Podcast
Top Agents Playbook
Hosted by Ray Wood · EN
Top Agents Playbook is a podcast for future-focused real estate agents.
18episodes
Episodes
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How Real Estate Agents Can Win Attention, Build Trust and Use AI More Effectively. Ep 239. The 4 U’s of Digital Engagement.An Interview with Dr Tim Stafford
1w ago00:41:45Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Top Agents Playbook, Ray Wood speaks with Dr. Tim Stafford, a professor, learning strategist, futurist and specialist in online learning and digital engagement.Tim shares a powerful framework for understanding how people engage in crowded digital spaces — something every real estate agent needs to understand in today’s noisy social media environment.At the heart of the conversation is Tim’s “4 U’s” framework for human engagement online:Useful — Your content must quickly show people that it solves a real problem.Unique — Your message needs to clearly communicate what makes you different from every other agent, business or brand competing for attention.Urgent — Not in a panic-driven way, but by helping your audience understand why the issue matters now.Ultra-specific — Vague content gets ignored. Specific content builds credibility, clarity and trust.Ray and Tim discuss why most marketing fails because it focuses too heavily on the product or service, rather than the problem the audience is trying to solve. For real estate agents, this means moving beyond generic posts like “Thinking of selling?” and instead creating content that speaks directly to the concerns, questions and emotions of homeowners and buyers.A major theme of the episode is trust. Tim explains that trust is not built by simply telling people you are an expert. It is built when your audience feels you understand their problem, have solved it before and can guide them with confidence.The conversation also explores how AI is changing the future of marketing, learning and business. Tim explains that AI is especially powerful at removing the “blank page” problem and helping people move faster through the early stages of creating content, courses, research and strategy. But he also makes the important point that AI does not replace human nuance, judgement or expertise — it helps accelerate the work humans already do well.For real estate agents, this episode offers a practical reminder: success online is not about posting more random content. It is about building a long-term digital community around useful, specific and emotionally relevant conversations.Key Takeaways for Real Estate AgentsReal estate agents are not just competing with other agents — they are competing with everything in the social media feed.Your content must show value quickly.The best marketing starts with the audience’s problem, not your service.Specificity builds trust faster than broad claims.AI can help agents create better content faster, but the human insight still matters.Long-term digital trust is built through consistent, relevant conversations.Connect with Tim at https://drtimstafford.com
Transcribe →Tough Love For A Tough Market. How to prepare your sellers to SELL! Ep 238.
2w ago00:27:11Tap to summarizeThe market is changing right now. Maybe not in your area, but in most.Buyers have lost their urgency, and the list-to-sell-time is starting to blow out.So how are agents getting buyers and sellers together?In this episode, I'm taking a close look at the best way to prepare your sellers for a sale.Cheers Ray
Transcribe →How to vibe code beautiful web pages, landing pages, report and newsletters in your CRM. Ep 237.
3w ago00:10:48Tap to summarizeIn this episode, I talk about offering a prompt, but I completely forgot to share.Here's a prompt I asked Listing Engine to create for a landing page.Prompt:[Location] is ...insert your city.You are a world-class direct response landing page designer, conversion copywriter, and Go High Level AI Studio website builder.Create a simple, clean, mobile-first landing page designed to generate property appraisal leads from homeowners in [Location].The purpose of the page is to invite homeowners to submit their details so they can receive a fully researched, accurate property market update for their own property within 24 hours.The page should feel professional, local, trustworthy, premium, and helpful.DESIGN STYLEUse a modern real estate lead generation style.The page should be:- Mobile-first- Clean- Premium- Uncluttered- Easy to read- Focused on one clear actionUse a dark charcoal background with white text.Use bold, tightly spaced Inter font throughout the page.Use strong contrast with an electric blue accent colour for buttons, icons, highlights, borders, glow effects, and key visual details.On desktop, use a simple two-column hero layout:- Left column: hero copy- Right column: 24-hour clock graphic and opt-in formKeep the text column and opt-in form visually close together so the page feels focused and conversion-driven.On