The Agency’s own Keri White is channeling the power of video content. Since launching her YouTube channel, KeriTV in 2018, the Los Angeles-based real estate agent’s audience has grown to hundreds of followers with many videos getting several thousand views. Topics range from monthly market updates to webinars on property flipping and “Just Sold” home tours.
“Originally, we were using the audio for the market updates in a podcast, but just found that the YouTube episodes had the most impact,” says Keri. “When we started, we consistently put out one episode every week for three years. In late 2021, we changed it into a monthly show.” Keri also cross-promotes the channel on her Instagram account (@keriannkeriann)—which has more than 30,000 followers and counting.
In today’s digital-first world, quick-hitting video content is continuing to gain popularity, with a large majority of Americans getting at least some of their news from digital devices, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey. The survey also shows that YouTube also has become an important source of news for many Americans—with about a quarter of all U.S. adults (26%) saying they get news on YouTube and most identifying it as an important way they stay informed. Plus, 90% of digital consumers in the U.S. use YouTube—making it the most popular choice for watching online videos— and the platform is the second most preferred content for millennials to consume online video content after Netflix.
Here, we get the rundown on what inspired KeriTV, what topics are getting the most attention right now and Keri’s advice for any professional starting their own YouTube channel.
What was your motivation behind starting the channel?
It was a way for me to get information out to all of my clients and future clients about the real estate market. I find myself explaining a lot of the same thing, of course, as most people have pretty similar questions, so I wanted to put it in a format where I could get the message and the information out to more people. We were using the audio as a podcast but just found that the YouTube episodes had the most impact. We take the YouTube episodes and upload them to IGTV as well, and now reels, and also include The #KeriTV episodes on our e-blasts. We have since been using the information to chop it up and repurpose it as KTV real tips.
What are some of the most popular topics you cover in your videos?
Funny question! Actually a lot of the behind-the-scenes gets a ton of engagement. People love to see the process of what really happens at a home inspection, how to get a property ready for sale, how to get pre-approved. People love to see what it’s really like day-to-day in real estate. In fact, we get the most views from showing start to finish of a renovation project. A little bit like HGTV! We did a “day in the life” of an agent earlier this year and it was a big hit. People love a look behind-the-scenes!
Beyond your monthly market updates, how do you decide what topics to cover in your videos?
I usually speak about current events and how they impact the real estate market. Recent topics I’ve covered include, the Fed increasing interest rates, how the election impacts home prices, the wars, the pandemic. I also read several articles a week from sources like the California Association of Realtors, Keeping Current Matters, The Wall Street Journal and Forbes, and pull together relevant information from there to highlight. Just recently, I hosted a few informative webinars on the channel—including one on market predictions with Dave Childers, president of Keeping Current Matters and another with The Broke Agent, Matt Lionetti. We also have a mix of timeless real estate information we put together so you can always go to my channel and find tips on all things buying, selling or investing, plus the most current real estate information.
Can you describe some of the feedback you have received from subscribers about your videos?
They are grateful to have a consistent and honest authentic real estate news source. In a confusing market, viewers can rely on my videos to be the voice of reason with what is really going on. They’ve also mentioned they learn things they hadn’t even thought of or knew existed, so I feel like it’s really having an impact.
Have any of your KeriTV YouTube channel subscribers become real-life clients?
Yes, several! The first person who found me on #KeriTV was five months after I started my channel. They have bought and sold several times and referred me to people. Since then, there have been numerous other individuals who have found me through my YouTube channel .It’s really rewarding to meet clients this way and it’s a sign that my content is resonating with viewers and proving true value.
What do you think subscribers appreciate most about your channel?
Definitely the consistency! My channel provides an up-to-date, honest, down-to-earth, reality check regarding the real estate market, and that can be rare to find.
Will you be adding any new video topics in the coming weeks/months?
We just started doing more “agent tips.” We’ve found that we have a large following of agents based on all the speaking events and webinars from the last couple of years, so we are focusing more on things that would help agents and that also show our strengths as a team to our buyers and sellers. We did one topic called the “I don’t know agent” and had over 50,000 views!
What advice would you give a fellow real estate professional about starting up their own YouTube channel?
My biggest piece of advice would be to make a plan and stay consistent. The hardest thing about starting anything new is sticking with it. There will be a million excuses not to do it—like having too much to do, having too many clients to get back to, not feeling like it, etc. But consistency is what will give you the highest level of success in anything you do in life. My other piece of advice is don’t edit your own videos because you’ll never publish them! Let someone else on your team watch them. Hire somebody for $200 from Fiverr or somebody local to put some fun captions and graphics and try to keep them between three and seven minutes. Have fun with it! It won’t be easy, but it’s worth it. Consumers want to see you and they want to see a lot of it!
For more, subscribe to KeriTV on YouTube and check out Keri White’s Instagram.
