YouTube Ads for Real Estate Agents: Turning Video into PPC Lead Generation

Why YouTube ads belong in your listing and lead plan

YouTube is the largest video platform many people in your suburb watch every day. With YouTube ads you pay only when someone watches or engages. You can show short, clear videos to people inside your local postcodes and turn that attention into appraisals, buyer enquiries and landlord leads.

Key benefits
• People can see and hear you, which builds trust faster than text
• You can target by location, interests and keywords
• You can retarget people who viewed your videos or visited your site
• Costs are often lower than other video channels
• Works well for brand awareness and direct response

How YouTube ads work in simple terms

• You create a short video with a clear message and a call to action
• You set your goal, for example lead form completions or website enquiries
• You choose who sees the ad, for example a five kilometre radius around your farm area
• You pay when someone watches past the skip point or clicks, depending on format
• You track results, then improve your video, targeting and bids

The ad types you will use most

• Skippable in stream. Plays before or during a video. The viewer can skip after five seconds. You pay when they watch at least thirty seconds or click
• In feed. Appears on YouTube search results and Home. You pay when people choose to watch
• Shorts ads. Vertical videos inside Shorts. Great for quick hooks and mobile reach
• Bumper. Six second spots that build recall. Use these for remarketing as gentle reminders
• Lead form add on. A lead form can appear under your video so viewers submit details without leaving YouTube

Tip. Most listing and appraisal campaigns start with skippable in stream plus remarketing bumpers.

Set your goal and choose your funnel

Pick one main goal per campaign so the algorithm can learn fast.

Good goals for property work
• Appraisals in your farm area
• Buyer enquiries for a hero listing
• Investor and landlord leads
• Database growth for a suburb market update

Simple funnel plan

1. Awareness video to reach your suburb, for example a sixty second brand or market update

2. Consideration video to educate, for example a ninety second case study that shows price outcome and days on market

3. Conversion video to drive action, for example a thirty second appraisal offer with a limited bonus such as a free property report

Setup checklist before you launch

• YouTube channel connected to your Google Ads account
• Conversion tracking in place. Track enquiries, appraisal form submits, phone clicks and calendar bookings
• A fast landing page that opens in under three seconds
• Privacy policy that explains how you collect and use data in line with Australian privacy law
• Lead handling workflow ready. New leads trigger an instant text, an email and a task in your CRM

Targeting that works for local real estate

Start tight so budget stays inside your patch.

• Location. Target by postcode or a one to five kilometre radius around your core suburbs
• Demographics. Age bands can help when focusing on downsizers or first home buyers
• Custom segments. Build audiences from people who searched for terms like house valuation near me or best property manager in [Suburb]
• Keywords and topics. Add terms such as sell my house, property appraisal and property management
• Placements. Optional. Place ads on local news and property channels that suit your brand
• Remarketing. Re engage people who watched your videos, visited your site, opened your lead forms or engaged with your channel in the last 30 to 180 days

Exclude kids content and unrelated categories so spend stays clean.

Creative blueprint for high response videos

Keep it clear, local and human. Aim for thirty to sixty seconds.

Structure

1. Hook in the first three seconds. Name the suburb and the value

2. Problem. A simple pain point sellers or landlords feel

3. Proof. One result, one figure, one short sentence

4. Offer. A useful next step such as a same day appraisal or suburb price report

5. Call to action. Say exactly what to click and what happens next

On screen elements
• Suburb name and your brand
• Your mobile number and website
• Simple captions so it works on mute
• Big text for the offer and the call to action

B roll ideas
• Street signs and local landmarks
• Front doors opening and happy handovers
• Auction day scenes and sold stickers
• Quiet office shots of your team helping clients

Ready to use video scripts

Seller appraisal script, thirty seconds
Hook. Selling in [Suburb] this spring, here is a quick way to find your best price.
Problem. Many owners guess with old data and miss thousands at sale.
Proof. Last week on [Street Name] we had twelve offers and sold above the guide.
Offer. I will deliver a free suburb price update and a clear plan to add value in two weeks.
Call to action. Click Learn More, choose a time and I will see you at your place.

Landlord lead script, thirty seconds
Hook. Renting out a home in [Suburb].
Problem. Vacancies and poor tenants cost time and money.
Proof. Our average days to lease is shorter than the area and our arrears are low.
Offer. Get a free rental health check with a local report and three ways to lift yield.
Call to action. Tap the button, tell us the address, we will send your report today.

Buyer lead script for a hero listing, twenty five seconds
Hook. New to market in [Suburb].
Proof. Three bedrooms, two bathrooms, walk to [Landmark].
Offer. Early access inspection bookings this week only.
Call to action. Click to book a time before Saturday.

Landing page that converts

Goal. Make it easy to enquire without thinking.