mobile, stack the hero copy first, then the clock graphic, then the opt-in form.Do not add unnecessary navigation links, menus, extra buttons, or distracting sections.TOP BANNERAt the very top of the page, add this centred context line:HOW MUCH IS YOUR [Location] PROPERTY WORTH TODAY?Make this line bold, clean, and highly visible, but not larger than the main hero heading.HERO SECTION — LEFT SIDEHero Heading:Our Free 24 Hour Update Delivers A Researched and Accurate Property Market Opinion.Subheading:Find out what your property could be worth in today’s market with a personalised market opinion prepared specifically for your [Location] home.Supporting Copy:No generic estimate. No automated guesswork. Just a researched property market update based on recent local sales, current buyer activity, comparable properties, and today’s market conditions.Add these 5 bullet points with check icons:- Receive your personalised property market opinion within 24 hours- Based on current [Location] market data- Includes recent comparable sales and local buyer demand- Helpful whether you’re thinking of selling now, later, or simply curious- Free, accurate, and obligation-freeBelow the bullet points, add a small trust line with a shield icon:Prepared by a local property professional with current market knowledgeHERO SECTION — RIGHT SIDEAt the top of the right column, above the opt-in box, create a large, prominent round 24-hour clock-style graphic.The clock graphic should look sleek, modern, and premium.It should include:- Circular timer ring- Subtle electric blue glow- “24 HR” displayed clearly inside the graphic- Clean, minimal real estate styleBelow the clock graphic, create a clean opt-in box/card.The opt-in box should have:- Slightly lighter charcoal background- Rounded corners- Subtle shadow- Subtle electric blue top gradient line- Strong visual focusOpt-in Box Heading:Get Your Free 24 Hour Market OpinionOpt-in Box Subheading:Enter your details below and we’ll prepare a researched property update for your home.Form Fields:- First Name- Address of Property to be Assessed- Email- MobileAdd a tick box with this exact wording:I’m planning to sell. Please send me your marketing options and costs.CTA Button:Get My 24 Hr Market OpinionButton style:- Large- Full width- Rounded corners- Bold text- Bright electric blue background- High contrast- Strong hover effect if possibleBelow the CTA button, add this privacy microcopy:Your details are private and will only be used to prepare your property market update.HOW IT WORKS SECTIONBelow the hero section, add a simple “How It Works” section.Keep this section clean, short, and visually simple.Heading:How It WorksAdd 3 steps with simple icons:Step 1: Submit Your Property DetailsStep 2: We Research The Local MarketStep 3: Receive Your 24 Hour Market OpinionCLOSING CTA SECTIONAdd a final simple closing CTA section.TextWant to know what your [Location] property could sell for in today’s market?Button:Get My 24 Hr Market OpinionIMPORTANT INSTRUCTIONS- Keep the page focused on one action only.- Do not add unnecessary navigation links.- Do not make the page busy.- Prioritise mobile readability.- Make the opt-in form the main visual focus.- Use strong spacing, bold headings, and clean sections.- Keep the design premium, local, trustworthy, and conversion-focused.- Make sure the page is suitable for real estate agents generating homeowner appraisal leads.
Transcribe →How to take over your real estate territory. Ep 236. An interview with Christian Bartley
4w ago00:25:56Tap to summarizeI know Barwon Heads, Victoria (Australia) very well.It's a beautiful coastal town about ninety minutes from Melbourne, nestled into the dunes where the Barwon River runs into Bass Straight.It's also a very popular target for Melbourne families looking for the ultimate beach house retreat. There are long-established loyalities where old habits die hard.So, you might imagine that this was not the easiest of places to start a real estate business from scratch.But that's what Christian Bartley did, then worked hard to build market share and ultimately dominate the Barwon Heads real estate market.In this interview, Christian breaks down exactly how he did it.With a surprising blend of proven old-school strategies and new-school tech and media ideas, Christian and his growing team built an impressive brand that property sellers and buyers are drawn to.If you're working to grow your agency, or you're in week one of your new career, Christian has more than a few proven ideas to share.His mantra is that many agents are big on training but struggle with execution. And in his new role as coach and mentor to Australia's new class of future-focused agents, Christian brings many years of hard-won experience and proven ways to execute your way to success to the table.You can start the conversation and connect with Christian at Real Mentor
Transcribe →What's happening in real estate advertising? Ep 235. An interview with Greg McDaniel.
