone who engaged with your posts

Days 4–5:

  • [ ] Open house announcement post on all social channels
  • [ ] Send open house invitation email to targeted segment of your list
  • [ ] Post on Nextdoor specifically for the open house

Day 6–7:

  • [ ] Open house day: post Stories during the event
  • [ ] Send "From the open house" email to everyone who attended

After the Open House

  • [ ] Follow-up texts to every group that attended (same day ideally)
  • [ ] "Feedback from today" message to the seller
  • [ ] If no offer: price/strategy conversation with seller, and potentially re-post with updated context ("reduced" or "back on market")
  • [ ] If multiple offers: document the story for a "How It Sold" post after closing

Don't Forget the Long Tail

Most agents market a listing intensely the first week and then go quiet. Don't.

  • [ ] Weekly check-in post on Instagram Stories: "Still available, showing this weekend"
  • [ ] Update your email list if there's a price reduction or key change
  • [ ] Share a "buyer perspective" post from a showing (anonymized)

After Closing

This is underused marketing gold:

  • [ ] "Just Sold" post on all social channels
  • [ ] Email your sphere the sold price and days on market (excellent for seller leads)
  • [ ] Ask for a Google review and/or Zillow review
  • [ ] Post a photo with the buyers at key handoff (with permission)
  • [ ] Share the sold story as a case study: "Listed Friday, under contract Monday, here's why"

The Realistic Time Investment (Without AI)

If you're writing all this copy from scratch:

  • MLS copy: 45–60 min
  • Social captions (5 platforms): 45–60 min
  • Email sequence (3 emails): 45–60 min
  • Video script: 20–30 min
  • Total: 2.5–3.5 hours per listing

With AI Tools (Like PropWrite)

  • Photo upload + property details entry: 5 min
  • Generation (all formats at once): 1 min
  • Review and refinement: 15–20 min
  • Total: ~25 minutes per listing

Here's a detailed breakdown of the 7-minute listing launch workflow for the agents who've really dialed this in.

The One Thing Most Agents Skip

Video content. It's the highest-reach format on every platform, it's what algorithms actively promote, and the barrier to entry is your phone.

A 30-second Reel from the listing — just you walking through and pointing out the two or three things that make the house special — will outperform your static photos in terms of reach, almost every time.

You don't need to be a video editor. Your authentic walkthrough shot on iPhone is more effective than a polished production in most markets.

PropWrite generates the entire written marketing kit from this checklist in one session. Try it free.

Ready to write better listings faster?

PropWrite generates MLS copy, social captions, email sequences, and more — in your voice, in seconds.