Must haves
• Strong headline, for example Free suburb price update for [Suburb]
• Short form. Name, phone, email, address, timing to sell or lease
• Value list. Three bullet points on what they get and how long it takes
• Social proof. One review with a name and suburb
• Trust elements. Your licence number, office address, and privacy policy link
• Thank you page with a clear next step and a booking link for a call

Step by step campaign build in Google Ads

1. Create new campaign and choose Leads or Website traffic

2. Choose Video as the campaign type

3. Pick the goal action and make sure your conversions are active

4. Bidding. Start with Maximise conversions if you have conversion tracking. If not, start with Maximise views or Maximise reach

5. Networks. Keep to YouTube only

6. Locations. Add the postcodes or radius you serve

7. Languages. English

8. Content exclusions. Exclude live streaming and content made for children

9. Frequency capping. Start with one impression per person per day for prospecting and up to three for remarketing

10. Create your ad group and audiences. Add your suburb based custom segments and remarketing lists

11. Add your video by pasting the YouTube link

12. Add a strong headline and call to action

13. Attach a lead form if you want in platform leads

14. Launch and check early results after one to two days

Budget and bidding made simple

Starter budgets
• Prospecting. Twenty to forty dollars per day for one to two suburbs
• Remarketing. Ten to twenty dollars per day to follow interested people
• Short sprints for hero listings. Fifty to one hundred dollars per day for seven days

Bidding choices
• Maximise conversions. Best once your pixel is tracking leads
• Target CPA. Switch after you have at least fifteen to thirty conversions so it can learn
• Maximise views. Use when the goal is local awareness and video engagement
• CPV bidding. Useful for testing creative because you control view costs

Your first seven day test plan

Day 1 to 2
• Launch one prospecting video and one remarketing bumper
• Monitor views, view rate and first leads

Day 3 to 4
• Swap thumbnails and first three seconds if view rate is under twenty percent
• Check search terms for your custom segments and refine

Day 5 to 7
• Raise budget by twenty percent on the better performing audience
• Pause any placement that drains spend without clicks
• Call every lead fast and record quality in your CRM

Retargeting that turns warm interest into leads

• Viewers retargeting. Show a short offer video to people who watched at least fifty percent of any video in the last thirty days
• Website retargeting. Show an appraisal offer to anyone who viewed the Sell or Landlord page in the last sixty days
• Lead nurture. If someone opened your lead form but did not submit, show a testimonial video and invite a quick call
• Past clients. Upload a customer match list and invite them to request a fresh price update

Creative tips that lift performance

• Speak to one suburb and one problem at a time
• Use real numbers. Days on market, number of offers, rental yield lift
• Put your face on screen in the first second
• Keep background noise low and lighting bright
• Add captions since many watch on mute
• End with the same call to action every time

Compliance and brand safety in Australia

• Be truthful and accurate in all claims. Do not mislead on price guides or past results
• Show your business details and licence information on the landing page
• Have a clear privacy policy. Explain what data you collect and how you use it
• Gain consent before sending ongoing marketing emails or texts
• Use negative placements to avoid sensitive or unsuitable content
• Record all vendor testimonials and sale facts so you can back them up if asked

What to measure and how to improve

Watch these numbers each week
• View rate. Aim for at least twenty percent on skippable in stream
• Click through rate. Aim for one percent or higher on in feed and Shorts
• Cost per view. Lower is good for awareness, but balance with lead quality
• Cost per lead. Compare to other channels and to your average commission
• Conversion rate from click to lead. Aim for ten percent or higher on focused landing pages
• Speed to contact. Aim to call within five minutes

Optimise in this order

1. The first three seconds. If view rate is low, fix your hook

2. The offer and on screen text. If clicks are low, make the benefit clearer

3. The landing page. If conversion rate is low, shorten the form and add proof

4. Targeting. Remove wasteful placements and widen winning segments

5. Bids and budget. Shift spend to the audiences with better lead quality

Ready to copy templates

Hook lines
• Selling in [Suburb]. Here is how to get your best price
• Renting out in [Suburb]. Three ways to lift your yield
• New to market in [Suburb]. See it before the weekend

Offer lines
• Free suburb price update delivered in twenty four hours
• Free rental health check with actions you can use this week
• Early access inspection bookings for qualified buyers

Call to action lines
• Tap Learn More and book a time
• Click to get your report
• Book your inspection now

Lead form fields
• Full name
• Mobile
• Email
• Property address
• Timeframe. Now, three months, six months, just curious

A simple 30 day action plan

Week 1
• Connect YouTube and Google Ads, set up conversions, write your privacy policy
• Film two core videos and one bumper

Week 2
• Launch prospecting and remarketing, set up your landing page and lead form
• Call every lead and log notes in your CRM

Week 3
• Replace the weaker video, add a custom segment from recent search terms
• Record one local case study video

Week 4
• Add customer match from your database and run a reactivation offer
• Review results, keep the best creative, and plan next month

YouTube ads turn short, friendly videos into steady local leads when you keep the message simple, target your own suburbs, and follow up fast. Start with one clear offer, one strong video and a tight area. Track every lead, learn each week and your cost per lead will fall as your brand grows.

Author – Ken Hobson