Using Video Ads to Showcase Property Tours

Using Video Ads to Showcase Property Tours

Video ads are one of the fastest ways to help buyers feel the flow of a home. A good tour turns scrolling into inspections and turns interest into enquiry. This guide gives you simple steps, templates, and checklists to plan, film, edit, and run video ads that win more market share and more listings.

Why video tours work

• Buyers feel like they are walking through the home

• You can show size, light, and layout in seconds

• Vendors see strong effort and premium marketing

• Platforms reward video with reach and lower costs

• You can retarget viewers who showed interest

The three types of tour videos to use in ads

• Teaser edit

  • Length 10 to 20 seconds

  • Purpose to stop the scroll and build curiosity

  • Use for Reels, Stories, and short placements

• Standard tour

  • Length 30 to 60 seconds

  • Purpose to show the key rooms and features

  • Use for Facebook and Instagram Feed, YouTube, and TikTok

• Deep dive

  • Length 90 to 120 seconds

  • Purpose to build trust for premium homes

  • Use for YouTube and your listing page

The ideal lengths and sizes

• Reels and Stories 9:16

• Facebook and Instagram Feed 1:1 or 4:5

• YouTube 16:9

• Keep safe text inside the centre area so captions never get cut

• Use captions on every video so viewers can follow without sound

What to show in the first five seconds

• A bright hero shot of the home exterior or best room

• One benefit for the right buyer

• A clear location hook

• A call to keep watching

Example on screen text
Brisbane riverside townhouse. Three beds. Walk to cafes. See the courtyard.

Simple shot list for a smooth tour

• Exterior welcome. Front gate or street to door

• Entry to living space. Slow glide to show depth

• Kitchen to dining. Close up of benchtop and appliances

• Main bedroom. Show window light and storage

• Ensuite or bathroom. Quick sweep with a clean mirror

• Outdoor area. Show shade, lawn, and privacy

• Location cutaway. Park, school, beach, or café within reach

• Ending frame. Address, open home time, your brand mark, and call to action

Filming tips

• Move slowly and keep lines level

• Use natural light. Turn on lamps only if needed

• Wipe lenses and mirrors

• Hide bins, cords, and personal items

• Close the toilet lid

Three ready to use voiceover scripts

15 second script
Welcome to 12 Seaview Place. Three bed, two bath, and a sunny courtyard. Steps to the sand and shops. Tap Learn More for price, floor plan, and open times.

30 second script
Here is a bright family home in a quiet cul de sac. Walk from entry to a wide living area and a fresh kitchen with stone tops. Three generous bedrooms and two bathrooms give everyone space. Outside you have a north facing deck and lawn for pets. Close to schools and transport. Tap Learn More for price, floor plan, and open times.

60 second script
Love light and space. This low set home gives you both. The entry opens to living with timber floors and a calm colour palette. The kitchen has stone benches and a large island for breakfast and homework. The main bedroom has an ensuite and good storage. Two more bedrooms sit near the family bathroom. Step outside to a covered deck and flat yard. You are minutes to the lake path, the dog park, and the local village. For the price guide, contract, and open times, tap Learn More.

Editing checklist for a clean finish

• Keep cuts short. One to three seconds per shot

• Add soft background music at a low level

• Use clear labels for rooms and features

• Add captions from your script

• Insert your brand mark in the final two seconds

• End with a strong call to action

On screen call to action ideas

• Tap Learn More for price and floor plan

• Book a private viewing today

• Message us for contract and building report

Step by step. Build a Meta video ad for a property tour

1. Choose your goal

   • Select Leads if you want enquiries inside a lead form

   • Select Traffic if you want clicks to your listing page

   • Select Video Views if you want low cost awareness and retargeting

2. Set your audience

   • Location radius around the property. Example 10 to 20 kilometres

   • Age range that fits buyers for this price point

   • Add interests like property search, home improvement, or finance if you need to narrow

3. Choose placements

   • Start with Advantage placements for wide reach

   • If budget is tight, keep Reels, Stories, and Feed

4. Set budget and schedule

   • Daily amount that you are comfortable with

   • Run from listing day to the first open home

   • Increase spend two days before open home

5. Build the ad

   • Upload the 9:16 and 1:1 versions so each placement looks right

   • Add simple text. First line is the hook

   • Add your call to action button. Learn More or Send Message

   • Link to the listing page with floor plan and enquiry form

6. Optimise for delivery

   • For Video Views choose ThruPlay or 15 second views

   • For Leads use native lead forms with a short set of questions

   • For Traffic use landing page view optimisation

7. Publish and monitor

   • Check results daily in the first three days

   • Turn off poor audiences and add budget to the best one

Step by step. Run a YouTube ad for a property tour

1. Create a Google Ads account if needed

2. Upload your video to YouTube. Set it to Unlisted

3. Create a new campaign and choose Video

4. Goal can be Leads, Website traffic, or Brand awareness

5. Target by suburb names and nearby postcodes

6. Add topics like Residential properties and Home and garden

7. Choose Skippable in stream for reach or In feed for discovery

8. Set a small daily budget to start

9. Add your link to the listing page

10. Launch and review view rate and cost per view

Copy and caption templates for your ad

Primary text
Step inside 12 Seaview Place. Bright living, modern kitchen, sunny courtyard, and a short walk to the beach and cafés. Tap Learn More for price, floor plan, and open times.

