8M in closed & pending volume from TikTok & Instagram – in 2026 alone. Meet Colton Reid, Nashville Real Estate Agent
Table of Contents
- Welcome Colton! Tell us about your market, who you serve, and what kind of client is the right fit for your business?
- You already have $8M in closed or pending volume from social media this year. Take us back to the moment TikTok went from "side experiment" to a real pipeline & what shifted in your strategy.
- Walk us through your TikTok strategy...posting cadence, types of videos, and how you decide what gets posted to TikTok vs. Instagram.
- Your listing reels have millions of views, and your hooks clearly work. What's the secret sauce that most agents miss?
- Any tips for filming?
- That last line made us laugh out loud! Now, tell us about the music you select and your captions.
- Once someone DMs you from a listing reel, what happens next? What are you doing to keep the conversation moving?
- For the agent reading this who's on Instagram but hasn't touched TikTok yet (or has tried and stalled), what's the one move you'd tell them to make?
- Thank you, Colton!
His listing videos have racked up millions of views and $8M in closed or pending volume in 2026 alone (and yes, he’s just using his iPhone).
Today, Colton Reid (@coltonreidofficial) breaks down what he thinks 90% of agents miss, his TikTok “testing” strategy, the clips he always films, and a hot take that had us laughing out loud.
Enjoy our conversation with Nashville real estate agent, Colton Reid.
Quotes have been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Welcome Colton! Tell us about your market, who you serve, and what kind of client is the right fit for your business?
My business is rooted in Nashville proper, though I also serve the greater market, including Franklin and Nolensville.
My average sale is around $700K, with most clients in the mid-$500s to $1M range. I'm primarily on the buy-side, focused on first-time buyers — especially Millennials, Gen Z, and out-of-state clients.
The clients who are the best fit for me are those who value guidance and transparency. I’m very direct in my advice; I’ll always walk my clients through the good, the bad, and the potential of every home. My goal is for them to understand what they're buying today, and how it fits their long-term lifestyle and investment goals.
You already have $8M in closed or pending volume from social media this year. Take us back to the moment TikTok went from "side experiment" to a real pipeline & what shifted in your strategy.
TikTok became a real pipeline for me around mid-2025. I had a few random posts perform well, unrelated to real estate. That showed me the potential, so I decided to treat it like a real business channel and focus my content. I committed to posting 2–3 times a day for 90 days.
Historic homes resonate most (people connect with their character, texture, color, and charm) compared to polished new-construction homes. That consistency, paired with clearer content direction, is what changed everything. Videos started hitting 50K–100K+ views, and I was getting 500+ messages a week.
I adapted that same format for Instagram, which hadn't been converting — but once the content aligned, it grew by nearly 5,000 followers in six months, with multiple viral videos that kicked off my first wave of clients from Instagram.
Walk us through your TikTok strategy...posting cadence, types of videos, and how you decide what gets posted to TikTok vs. Instagram.
I typically film 3-5 homes per week (dialed back from 10–15). As my business has grown, it’s been less about volume and more about precision.
I’m balancing 3–5 active clients at any given time, so I focus on homes I know have something special. For each property, I shoot two distinct video styles. Over time, I’ve learned that different formats resonate differently, so I let TikTok be the testing ground.
Whichever version performs best on TikTok is what gets pushed to Instagram. That strategy alone gives me about a 70–80% success rate on Instagram.
TikTok also dictates my audio strategy. I’ll test an audio there first, then carry it over.
As for the homes I spotlight, I focus on what my audience responds to: character, charm, and emotion. The kinds of homes people grew up dreaming about (The Holiday, Home Alone, Father of the Bride, Miss Honey’s cottage in Matilda). That emotional connection is what makes people feel something, and drives engagement and shares.
I take editing seriously, too. The difference between a video that performs and one that doesn’t often comes down to how polished and intentional it feels.
Your listing reels have millions of views, and your hooks clearly work. What's the secret sauce that most agents miss?
Most agents are missing their target audience!!! I cannot stress that enough! First, learn what your local audience wants to see. Mine, for the most part, loves old homes, walkable locations, and tree-lined streets.
My hooks are about what will resonate with all people, not limited to local viewers. Yes, I sell Nashville homes, but if I know a video has broader appeal, I’m not going to say, “POV: this storybook cottage in Nashville, TN is what you’ve been waiting for.” I’m going to think, what can I say that will get someone in Maine to share this and fall in love with Nashville?
Any tips for filming?
When I film, I’m thinking about the first shot I can capture to grab attention (because let’s be honest, you have about 3 seconds to catch people’s eye).
I check the angles of the home. Does it shoot best straight on or from the side? Are there flowers or trees that enhance the overall picture?
I have a hot take for agents and listing videos: You DO NOT need to be in every shot! Most people don’t care to see you walking in the kitchen, grazing your hand across the countertops!
C&C Members: have you checked out our comprehensive Reels Course? We cover all the tips and tricks to filming videos on your phone like a pro.
That last line made us laugh out loud! Now, tell us about the music you select and your captions.
The music is one of the most important parts of the video, in my opinion. The song has to match the vibe and cadence of the video. A bad song choice can ruin everything!
A modern home shouldn’t feel the same as a storybook Tudor. If a home feels nostalgic or whimsical, the audio has to match that emotion, otherwise it’ll fall flat.
Sometimes I’ll listen to 50+ songs and test my video with each one. I have to put myself in the viewer’s shoes, what feels right and actually creates emotion?
I have my master’s in marketing, and one of the most valuable takeaways was: if you can evoke emotion or a memory, you can completely capture your audience.
As for captions, mine really haven’t changed in over a year. I stay very consistent with the verbiage, format, and style across both Instagram and TikTok.
Once someone DMs you from a listing reel, what happens next? What are you doing to keep the conversation moving?
I message everyone personally, I don’t use ManyChat, although I use that style of “comment ‘Home’ for the link.” I am the ManyChat. It’s exhausting, and it’s a numbers game, but it eventually works.
My first message is straightforward and consistent:
“Hi [Name], here’s the link to the home in [area] Nashville. Let me know if you have any questions.”
I also make sure they know I’m not the listing agent - that I work with buyers in their position. From there, I try to open the door for conversation, but I don’t force it. This is where personality really matters, you have to tailor it to how you naturally communicate.
98% of people you message won’t even acknowledge it, but if someone is serious about buying and not already working with another agent, they’ll usually let you know pretty quickly.
I do have one rule: if I’ve messaged someone 5 listing links and they haven’t acknowledged them at all (no likes or reactions), I stop sending links on new listing videos. Some might think that’s a bad approach, but it keeps me sane. If they really want the information, they’ll come back and ask for it.
For the agent reading this who's on Instagram but hasn't touched TikTok yet (or has tried and stalled), what's the one move you'd tell them to make?
Take all the content you’ve already created and start putting it on TikTok, immediately. See what performs!
At the end of the day, it comes down to consistency and volume. You just have to post and keep posting.
TikTok is a lot more forgiving than Instagram. If the video is a little shaky, that’s okay. Color slightly off? Fine. Not as polished or smooth as you’d normally want? Still fine.
Instagram tends to be a harsher critic, but TikTok cares more about the content itself than perfection.
You just have to push through that and stay consistent when it comes to Tiktok!
Thank you, Colton!
Colton Reid is a Nashville, Tennessee real estate agent and a member of Coffee & Contracts. Coffee & Contracts is a marketing platform that helps real estate agents make social media their top lead source.
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