Apr 3000:43:35Tap to summarizeIt's always fun catching up with Greg McDaniel because he's always up to something cool.Here's a summary of our session:Absolutely, Ray. Here’s a detailed summary shortened to roughly 20% of the original wording.Podcast Interview Summary: Ray Wood with Greg McDanielRay welcomes longtime friend Greg McDaniel from Grass Valley, Northern California. After a relaxed opening chat about Greg’s 10-acre property, mowing, weather, and life in Northern California, the conversation turns to what is currently working for real estate agents in social media marketing and advertising.Greg says agents have never had more opportunity to create their own media. They no longer need a full studio setup; a smartphone, simple microphone, and free or low-cost editing tools like CapCut are enough to produce useful content. He emphasizes that agents can now use AI tools such as ChatGPT and prompt libraries like AIPRM to generate video ideas, captions, YouTube titles, descriptions, tags, and content frameworks quickly.A major theme is that agents often feel overwhelmed by all the marketing options available, but Greg argues the answer is simpler than most people think: stay visible, stay relevant, and keep having conversations with your audience. He uses his and Ray’s friendship as an example. Even though they have known each other for around 10 years and never met in person, they have stayed connected through podcasts, conversations, and regular contact. That same principle applies to agents and their audience.Greg recommends agents post short-form content daily on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube Shorts, and other platforms. He says agents should pay attention to who watches, likes, comments, or reacts to their content, then personally reach out and start conversations. Rather than treating social media as a broadcasting platform only, agents should use it as a relationship-building tool.When Ray asks what type of content works best, Greg suggests documenting daily life. He compares each part of the day to a chapter in a book: morning routines, coffee stops, drives, meetings, funny moments, local observations, family life, pets, community stories, and real estate insights. His advice is to make content that is interesting, personal, and relatable, not just constant real estate sales messages.Greg recommends following an 80/20 rule: around 80% of content should be fun, interesting, community-based, or personality-driven, while 20% can be more directly related to business. He notes that kids and pets can attract engagement, though agents should only include family if they are comfortable doing so. Ray jokes that featuring his dogs in marketing videos could make their expenses feel like marketing costs, leading to a humorous side discussion about dogs, grooming, cleaning, and checking with a CPA.The conversation then moves into YouTube. Greg believes YouTube is a powerful free platform because once content is created, it can continue working long term. However, he says fewer than 1% of agents will actually take action. Ray asks why, and Greg bluntly says laziness is often the main barrier. He explains that many agents know what they need to do, but avoid it because they feel they have nothing to say or do not want to be on camera.Greg shares an example of a successful Silicon Valley agent who has deep local knowledge, a long real estate career, children who grew up in the area, a wife who teaches locally, and strong opinions about coffee — yet still feels he has nothing to say. Greg points out that this agent could easily create local coffee tours, community videos, tech-area commentary, and neighborhood stories. The lesson is that agents already have content all around them; they simply need to start filming.Ray and Greg discuss simple equipment, including the Hollyland Lark M2 microphone, which Ray recently bought and found impressive. Greg shares a practical tip: clip the tiny microphone under the brim of a cap for clear audio while filming casual videos.The discussion then shifts to YouTube trends. Greg mentions that large channels like MrBeast are seeing major changes in views as YouTube places more emphasis on Shorts and shorter content. He believes this creates an opportunity for smaller creators and independent agents to gain more visibility. Greg also mentions using tools like VidIQ and Thumbnail Creator to improve YouTube thumbnails, titles, SEO, descriptions, and tags.Greg demonstrates AIPRM inside ChatGPT, showing Ray how pre-built prompts can generate optimized YouTube titles, descriptions, tags, and hashtags. He enters a sample real estate topic and the tool produces multiple title options, a short description, and keyword tags that could be copied into YouTube Studio. Ray is impressed by how much time this could save.Ray then shares what he is seeing with AI Ad Machine clients: property listing ads are generating some of the strongest results. Rather than simply offering free appraisals or asking for listings, agents can advertise actual properties, send traffic to a Meta lead form or landing page, and capture buyer and seller leads. These leads can then flow into Go High Level for automated text and email follow-up. Ray argues that a great listing has enormous pulling power because it shows the agent actively marketing real estate, not begging for business.Greg agrees and adds that ads and content need to match the local audience. A generic message will not work equally well in Miami, San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Grass Valley, or a beach town. Agents should speak the language of their community. For example, in Grass Valley, a real estate agent could create a video using a zero-turn mower or tractor dealership as a metaphor for teamwork and market knowledge. In a beach town, an agent should be on the beach talking about local lifestyle, restaurants, and community news.The core marketing message from Greg is that agents should stop begging for business and instead become a trusted source of information. They should talk about their industry, community, local market, lifestyle, and daily experiences in a way that feels human and useful.Ray adds that testing is now easier than ever. In the old newspaper days, agents ran one ad and hoped it worked. Today, they can run many variations and quickly identify what gets attention, clicks, and leads. This ties directly into Ray’s broader AI Ad Machine philosophy: test multiple ad angles and let the data show what works.Toward the end, Greg introduces Google Flow from Google Labs, describing how it can create AI-generated images from photos and prompts. He gives a playful example of generating an image of family members riding horses, grandchildren running around, and himself on a lawnmower being chased by a kangaroo. More practically, he suggests agents could use AI image tools to help buyers visualize themselves in a property, such as creating an image of a family enjoying a kitchen or living space, while cautioning agents to check rules and avoid anything misleading or discriminatory.Greg also promotes his own podcast, RE Geeks, which focuses on real estate, technology, and how tech influences agents and consumers. He explains that his longtime tech partner Michael is involved, and they discuss practical ways agents can use technology in their business.The episode closes with Ray thanking Greg and promising to include links in the show notes to the tools discussed, including AIPRM, the Hollyland Lark M2 microphone, Google Flow, VidIQ, Thumbnail Creator, and RE Geeks.Key TakeawaysThe strongest message from the interview is that real estate agents do not need complicated marketing. They need consistency, personality, community relevance, and a willingness to create. A smartphone, simple microphone, AI tools, and daily local observations are enough to start building attention.Agents should use short-form video, YouTube, stories, reels, and listing ads to stay visible and start conversations. The best content is not always polished or formal; it is often personal, local, useful, and human.Ray’s major ad insight is that great property listings are still one of the strongest lead-generation assets agents have. When promoted properly through social ads, lead forms, landing pages, and CRM follow-up, listings can become powerful buyer and seller lead machines.Greg’s major content insight is that agents already have more than enough to say. Their local knowledge, daily routines, clients, pets, coffee shops, neighborhoods, listings, and lifestyle stories can all become content. The agents who win are the ones who stop overthinking and start publishing.