Secondary text
Three bed. Two bath. One easy lifestyle. Close to schools, shops, and transport. Watch the short tour and see if it fits your wish list.

Headlines
Tour 12 Seaview Place
See inside. Price and floor plan

Descriptions
Open times inside
Book a private viewing

Comments to seed under the ad
What is your favourite room in this home
Would you use the courtyard for morning coffee or afternoon barbecue

Lead capture that suits buyers

• Native lead form

  • Fast to submit on mobile

  • Ask name, phone, and email

  • Ask one helpful question such as finance ready or just looking

• Landing page

  • Send to your listing page with floor plan, brochure, and enquiry box

  • Keep the form at the top and near the video

  • Add social proof. Recent sales and reviews help trust

• Message based leads

  • Use Send Message to start a chat

  • Set quick reply buttons like Price guide, Contract, Open times

Retargeting viewers for follow up

• Build custom audiences of people who watched 25 percent or more of the tour

• Create a second ad with a fresh hook. Example New price guide now available or Final open home this Saturday

• Show the second ad only to warm viewers

• Use a small budget for high efficiency

What to measure and how to improve

• Three second views

  • Are people stopping the scroll

  • If low, improve the first five seconds and the thumbnail

• ThruPlays or 15 second views

  • Are people staying with the video

  • If low, shorten shots and add clearer labels

• Click through rate

  • Are viewers taking action

  • If low, test a stronger call to action and add price guidance if allowed

• Cost per lead or cost per view

  • Are you paying a fair amount

  • If high, narrow weak placements and test new audiences

• Watch time by scene

  • Where do people drop off

  • Move the strongest room earlier in the cut

Creative ideas that lift results

• Before and after reveal if the home is styled

• Day to night transition for city views

• Split screen to show room flow

• Quick map animation with key landmarks

• Agent intro at the start for trust. Keep it within two seconds

• Vendor quote on screen if you have permission

Compliance and care

• Gain written consent from the vendor for filming

• Avoid filming faces, personal photos, and private papers

• Blur number plates if they are visible

• Confirm music rights from your editing app

• If using a drone, follow local rules for height and distance

• Include your business details on the end frame

• Keep records of ad spend and approvals

Simple gear that works

• Phone with good camera

• Small gimbal for smooth shots

• Clip on microphone for voiceover

• Portable light for dark corners

• Tripod for steady wide shots

Set focus and exposure by tapping the screen. Lock if your phone allows it. Wipe the lens before each room.

Your production workflow in one hour

1. Plan

   • Write your script and shot list

   • Set the first five seconds hook

   • Prepare end frame with address and call to action

2. Film

   • Move through the home once for wide shots

   • Move a second time for close up details

   • Capture a short location cutaway

3. Edit

   • Place the best hero shot first

   • Keep total length within your chosen format

   • Add captions and music

   • Export 9:16 and 1:1 versions

4. Launch

   • Build your Meta ad and YouTube ad

   • Add your copy and call to action

   • Publish and check results after 24 hours

A B test ideas to find winners

• Hook

  • Exterior first versus best room first

• Caption style

  • Short labels versus feature bullets

• Call to action

  • Learn More versus Send Message

• Length

  • 15 seconds versus 30 seconds

Pick one change at a time. Let each test run for at least three days with a steady budget.

A ready to use storyboard you can copy

• Frame 1 to 2 seconds

  • Exterior wide. On screen text Riverside townhouse. Walk to cafés

• Frame 3 to 5 seconds

  • Living room glide. On screen text Bright living with timber floors

• Frame 6 to 9 seconds

  • Kitchen close up. On screen text Stone benches and gas cooking

• Frame 10 to 13 seconds

  • Main bedroom pan. On screen text Quiet retreat with storage

• Frame 14 to 17 seconds

  • Courtyard sweep. On screen text North facing outdoor space

• Frame 18 to 20 seconds

  • Map pin and café cutaway. On screen text Two minutes to riverside path

• Frame 21 to 25 seconds

  • End frame with address, brand mark, and call to action. On screen text Tap Learn More for price and open times

Export versions

• 9:16 for Reels and Stories

• 1:1 for Feed

• 16:9 for YouTube

Turning tours into more listings

Use each property tour to win the next listing.

• Add a short case study slide to your listing presentation

• Show view counts, watch time, and enquiries

• Share a short version in community groups with a service message

• Send the video to your database with a simple question
  Would you like a tour like this for your home

When vendors see a clear plan and strong results, they choose the agent who markets better, not just cheaper.

Your action plan for this week

• Pick one current listing and script a 30 second tour

• Film with the shot list above

• Edit two versions. 9:16 and 1:1

• Launch a Meta Video Views campaign and a YouTube in stream campaign

• Build a retargeting audience from viewers

• Run a follow up ad before the next open home

• Record the numbers and add them to your listing presentation

You now have a repeatable system. Every new listing becomes a simple, engaging tour that fills open homes and builds your brand.

Author Ken Hobson
ken@agentslibrary.com.au