Gen Z Agents Don’t Care About Your Content…Unless it Matches These Values w/John Schuchman

“Agents want ease, they want relationships and they want to be part of something bigger than themselves.”That’s how John puts it. And that comes from hundreds of conversations with agents, building his revshare group and hosting his podcast, Real Estate Survival Guide.But what’s behind the shift?Part of it’s generational, part of it’s the last few years…the economythe uncertaintythe loneliness epidemicthe search for real, authentic communityBut this newsletter is about marketing and content strategy for real estate leaders.So I’m going to focus on the marketing opportunity…If the industry is missing some of the real motivators that drive agents…leaders who speak deeply to those motivators have a chance to win BIG with younger agents.Non-Obvious Insights from our Conversation:The Best Way to NEVER Get What You Want Is to Ask For It DirectlyMy [current] lender, had just been commenting on my stuff for a few weeks, [things] like ‘Congratulations, great work!’ So the minute the crap hit the fan, [I reached out] for help…She's probably made $50,000 in two years because of it. She didn't inbox me and say, ‘Can I tell you about this amazing opportunity?’ She didn't say, ‘I'd like to grab coffee with you.’ She supported my stuff.” - John SchuchmanJust like how the lender treated him, John is finding that a relationship-first approach works best in agent attraction.Not because it’s warm and fuzzy, but because leading with relationships aligns with one of the key motivators for younger agents.“There's one percent out there that are in the inboxes, annoying people, and they kind of ruin it for the rest of us. I'm not that person…So my goal is to just build relationships with people, just care genuinely about people."​ So how do you infuse that into your content?Here are a few Action Steps:Share stories of how you’re helping agents with NON-business goals - Don’t just tell agents you care about them, SHOW them with documented actionCollaborate with other leaders to create content - Show agents who YOUR key relationships areShare the spotlight - Put your agent or client success stories front and centerAgents Are Traumatized by Pitch Slaps Before They Even Get Licensed“That's kind of the new agents, where they feel like they're just waiting to be sold…Everyone is waiting for the pitch slap.” Between all the ads for pre-licensing programs, to ads for marketing, software and coaching, new agents are coming in jaded and cynical. AI has exploded the number of cold emails and DMs, too. As a result, we’re all more guarded, more insular, more reliant on our social network and warm intros.How do you respond? Stop pushing, and start building an audience with your content. It’s much better for agents to feel like they’ve discovered you, rather than feeling like you are pushing yourself at them.Here are a few Action Steps:Niche down your content - Speak more deeply and specifically to your ideal agent, so your content stands out to the right agents.Be on the Platforms Agents Use Daily - Looking to attract younger agents? Use TikTok or YouTube Shorts. Going after top producers in their 40s? Use Facebook and Insta, with long form videos on YouTube. Run Ads on Niche Podcasts & YouTube Shows - Show hosts are always open to ways to monetize their shows. Rather than spending on Meta ads, where you compete with the biggest brands and the biggest budgets, go niche. Go right to the leaders who have audiences you want to reach, and offer to pay for a package of 30 second ads, or email placements. Start slow, build the relationship.Agents are Looking for Culture Fit More Than Traditional Factors.“I found this with my clients and now with agents, People want to be around winners. So brands out there, now don't do it in a cocky way, but please on your social media, please share your wins. We want to see them. I'm much more aligned to connect with a brand or an agent in this case. I want to be around winners."​Culture fit isn’t just for physical offices. This goes for virtual brokerages, teams, coaching firms, even SaaS. The more agents can see themselves thriving in your culture, the more they’ll be open to your offer.And the only way agents can see that from the outside is in the content you publish. So here are a few Action Steps…Spotlight agents from a range of demographicsSpotlight different sizes of wins - small and largeSpotlight the emotional rewards - the thrill of victory, not just the numbers or the factsA bonus takeaway was this nugget from John on podcast pitches he gets…Want to Get on More Podcasts? Stop Asking & Start Supporting Their Work.“The best way to never be on my podcast is to ask. Instead, what I like and appreciate is when someone says, ‘Hey, I liked your episode about the….’ What I really think is if people want to win, go and support the people that you want to be around."If you want to get in front of podcast and YouTube audiences, or even Facebook Group communities, the landscape has completely shifted. Even the smallest podcaster gets bombarded by pitch emails.You can’t spin up an outreach program and blast out ‘compliment emails.’ Authentic compliments can’t be systematized and scaled up.Today, getting access to niche audiences is all about relationships, warm intros, and…genuinely seeking to serve those audiences and their leaders.Want to go deeper? Click on the audio file for the full chat, or search Real Estate Thought Leaders on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. I had a hard time condensing this down to just a few non-obvious insights. There were a lot of great nuggets John has picked up in all his conversations with agents!Or Hit Reply and tell me what you’re seeing about agent’s motivators.Steal This:What podcaster or YouTube creator would you genuinely promote for no other reason than you like what they’re doing? Go post about them on social, or share some of their content with your email list. Here’s the key…do it with ZERO expectation.Quick Links & ResourcesReal Estate Survival Guide - John’s podcast and membership siteConnect with John on Facebook or InstagramMassive thanks to John for sharing all his insights! He talks to so many Gen Z agents that I really enjoyed getting that perspective. Make sure to connect with John on Facebook, and share his podcast with agents in your world who might enjoy it! -MattAgency Founder & Author of MicroFamousPS When you’re ready, here’s one way we can help…Done-for-You Content Service - From Michael Maher and Lars Hedenborg to Jeff Cohn and Marki Lemons-Ryhal, we’ve been the content team behind many of your fellow real estate coaches, speakers and authors. We turn conversations into newsletters, videos and podcasts, all with zero hassle. With our system, that content creates real authority, influence and impact for our clients. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rethoughtleaders.substack.com