Stop Chasing Views: How Realtors Can Use YouTube to Get Clients
EMC Weekly Agent Power Hour featuring Sabrina Shaw
YouTube can be much more than another place to post real estate videos. When used strategically, it can become a way to reach people who are already searching for information about a market, build trust before the first conversation, and generate real estate clients.
In this EMC Weekly Agent Power Hour, Sabrina Shaw, a top-producing agent in Tulsa, Oklahoma, shared how she has built a YouTube strategy that now generates a significant portion of her real estate business.
From attracting relocation buyers to choosing the right keywords, creating neighborhood content, improving video hooks, and understanding YouTube analytics, Sabrina walked through what has worked for her — and what she would do differently if she were starting over.
Here are the biggest takeaways from the session.
YouTube Is a Search Engine, Not Just Social Media
One of the biggest mindset shifts Sabrina discussed was understanding how people use YouTube.
Unlike platforms where people are primarily scrolling through content, YouTube users often go there with a specific question or intention. For real estate, that creates an opportunity to reach people who are actively researching a market before they ever contact an agent.
Sabrina's own audience largely consists of relocation buyers — people researching Tulsa because they are considering moving there.
That distinction matters.
Someone who already lives in a market may not need a video explaining what it's like to live there. Someone considering a move from another state does.
The Power of Relocation Content
A major focus of Sabrina's strategy is creating content specifically for people who are thinking about moving to her market.
Her channel, Living in Tulsa, Oklahoma, helps people who don't necessarily know the area understand what living there is actually like.
She explained that many of her YouTube clients have come from outside Oklahoma, including people relocating from states such as California, Tennessee, Kansas, and others.
The key is creating content for the person who is asking:
"What do I need to know before I move here?"
That can include:
Cost of living
Pros and cons of an area
Best suburbs
Best neighborhoods
Neighborhood tours
Relocation guides
New construction
What homes and neighborhoods are actually like
Things people should know before moving
Show What You Want to Sell
One of Sabrina's most useful points was simple:
The content you create can influence the type of buyer you attract.
When Sabrina first started creating YouTube videos, she was showing homes in lower price ranges. As she began showing higher-priced homes, she started attracting higher-priced buyers.
She shared that her average YouTube buyer price point had reached roughly $737,000, significantly above the average price point in her Tulsa market.
The takeaway isn't that every agent needs to showcase luxury properties.
Instead, agents should think about the audience they want to attract and make content that speaks directly to that audience.
YouTube Clients Can Already Know, Like & Trust You
Another major difference Sabrina sees with YouTube leads is the relationship that can develop before the first conversation.
People may watch multiple videos, hear an agent explain neighborhoods, see how they communicate, and get a sense of their personality.
By the time they reach out, they aren't necessarily meeting a complete stranger.
Sabrina described clients contacting her already knowing what they want, where they're interested in living, and when they're planning to move.
That means the initial conversation can be much more focused.
Don't Build Your Channel Around Random Local Content
Sabrina emphasized the importance of knowing who you want YouTube to put your videos in front of.
For a relocation-focused channel, videos about local restaurants, events, or entertainment may attract people who live nearby or are simply visiting.
Those views aren't necessarily bad — but they may not be the views that help generate real estate business.
If the goal is relocation clients, the content should consistently signal that to both the viewer and the YouTube algorithm.
As Sabrina put it, the goal isn't simply more views. It's the right views.
Find Your "Anchor City"
One of the most tactical parts of the presentation was Sabrina's approach to keyword research.
She recommends identifying an anchor city — the larger, more recognizable market that people are actually searching for.
For example, an agent may work extensively in smaller surrounding communities, but if people aren't searching for those communities on YouTube, it can be difficult to build an audience around them.
Instead, the agent can use the larger anchor market in the channel and video strategy, while still introducing surrounding suburbs and towns.
Sabrina suggested researching search volume for phrases such as:
"Living in [City]"
"Moving to [City]"
"Relocating to [City]"
"Pros and cons of living in [City]"
"Cost of living in [City]"
She also discussed using TubeBuddy to research search volume and evaluate potential topics.
Build a Content Spreadsheet
Sabrina recommended creating a spreadsheet of the towns and cities an agent wants to work in.
From there, agents can research different variations of location-based searches and compare the search volume.
The goal is to identify:
The primary anchor city.
Surrounding markets worth covering.
Topics people are actually searching for.
Which topics should be prioritized first.
This gives agents a more intentional content plan instead of simply creating whatever video idea comes to mind that week.
What Videos Should You Make?
Once the anchor market is identified, Sabrina recommended starting with straightforward, highly searchable topics.
Some of her examples included:
Pros & Cons
Create videos explaining the advantages and disadvantages of living in the area.
Cost of Living
Help potential movers understand what it costs to live there.
"What Nobody Tells You"
These videos can address the questions and realities that someone researching a move may not think to ask.
Best Suburbs & Neighborhoods
Show viewers where different types of buyers may want to live.
Neighborhood Tours
You don't necessarily need to walk through a house.
Sabrina explained that she often walks or drives through neighborhoods while talking about the homes, price ranges, amenities, streets, schools, and overall feel of the area.
Turn Home Tours Into Evergreen Content
The group also discussed a common problem with real estate YouTube content: properties sell.
If an agent creates a video entirely around a specific listing, that video can become outdated once the property is under contract or sold.
