Embarrassment Is the Price of Entry

The first time you hit record, your mouth goes dry, your eyes dart, and your brain serves you the world’s worst script. Post it anyway.

Embarrassment is the price of entry.

Not because cringe is a strategy but because the fastest way to credibility is to be seen, regularly being yourself, saying something useful and standing by it. AI can clean a transcript, trim a clip and find a hook. It can’t replace the feeling someone gets when they hear you tell the truth.

Consistency beats polish. Decide that your face is a weekly fixture. Set a slot, protect it like a valuation and ship... same day, same tone, same standard. Use your brand’s look but don’t wait for perfect lighting or a cinematic edit. People don’t need a trailer. They need a person.

Stand straight. Speak truth.

What to make? Think humans, not houses. Stories people recognise, problems they actually face, choices they’re stuck on. Here’s a set you can run without ever repeating yourself...

Hero-led stories. Stop shouting, “We sold this!” Start telling the story of the people who moved. The two-bedroom that wasn’t big enough once the twins arrived. The sale that nearly died because a survey spooked the buyer and how you rescued it. The landlord who exited on purpose, not panic. Talk aches and scrapes, not square footage. Thirty to sixty seconds, one clean takeaway and the line: “If you’re in this exact place, here’s what I’d do next.”

Market reflections (first-person, no jargon). “Three things I’m seeing this week and what they mean if you’re selling in [your area].” One signal, one implication, one action. Plain English. If it sounds like a report, cut it in half. If it sounds like you, keep it.

Fresh-from-valuation Q&A. Walk out of a valuation, prop your phone on a wall and answer the one question that mattered in that meeting. “They asked if dropping the increasing by 10% does anything. Here’s the honest answer…” Short, specific, immediate. You’ll attract the next seller with the same fear.

Behind the scenes (proof, not theatre). Micro-clips of your process: how you prep a listing, how you choose the hero image, how you manage viewings, how your progressor saves chains. No secrets, just standards. Proof beats promise.

Property, but editorial. Showcase your best stock in your best format. No over-produced music videos, documentary, controlled pace, colour tones if it’s your aesthetic. Speak to why the layout works, who it suits, what to watch out for in that street. Teach while you show.

Office moments (real people, real roles). Quick questions with the team: “What’s one thing you wish every seller knew before launch?” “What slows a sale more than anything?” Let them be themselves. Humans build the brand; the logo just collects the credit.

Local spotlights. The coffee shop that knows every school-run shortcut. The locksmith who saves chains. The mortgage adviser who explains stress tests like a human. Interview for utility, not hype. You’re mapping a community, not filming an advert.

Keep the craft simple so you keep going. Hook → truth → move.

Hook: one line that names the situation (“Offer accepted on your next place—now you have to sell fast”).

Truth: the thing most people get wrong (and why).

Move: one clear next step. No waffles, no five options, no caveats unless they save someone pain.

Sound before pixels. If you’re upgrading one thing, upgrade audio. Natural light, steady framing, camera at eye level. One brand frame for every video so recognition fires before the first word. Edit to remove ums if you must but don’t sand off the humanity. The pauses are part of your presence.

Set your cadence and make it unbreakable. One face-to-camera every week, plus one supporting clip from the list above. Batch-record if your diary is chaos. Keep a running notes file titled “Things I’m Asked.” That’s your script library.

What does success look like? Replies. Saves. Forwards. Valuation requests that reference a clip. Shorter calls because prospects already know how you think. Fewer objections in the room because you’ve answered them publicly for months. That’s what consistent video does: it warms the room before you walk in.

If you’re waiting to feel ready, you’ll be waiting when someone else becomes the familiar face in your patch. The point isn’t to be perfect; it’s to be present, human, helpful, and here every week. Embarrassment is the toll. Pay it once, keep paying it in smaller coins, and the bridge becomes yours.

Start this week: record one hero-led story, one fresh-from-valuation Q&A and one behind-the-scenes clip. No disappearing, no “we’ll see.”

The market will feel the difference long before you feel comfortable.