Transcribe →What's the best real estate lead generation ad?. We spent $2M and 3 years testing to find out! Ep 234.
Apr 1400:22:03Tap to summarizeWhat's the best ad for generating motivated seller leads?After working with more than 500 real estate professionals and agencies, testing thousands of ads, and tracking over $2 million in client ad spend across the last 3 years, we’ve seen exactly what gets attention, what drives clicks, and what helps generate seller opportunities....and the #1 ad might surprise you!This episode is all about the ads that won, why they won, and how you can quickly model the formula instead of wasting time guessing.Let's connect
Transcribe →How Independent Agents Build A Beautiful Brand. Ep 233. An Interview with Peter Hutton
Apr 1300:39:19Tap to summarizeEpisode SummaryMy Interview with Peter HuttonIf you’re thinking about taking the plunge and launching your own independent real estate agency, then this interview with industry legend Peter Hutton is a must-listen.And even if you’re not, you’ll still take away a stack of value and plenty of fresh ideas.My biggest takeaway from this conversation was the way Peter thinks far beyond the obvious branding decisions to build deep, practical strategy.Peter and his wife Karen have enjoyed remarkable success with more than one agency, so there is very little they do not understand about the operational side of the business.What stands out about Peter is his ability to think well beyond the blue-sky ideas and make sure a new business is a truly workable sum of its parts.From colours, fonts, and logo theory through to building the right tech stack with affordable, practical solutions, Peter draws on more than 25 years of real estate success to share some of his very best thinking.Connect with Peter at Flornt.com.auReady to generate more leads?Visit AdMachine.dev to see how agents are using smarter advertising to attract more attention, leads, and listings.
Transcribe →TAP 232. How to stand out and get noticed in your local market. An interview with Ann Carden
Aug 7, 202400:21:37Tap to summarizeI'm part of a coaching mastermind group and one BIG benefit is that I get to meet some inspirational entrepreneurs. This week I connected with Ann Carden. Ann is a best-selling writer, podcaster, and speaker who is brilliant at motivating and inspiring others to reach their goals.You can connect with Ann hereCheck out Ann's podcast hereThe following is a transcript of the first 3 minutes of our interview 😎Well, hi, everybody, and welcome back to the show. I'm with Ann Carden, and good morning. How you doing?Good morning, I am doing wonderful, right? Thanks so much for having me on. Hi, everyone.And we're about to see you in the world today, Ann.I am in the United States. I am in the state called Missouri, the Midwest.Yeah, absolutely. Tell us a little bit about what you do. I'm really excited to have this call because I know that you offer some special ideas around content and what real estate agents can be doing to grow their business and their income.And I'd love to get into, you mentioned just before we press record about creating multiple income streams. I'd love to learn a little bit more about that. And I'm sure my listeners would as well. So yeah, tell us what you do.And also tell us maybe how we can reach out and connect with you. What's the easiest way to connect with you?Yeah, the best way to connect with me is to go to my website at annlcarden.com. There is an L in my in my website, but that's the best way because I have lots of resources there. I've you can really find out a lot.I also have my podcast there as well, which I go into a lot of marketing and sales strategies and things like that in my and I interview other experts. So my expert in your podcast is also hosted on my website.So there's that's the best way to reach me or if you want to have a call with me, you can book a call there.I'll include those links in the show notes. Sounds great. Yeah. So tell us a little bit about what you do specifically.Yeah, so I have two sides of my business. I've been an entrepreneur for 34 years. This is my sixth and seventh business. I've sold five previous businesses. And I work mainly with people that are experts in their field who want to either start a coaching or consulting program, or they want to monetize in other ways.So that's one side of my business of people that want to grow and scale their coaching and consulting professional service business. So that is one side. The other side of my business though, is I also help people really stand out in their market, in their marketing, and build really an expert and influence marketing platform.So they are really seeing at the top of their industry where they can get the best clients, the best opportunities, either playing a bigger game. And so that is the agency side of my business.Right, right. Well, I'm