The Millionaire Real Estate Agent Podcast, Ep. 106: "Say What Others Won’t: Generative Engine Optimization With Marcus Sheridan"

Host: Jason Abrams
Guest: Marcus Sheridan
Date: October 27, 2025

Episode Overview

Jason Abrams welcomes marketing and content authority Marcus Sheridan to discuss “Generative Engine Optimization” (GEO) — a strategy for real estate agents to stand out and surface not only in traditional search but also in AI recommendations. Marcus shares the story of how he rebuilt his pool business after near failure by radically transparent content, then translates his hard-won frameworks for the real estate world. Together, they detail pragmatic ways any agent can dominate local mindshare, inspire consumer trust, and, most critically, become prominent in the AI-fueled digital landscape.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Marcus Sheridan’s Backstory: From Breakdown to Breakthrough

• Marcus details his origin in the pool business, near bankruptcy during the 2008 crash, and rebuilding by obsessively answering customer questions online.
  • “I would work from basically six in the morning...get home at nine o’clock at night. Then I’d sit at my kitchen table and I would start producing content that was answering a question I’d heard that day.” (07:12, Marcus)
  • “Within two years, literally, we’re the most trafficked swimming pool builder website in the entire world. And leads have exploded by that point.” (07:50, Marcus)
• Key takeaway: Radical transparency and customer-focused content, not production value or timing, drives real business results — even in crowded or mature markets.

2. Why Trust Signals Matter in the AI Era

• The digital landscape is shifting: Over 50% of consumers “prefer ChatGPT over Google search.” (09:55, Marcus)
  • Agents must optimize not only for human prospects, but the algorithms that provide answers to them.
  • “The future...isn’t going to be found by choosing which blue link to click on. That is not our future...You will have to be in [the] two or three answers [AI gives].” (09:55, Marcus)
• Trust signals are “any piece of content created by you or about you online” — reviews, social posts, videos, articles. Accumulating trust signals affects both client trust and AI recommendation.

3. The Four Pillars of a Known and Trusted Brand

Marcus’s core framework for standing out online and to AI:

Pillar 1: Say What Others Aren’t Willing to Say

• Address what competitors avoid: Price, problems, comparisons, reviews (good and bad), and “bests/tops.”
  • “If I showed them your content, would they say, ‘Oh yeah, I’m doing that too’ — or, ‘There’s no way we would ever talk about that’? If you want to create a divide...you got to be willing to say what others aren’t willing to say.” (11:15, Marcus)
• The “Big Five” topics every consumer researches:
  1. Cost/Price (examples: total cost of ownership, down payments, differences by area)
  2. Problems/Negatives (risks, “what could go wrong?”)
  3. Comparisons (brands, methods, locations)
  4. Reviews (especially negative ones and how you handle them)
  5. “Best/Top” Queries (best neighborhoods, agents, times to buy)

Pillar 2: Show What Others Aren’t Willing to Show

• Video is king, but transparency sets you apart.
  • “What does $700,000 really buy you in Austin? A line by line walkthrough.” (23:18, Marcus)
  • “Builder upgrades that cost $40,000 but add zero value — film a design center visit and highlight upsells that don’t appraise.”
  • “I want people to come up to you and say, ‘Your videos blow my mind. I feel like everything I’ve learned about buying a home I learned from you.’” (25:06, Marcus)

Pillar 3: Sell in Ways Others Aren’t Willing to Sell

• “Sell” = create self-service experiences and empower the buyer long before contact.
  • “75% of all buyers today say they would prefer to have a seller-free sales experience.” (26:09, Marcus)
  • Build tools: self-assessments (e.g., “What’s your home’s sellability score?”), self-scheduling, and, most provocatively, “Let buyers choose their agent from your roster before any contact.” (29:30, Marcus)

Pillar 4: Be More Human Than Anyone Else Is Willing to Be

• People want a human connection and authenticity. Especially as AI-generated content saturates the web, realness stands out.
  • “76% of all buyers...would prefer to work with a company whose executive is active online.” (31:26, Marcus)
  • Practical tips: Send personalized video introductions before and after meetings, record simple “thinking of you” messages for past clients.

