Search won’t create visibility for you. Publishing will. – Houston Agent Magazine

The big idea

If your goal is a $1 million gross closed income (GCI) real estate business, your work has to be searchable today, not “eventually.” If you are not publishing, you are harder to find on Google, Instagram, LinkedIn and the AI answer engines consumers already use to pick an agent. 

Why this matters to your GCI

Income is tied to activity. What has changed is how leverage is created and kept. An activity-only business is fragile: When you stop, everything stops. A publishing system behaves differently: it stays live, can be reused and supports your pipeline while you are showing homes, meeting clients or off the clock.

Activity creates income. Content creates leverage.

The math behind visibility

Here is a production target I use with agents who want predictable inbound demand:

• About 1,066 words of valuable content per day for each $100,000 in annual income.
• About 10,660 words per day for $1,000,000.

That does not mean writing one long blog post every day. It means producing enough helpful material that answers buyer and seller questions across multiple formats:

• A short video becomes a transcript, captions, a post and a Q&A.
• One topic becomes multiple searchable assets when repurposed into short-form video, a post, an email and a checklist.

Why ‘hoping to show up’ costs you leads

This week, I had the same conversation I have had for more than 20 years with licensed real estate professionals: Many are relying on exposure they do not control.

Common assumptions:

• “AI will surface me.”
• “My brokerage brand will carry me.”
• “People will find me.”

Discovery tools do not invent expertise. They pull from what exists. If you have not published, there is less for search systems and answer engines to reference. The business consequence is simple: fewer inbound leads, slower trust-building and more time spent chasing.

Your competition is not Zillow.

You are not competing with a portal by trying to be a portal. You are competing with the agent in your market who publishes consistently and explains things in plain language.

That agent is:

• Posting neighborhood updates weekly.
• Explaining buyer financing options clearly.
• Using seller-ready checklists.
• Handling common objections before they show up.
• Showing up across platforms with the same message.

They get found first. Over time, their return improves as their content library grows.

Systems beat burnout

Most agents do not fail because they lack ideas. They fail because they lack a repeatable workflow. With an AI-supported workflow, one topic can be turned into:

• A short-form video.
• A blog post.
• An email.
• Social captions.
• A simple graphic.
• An FAQ section built for AI search.

Your publishing engine can be completed in about 10 minutes a day with low-cost tools like Google AI or ChatGPT. Bonus: Publishing with captions, clean formatting and plain-language summaries also helps clients who prefer readable, accessible information.

What to track

• Posts published per week.
• Inbound leads per week tied to content.
• Cost per lead (if running ads).
• Consultations booked.
• GCI pipeline tied to inbound conversations (“How did you find me?”).

Do this before your next showing: the 10-minute publishing playbook

1. Pick one weekly topic tied to active clients (pricing, inspections, buyer agreements, downsizing, neighborhood updates).
2. Record 3–5 minutes of video answering one question in plain language.
3. Repurpose into four outputs the same day:

• One post (150–250 words).
• One email (same message, new subject line).
• One caption set (three short options).
• One FAQ list (five questions and one-to-two sentence answers).

  4. Publish on the platforms that your ideal clients use. 

Template (use as-is):

• Hook: “If you are wondering about ___, here is the simple answer.”
• Three points: “1) ___ 2) ___ 3) ___.”
• Close: “If you want the checklist I use with clients, message me ‘CHECKLIST.’”

A search will not explain your value to potential clients. Your content will.

Productivity Hack: Upload your video to Gemini AI and use the following prompt: “Extract the text from the audio and leave all content intact.” The output will provide you with the text transcript of your recorded video, allowing you to create written content faster. 

Download the FREE “189 Prompts to Workflows: Custom GPT Edition” and turn everyday real estate tasks into automated systems — starting today.

Marki Lemons Ryhal is a top real estate coach, global keynote speaker and international best-selling author. She is also a licensed managing broker and Realtor and the first African-American woman inducted into the Chicago Association of REALTORS® Hall of Fame. She currently hosts two podcasts, “Drive with NAR” and “Social Selling Made Simple.”