sure you've made plenty of observations about realtors, as we call them here in North America, or real estate agents. What are some of the things that, well, maybe I could ask it this way.If you were a realtor, what would you be doing to stand out in your market? Because right now it's so competitive. And we're coming off a little bit of a boom in many parts of the world where there's been a lot of property for sale, and then the number of agents grew, and now there's not as many properties for sale, but there's just as many agents. Mentioned in this episode:Social Media Ad Machine Wherever You Find Podcasts!What if you could create hundreds of social media ads in just minutes? And what if you paid as low as 2 cents a click while your competition is paying up to two dollars? Social Media Ad Machine is the AI Powered podcast that’s leading the way to better marketing for businesses everywhere. All you need to do is search Social Media Ad Machine wherever you get your podcasts
Transcribe →TAP 231. How to start a massive social media following from zero. An interview with Rachel Adams-Lee
Jun 6, 202400:25:03Tap to summarizeHi everyone and welcome back to the show.Special thanks to Rachel Adams Lee for such a great interview! LOTS of gold here.BIO: She is a small-town girl making moves! Top 1000 Realtor in the US, multi-passionate entrepreneur & a boy Mama of 3. She runs multiple 6 & 7-figure companies with her hubby and lives life on their terms! She loves helping others tap into their true potential and build the business of their dreams. Facts: Positivity is her jam. You can find her snuggled on the couch in yoga pants, hair in a messy bun with her laptop! She is 5ft tall, love all things social media, is obsessed with having a healthy marriage, and thinks Nutella should be its own food group! Fun fact: She just lost 50lbs postpartum!Connect with Rachel on Social:InstagramFacebookYoutubeReal Estate WebsiteCoaching WebsiteMailing address: 548 Gibson Dr #200, Roseville California USA. 95678Here area few topics and ideas Rachel is passionate about:-My personal journey with self-development- Social Media Tips to beat the algorithm-How to grow your following-How to convert a follower into your next client- The importance of who you surround yourself with- Setting personal/professional boundaries-The value of a mentor-Time-Blocking-The power of Positive affirmations-Creating a powerful morning routine-Defining a healthy relationship standard-How to build a life by design-The importance of systems/scripts in your businessMentioned in this episode:Social Media Ad Machine Wherever You Find Podcasts!What if you could create hundreds of social media ads in just minutes? And what if you paid as low as 2 cents a click while your competition is paying up to two dollars? Social Media Ad Machine is the AI Powered podcast that’s leading the way to better marketing for businesses everywhere. All you need to do is search Social Media Ad Machine wherever you get your podcasts
Transcribe →TAP 230. How Raine & Horne are innovating in changing times. An interview with Mindy Powell-Hodges
May 31, 202400:21:15Tap to summarizeMindy Powell-Hodges is Head of Network at Raine & Horne. The 140-year-old household name is still a family business and currently run by fourth-generation family member, Angus Horne.Mindy brings a fresh approach to a proven traditional model and I'm always happy to profile innovation and leadershipMindy is a seasoned leader who has a passion for growth. Growth of business, growth of people, growth of herself. Her forte is being able to 'see' strategically and then translating this into execution. Mindy delivers results through and with people, investing in them and building their capability to succeed.Mindy has an impressive background in a variety of industries, with extensive experience in management, publicity and sales. Possessing an adaptable personality, she has adjusted and refined her skills across widely varying cultures and demographics, having worked in Australia, United Kingdom, United States of America and the United Arab Emirates.Naturally adept at networking and acquiring new business, her consistent and overarching goal is to continually grow and improve the company’s presence and reach through collaborative vision and exploring innovative business strategies.Reach out and connect with Mindy hereMentioned in this episode:Social Media Ad Machine Wherever You Find Podcasts!What if you could create hundreds of social media ads in just minutes? And what if you paid as low as 2 cents a click while your competition is paying up to two dollars? Social Media Ad Machine is the AI Powered podcast that’s leading the way to better marketing for businesses everywhere. All you need to do is search Social Media Ad Machine wherever you get your podcasts
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