Sabrina suggested shifting the focus from the individual property to the area, neighborhood, builder, price range, or type of home.
For example, instead of making the entire video about one available property, an agent can frame it around what someone relocating to the area could expect to find.
Then, even after that specific home sells, the video can continue providing value.
Your Hook Matters
Sabrina stressed the importance of getting into the actual content quickly.
Instead of spending the first several minutes introducing yourself, start by telling the viewer exactly what they're going to learn.
For example, a video could open by telling someone who is relocating to a market that they're about to see a particular neighborhood, price range, school district, or type of home.
Then give viewers reasons to keep watching.
She also recommended teasing information throughout the video so viewers have a reason to stay until the end.
YouTube Is a Long Game
Sabrina was very open about the fact that YouTube didn't immediately work for her.
She said she spent roughly two and a half years doing YouTube incorrectly, including creating more general and short-form-style content.
Once she shifted toward relocation-focused, searchable content, she began seeing much stronger results.
Her first client after making that shift came within about two months.
But she emphasized that agents shouldn't expect immediate results.
Her advice was to think of YouTube as a marathon rather than a sprint and commit to consistent publishing over a period of months.
Even one quality video per week, maintained consistently, can compound over time.
Consistency Matters
Sabrina also discussed publishing consistently and, when possible, keeping a predictable schedule.
YouTube analytics can show when an audience is most active, which can help agents determine when to publish.
The goal is to create a rhythm that viewers can become accustomed to while giving YouTube consistent information about the audience engaging with the channel.
Don't Ignore the Analytics
YouTube analytics can provide valuable information about who is watching and how they're interacting with the videos.
Sabrina discussed looking at metrics such as:
Watch time
Average view duration
Percentage of viewers watching through the video
Where viewers are located
When viewers are on YouTube
How individual videos perform compared with previous videos
One important lesson: a video with fewer views isn't necessarily unsuccessful if those views are coming from the right potential clients.
Repurposing Content: Be Intentional
The group also discussed whether YouTube videos should automatically be repurposed onto Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.
Sabrina explained that she was initially very careful about sending her YouTube audience to short-form platforms because the audiences behave differently.
Her relocation-focused strategy eventually led her to experiment with repurposing shorter pieces of content for Instagram, but she emphasized keeping the intended audience in mind.
The larger lesson is to avoid repurposing content simply because you can.
Ask:
"Is this putting my content in front of the people I actually want to reach?"
Use a Simple Setup
One of the most encouraging parts of the conversation was how simple Sabrina's filming setup is.
She doesn't use a videographer for her regular YouTube videos.
Instead, she records herself using:
Her phone
A selfie stick
A microphone
She then sends the footage to an editor.
Her advice was to prioritize getting started instead of waiting for a perfect production setup.
She also recommended testing the microphone before recording an entire video and using the phone's HD 60 setting rather than 4K to make uploading footage easier.
Outsource the Editing When You Can
Sabrina currently outsources her video editing and shared that she pays around $95 per video.
She recommended looking for YouTube editors through platforms such as Fiverr and testing different editors until finding someone who understands the agent's style and market.
Communication is important, especially when an editor is adding B-roll.
The footage should accurately represent the market you're talking about.
Use Calls to Action
Another area Sabrina said she is continuing to improve is her calls to action.
Because relocation buyers don't necessarily know which neighborhood is right for them, videos can create opportunities to encourage viewers to reach out for help.
One example is acknowledging that a specific home may no longer be available when someone watches the video, while positioning the agent as someone who knows the area and can help them find a similar property.
Sabrina also uses a relocation blueprint as a lead-generation tool and places a QR code in her videos and pinned comments so viewers can access it and schedule a Zoom conversation.
Speak to the Right Buyer
A recurring theme throughout the Power Hour was audience clarity.
Sabrina's strategy is heavily focused on people who are considering relocating.
That means every part of the channel — from the channel name and keywords to the topics, titles, and hooks — supports that audience.
She also discussed the possibility of creating a separate YouTube channel focused on sellers because the search behavior and content strategy would be different.
The important point is to avoid trying to make one channel speak to everyone.
The Biggest Takeaways
If you're thinking about adding YouTube to your real estate business, Sabrina's presentation came down to a few core ideas:
1. Know your audience.Decide who you want your videos to attract before deciding what to film.
2. Focus on search intent.Create content around what people who are considering a move are actually searching for.
3. Choose an anchor market.Use a recognizable city or market with enough search interest to support your content strategy.
4. Create evergreen content.Focus on neighborhoods, markets, price ranges, and relocation information instead of making every video dependent on one listing.
5. Hook viewers quickly.Get into the value of the video instead of spending several minutes introducing yourself.
6. Be consistent.YouTube takes time. Give the strategy enough time to compound.
7. Watch the right metrics.Don't focus only on total views. Pay attention to watch time, retention, audience, and engagement.
8. Keep production simple.A phone, selfie stick, microphone, and good content can be enough to get started.
9. Make it easy to contact you.Use clear calls to action, lead magnets, QR codes, pinned comments, or consultation links.
10. Focus on the right views.The goal isn't to become famous on YouTube. It's to get in front of people who could actually become clients.
Watch the Full EMC Weekly Agent Power Hour
Want to hear Sabrina's full strategy, see the examples she shared, and listen to the Q&A from other agents?
Watch the full recorded session on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Tj4QYId378M
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