Marcus Sheridan’s AI Content Tools & Practical Advice

Easy Content Creation for Real Estate

• Custom ChatGPT tools by Marcus Sheridan:
  • “Endless Real Estate Content Titles” — input your market/target, receive dozens of proven video/article ideas.
  • “Show What Others Won’t” — AI that suggests high-noise, little competition video ideas.
  • “Endless Self Service Tools” — get prompts to create DIY calculators, quizzes, etc., that allow users to interact without agent intervention.
  • How to access: Go to ChatGPT, search “Marcus Sheridan” in Custom GPTs, and select the relevant one.

“If an agent gets serious about content production...this is the best content ideator for agencies you’ve ever seen.” (19:50, Marcus)

Content Creation Routine

• Simple, cell phone-shot vertical videos are effective (“Your car is the best studio money can buy” — shout out to Sean Canal ep.)
• “Record, don’t edit. Post, don’t overthink. Make it a weekly habit.” (21:02, Marcus)

Human Touch in Digital Dialogues

• “Email’s been the same for 30 years. Very few agents use 1-to-1 video. Follow-up and introduction videos create emotional resonance and set you apart.” (34:13, Marcus)

Notable Quotes & Timestamp Highlights

• On pain and motivation:
  • “The key to great...success in business, certainly as an agent, is you don’t wait till things are slow to start to do the little things that got you where you were.” (04:40, Marcus)
• On transparency as a competitive moat:
  • “There’s this delta called transparency that most companies and most agents don’t necessarily want to jump over, but if they did, they would then become...the most known and trusted brand.” (08:36, Marcus)
• On self-selection and conversion:
  • “Whenever [customers] get to choose who they work with, there’s a doubling of closing rates...the likelihood they end up choosing that company is night and day.” (29:30, Marcus)
• On “playing small” in content:
  • “The bar is low. To stand out, you don’t have to do a ton...that alone is going to put you in that elite 1% of agents.” (36:09, Marcus)
• On AI and the future for agents:
  • “You can be a digital David in a land of Goliath and really just be very different. Make your own rules. I think it’s an exciting time. I’d love to be an agent right now, frankly.” (38:01, Marcus)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 03:31 – Marcus’s origin in the pool business & near-bankruptcy epiphany
• 07:49 – Becoming the #1 traffic pool website through radical Q&A content
• 09:55 – The death of ‘blue link’ search; trust signals; rise of AI-powered recommendations
• 11:15–15:35 – The “Big Five” content categories & why agents must tackle them
• 17:22–19:46 – Examples of content titles from Marcus’s AI tool
• 23:18–25:06 – “Show what others won’t”: video ideas that set you apart
• 26:09–29:30 – “Sell in ways others won’t”: self-service, self-selection, empowering buyers
• 31:12–34:13 – Being “more human”: intro & follow-up videos, warmth in a digital world
• 36:09 – Why real estate pros have a unique opportunity right now
• 38:01 – On AI’s threat to agents (and why it’s actually an opportunity)

Tone and Takeaways

Marcus and Jason are fast-paced, pragmatic, and witty — blending big-picture strategic advice with no-nonsense action steps. The key message:

Your future as a trusted agent depends on your willingness to be radically transparent, generous with your knowledge, and consistently present on video and new digital channels. Set your sights not just on SEO, but on building “trust signals” that both humans and AI recognize — and you’ll become that indispensable “top-choice” advisor in any market.

Summary by Sections:

• Marcus’s story and why transparency trumps timing or tech
• The new era of AI-driven recommendations and the death of the 10-blue-link search result
• Trust signals: what they are, why agents must intentionally build them
• The Four Pillars (Say, Show, Sell, Be Human) and the “Big Five” consumer queries
• Practical examples and tools (with instructions for DIY access)
• Humanizing your follow-up and client interactions in a digital-first world
• Why now is the best time for opportunity-minded agents to take bold action

Action Items for Agents:

• Pick one pillar, one “Big Five” topic, use Marcus’s AI GPTs, and record a short video this week
• Send a personalized intro video before each appointment
• Assess your trust signal presence (try Marcus’s tool at aitrustsignals.com)
• Remember: the most human, transparent, and helpful agent wins — both with humans and the bots that advise them

“The bar is low...just by doing what we discussed today, you’re in the elite 1%.” (36:09, Marcus)

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