How to Script a 60-Second Listing Video (For Reels, TikTok, and Shorts)
By Michał Babula · ~8 min read · 2026-09-25
Why 60 Seconds Is the Right Constraint
Sixty seconds feels short until you try to fill it. Then it feels like a lot. The agents I've spoken to who struggle with listing videos usually have the opposite problem — they shoot 8 minutes of walk-through footage and have no idea what to cut. The constraint is the point.
Reels, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts all reward watch-time completion. A 60-second video that gets watched to the end outperforms a 3-minute tour that gets abandoned at 20 seconds. From what I've seen in accounts agents have shared with me, completion rates on vertical listing videos under 60 seconds run somewhere between 35% and 55% when the hook is strong — compared to well under 20% on longer cuts. That gap matters because every platform's algorithm treats completion as a quality signal.
There's also a practical reason: you can script and shoot a 60-second video in under two hours at the property. No drone, no gimbal, no editor. Just a phone, decent light, and a plan.
The 3-Act Structure That Actually Works
This isn't film school. It's a repeatable framework you can use for every listing without reinventing anything.
Act 1: The Hook (0–2 Seconds)
Two seconds. That's your window before someone scrolls. The hook has one job: stop the thumb. It should not be a slow pan across the front door. It should not be your logo. It should be the most visually arresting or emotionally charged thing about this property — and it should come with text on screen that creates immediate curiosity or desire.
Good hook formats:
- A surprising price reveal:
"€285,000 for THIS?" - A lifestyle statement:
"Imagine your morning coffee here."— cut to the balcony - A bold claim:
"The kitchen that sold this flat."
The hook is not the time to introduce yourself. Nobody cares yet. Save your name for the CTA.
Act 2: Three Selling Features (3–47 Seconds)
You get roughly 15 seconds per feature — enough for a 2–3 second clip, an on-screen caption, and a voiceover line or text card. Pick the three features that are genuinely differentiated for this property. Not "two bedrooms" (that's a filter on Zillow or Otodom, not a selling point). Think: the underfloor heating, the south-facing garden, the fact that the tube station is a 4-minute walk.
Structure each feature beat the same way:
- Show it (clip)
- Name it (on-screen text)
- Contextualize it (one spoken or captioned sentence that tells the viewer why it matters)
Repetition of structure is a feature, not a bug. It trains the viewer to expect the rhythm, which keeps them watching.
Act 3: Address + CTA (48–60 Seconds)
End with the address, the asking price if you haven't shown it, and a single call to action. One CTA. Not "call, DM, email, or visit the website." Pick one. On TikTok and Reels, "Link in bio" still works. On Shorts, "Comment TOUR and I'll send the full walkthrough" drives comment signals that YouTube rewards.
The final frame should hold for at least 2 seconds — long enough for someone to screenshot it or for the platform to register a full view.
What Footage to Shoot and in What Order
Shoot in reverse order from how you'll edit. Here's why: the hook clip is usually the most dramatic shot in the property, and you want to get it while your eye is fresh and the light hasn't shifted. If you shoot chronologically — front door, hallway, kitchen, bedroom — you'll run out of energy by the time you get to the good stuff.
Recommended shooting order:
- Hero shot first. The kitchen, the view, the garden — whatever you've decided is the hook. Shoot it from three angles, vertical orientation, 4–6 seconds each clip.
- Feature clips second. Each of your three selling features, same approach: multiple angles, short clips, vertical frame.
- B-roll last. Hallway, exterior, street. You may not use any of it, but it's good to have for transitions.
- Address card. Shoot a still of the front of the building or the door number. This becomes your final frame.
Total clips you need: somewhere between 12 and 20. You'll use maybe 8. Shoot more than you think you need because you cannot reshoot a sunset from your desk on Tuesday.
Writing Captions That Hold Attention Without Sound
In my experience, somewhere around 60–70% of Reels and TikTok videos are watched without sound at least some of the time — people are on the tube, in a waiting room, in bed next to someone who's asleep. If your video only works with audio, you're losing a significant chunk of your audience.
Caption rules that actually hold attention:
- One idea per caption card. Don't write a paragraph. Write a fragment.
