She stopped talking about real estate. $10M followed.

Most of what gets called "listing marketing" happens after you have the listing.

This week, B.I.T.S. is about the work that happens everywhere else:

The content that wins the listing appointment before you walk through the door, the Friday email that keeps sellers from spiraling, a $170M listing that proves the address does the marketing, and the question your sellers are about to ask that you need to be ready for.

Here's what's on this week's agenda:

🏆 [B]est in Class: She stopped talking about real estate. $10M followed.

💡 [I]deas That Work: Friday email that stops the "what's happening?" call

📈 [T]raffic & Attention: $170 million. 84 neighbors. One bridge in.

🔔 [S]eller Signals: Your sellers heard rates dropped. Brace yourself.

Alyssa Curnutt is a real estate agent in Spokane, Washington.

A year and a half ago, she was close to quitting social media entirely. Her feed looked like every other agent's: market updates nobody read, listing graphics nobody saved, tips-for-buyers carousels nobody shared.

Then she made one decision that changed the trajectory of her business.

She stopped talking about real estate.

Instead, she started posting about Spokane.

A 60-second Reel walking through a new indoor farmers market. A quick video about a neighborhood coffee shop that just opened. A story about a hiking trail most Spokane residents had never heard of.

One for latest Reels about her favorite coffee shop has more than 63k views. Another one about a new Trader Joe’s that is opening has nearly 30k views.

Just those two caused almost 100,000 people to watch a video from a real estate agent and think, "My friend needs to see this."

After the pivot from agent to local guide content, 40% of her closed business came directly from Instagram.

She crossed $10 million in volume. Not from just-listed posts. From farmers market reels and Ramen noodle restaurant walk-throughs.

Alyssa posts three pieces of hyperlocal content per week. None of it mentions real estate. None of it has a call to action. None of it says "thinking about buying or selling?"

It doesn't need to.

Here's what happens instead: a homeowner in Spokane watches 15 of her videos over the course of a few months.

They see her walk through the neighborhood they live in. They see her highlight the bakery down the street they've been meaning to try. They see her talk about the new park development three blocks away.

By the time that homeowner decides to sell, they don't need to Google "best real estate agent in Spokane." They already follow one. They already trust one.

The listing appointment becomes a conversation, not an audition.

That trust wasn't built by a CMA or a market report. It was built 45 seconds at a time over months.

Sellers hire agents they trust. And trust doesn't start at the listing table. It starts long before, in the small moments where someone demonstrates they actually know the community, not just the comps.

Alyssa's approach works because it answers the one question every seller is quietly asking: "Does this person actually know my neighborhood?"

She never has to say it out loud. Her content already answered it 50 times.

Pick three places within 10 minutes of your office. A restaurant, a park, a local business, a new development. Anything.

Visit each one this week. Shoot a 30-to-60-second Reel. Keep it simple: what the place is, why it matters, and one thing most people don't know about it.

Don't mention real estate. Don't add a CTA. Just be the person who knows things about your area that nobody else is sharing.

The listings come later. The trust comes first.

Monday ✅

Here's what we're covering the rest of the week:

Today - [B]est in Class: She stopped talking about real estate. $10M followed.

Tomorrow - [I]deas That Work: The Friday email that stops the "what's happening with my house?" call

Wednesday - [T]raffic & Attention: $170 million. 84 neighbors. One bridge in.

Thursday - [S]eller Signals: Your sellers heard rates dropped. Brace yourself.

See you tomorrow,

- Chris Smith and Jimmy Mackin

P.S. If you missed our 90-day Ultimate Listing Marketing Plan coaching call, it was pure 🔥

Here’s the replay (also includes the slides and a checklist)