Instagram Reels for realtors: specs, hooks and a posting week

Instagram moved the profile grid to 3:4 tiles in early 2025, which is why the middle of your cover frame matters more than its edges. Square posts still work, but on a phone feed they look small next to 4:5. We still make a square cut because it is the safest shape for email.

The front elevation with an address card is what every listing Reel opens with, which is exactly why it gets swiped. These are the opening lines the product wrote for our three demo homes, each over the strongest shot rather than the first photo:

• "A fireplace built for pine-lit evenings." Over an outdoor fireplace, for a house on a wooded acre.
• "A brick manor on one acre." Over the rear lawn, which showed the lot better than the front.
• "A loft bedroom wrapped in exposed brick." Over the bedroom, for a 1,260 sq ft condo.

Short, concrete, and about the house. For more, see real estate Reel hooks.

A single Reel on listing day leaves most of the value on the table. Something like this works without feeling repetitive:

1. Day 1: the vertical Reel, with a caption that adds one fact the film skipped.
2. Day 2: the 4:5 cut as a feed post, for followers who never open the Reels tab.
3. Day 4: the same film with a different first shot. Ask the director to open on the kitchen.
4. Day 6: a Story with the open house time and the listing website link.

The posting calendar writes a caption per platform. Direct posting turns on as each platform approves our app; until then you download the cut and copy the caption. We never ask for your Instagram password. The full plan is in turn one listing into a week of posts.