"South-facing. All day." - Match the cut. The text should appear at the same moment the relevant clip starts. Delayed captions feel amateur and lose the viewer.
- Use contrast. White text on a semi-transparent dark bar is more readable than text floating over a bright kitchen.
- Numbers pop.
"14 sq m kitchen"or"4-min walk to the station"are more specific and more credible than adjectives like "spacious" or "convenient."
If you're using a tool like CapCut or the native Reels editor, auto-captions are fine for voiceover — but always review them. Auto-captions frequently mangle property-specific terms, street names, and prices. A caption that reads "£4.85" when you said "£485,000" is not a good look.
Which Feature Wins on Each Platform
The same 60-second video will perform differently across platforms, and the reason is audience intent. If you're distributing to all three — which you should be — you can use the same base video but swap the hook and the caption emphasis.
TikTok: Lead with lifestyle. The TikTok audience skews younger and is more likely to be renting or early in the buying journey. Hooks that perform well there are aspirational: the morning routine, the dinner party, the commute that doesn't exist anymore because you work from the home office. Price can come later.
Reels: Aesthetic + price up front. Instagram is a visual platform where people have slightly higher purchase intent for property content. From agents I've spoken to, showing the price in the first 5 seconds on Reels tends to improve save rates — people bookmark it to show a partner. The aesthetic quality of the footage matters more here than on TikTok. Flat, grey footage that performs fine with a strong TikTok hook will underperform on Reels.
YouTube Shorts: Neighborhood first. Shorts viewers often find property content through search or suggested video, not a social feed. They're more likely to be researching a specific area. Lead with the neighborhood — the high street, the park, the school — before you go inside the flat. This also gives you a natural SEO hook in the video title: "2-bed flat near [neighborhood name] — full tour."
A Full Example Script: 2-Bedroom in Oakfield
Below is a line-by-line script for a fictional 2-bedroom flat in Oakfield. I've written it as it would appear in a simple shot list + caption document — the format I'd hand to an agent before they go to the property.
[0:00–0:02] HOOK
Clip: Close-up of the kitchen island, morning light, coffee cup in frame.
On-screen text:"£320,000. In Oakfield. Yes, really."
Voiceover: "This is what £320k gets you right now in Oakfield."[0:03–0:17] FEATURE 1 — Kitchen
Clip: Slow pan across the kitchen island, showing quartz worktop and integrated appliances.
On-screen text:"Quartz island. Integrated everything."
Voiceover: "The kitchen was fully refitted last year — quartz worktops, integrated dishwasher, induction hob. It's the room that makes people stay."[0:18–0:32] FEATURE 2 — Primary Bedroom
Clip: Wide shot of the bedroom, then push toward the window showing the garden below.
On-screen text:"Double bedroom. Garden views. Quiet."
Voiceover: "The primary bedroom faces the rear garden — no road noise, blackout blinds already fitted."[0:33–0:47] FEATURE 3 — Location
Clip: Exterior shot walking toward Oakfield station entrance, then cut to the high street.
On-screen text:"Oakfield station: 6-minute walk."
Voiceover: "Six minutes to the station on foot. The high street is between you and it — coffee, grocery, dry cleaner."[0:48–0:60] ADDRESS + CTA
Clip: Front of the building, door number visible.
On-screen text:"14 Birchwood Lane, Oakfield · £320,000 · 2 bed / 1 bath"
Voiceover: "Full details and viewing link in bio. DM me 'Oakfield' and I'll send them directly."
Final frame holds for 2 seconds.
That's it. No music recommendation here because music licensing for commercial real estate content is its own headache — check the platform's licensed audio library and pick something that doesn't fight the voiceover. Instrumental, mid-tempo, nothing that dates badly.
One last thing: post the same video to all three platforms within 24 hours of each other. Don't wait to see how it performs on one before posting to another. The algorithm windows are short and the audience overlap between TikTok, Reels, and Shorts is smaller than most agents assume.
Editorial review by Michał Babula (also the author) on 2026-09-25. Single-author posts at this stage of the blog are reviewed by the writer — I'll be transparent about that rather than pretend otherwise.