Do viral videos generate leads? Generation Z’s favorite real estate agent speaks out

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Unless you live in complete isolation, you’ve probably seen North Carolina real estate agent Mike Hege’s viral video or his interview on Today.com. But did it help his business, or was it just a flash in the pan? To find out, we interviewed Mike to find out if internet fame actually leads to leads. We also asked him for his advice on how to tap into Gen Z trends on social media.

But first, here is the (almost unbelievable) story of how Hege went from being a simple luxury real estate agent from North Carolina to being an interviewee for the Today Show:

Go viral

It started innocently enough. Hege asked his Gen-Z social media manager, Teresa Sottile, to make a video for his Instagram and TikTok profiles. She took it, ran with it, and came back with a new claim to fame for her boss:

Hege shared the post with the caption, “Asked my Gen Z coworker to edit a video for me and this is what came out!” The location of the video was appropriately set to “Mike’s Breathing.”

Press Play and you will hear an orchestra of breathing sounds that make light of the so-called “millennium pause”,” became popular through heavily edited videos on YouTube and Instagram. Hege doesn’t seem to say a word. But apparently he didn’t have to say anything for this video to be about 50 million views And 5 million likes in less than a week.

Hundreds of commentators demanded that Sottile deserves a raisewith one saying, “Give her a raise because that caught my attention 100% more than whatever you wanted to say.” Fortunately, Hege told us, Sottile got her well-deserved raise.

The duo then shared another video titled “My Gen Z Editor Wrote My Script,” in which he used Gen Z slang to describe the features of one of his listings:

@mikehege.realtor Can someone tell me what I’m saying? I don’t even know 💀 #breathingguy #breathingrealtor #gaspingrealtor #genz #genzedit #genzemployee #genzeditsmyvideo #fyp #genzedits #genzeditsmyvideo ♬ Original sound – mikehege.realtor

Although it didn’t go quite as viral as his first video, it still generated over 2,000 comments on TikTok and about 300,000 likes on Instagram.

Helps go viral and generate leads?

Of course, going viral as a real estate agent is one thing, but actually making a difference for your business is another entirely. Did the millions of viewers who watched his videos actually translate into leads? To find out, we reached out to Hege to get his thoughts on the business impact of viral success and his advice for agents who want to try to replicate his success.

According to Hege, his viral videos have already generated “some leads” — mostly from other real estate agents. That might not sound like an impressive ROI when you’re putting your brand in front of millions of people, but building a brand is all about the long term.

No one should expect to generate many leads by going viral on a global platform like TikTok, where the average user is probably still in high school. However, in the weeks following his viral appearance, Hege was interviewed by Today.com and has been featured on Buzzfeed, Yahoo, USA Today, and now HousingWire. Any self-respecting PR professional would charge thousands to generate that much press for a brand—not to mention a real estate agent in a small town outside of Charlotte, North Carolina.

Hege stressed the importance of avoiding standard video formulas and producing content that reflects your brand. Although he regularly lists million-dollar-plus homes, his viral videos show that he has a sense of humor and is humble enough to let someone else take the reins. This is perfect for dispelling the notion that luxury agents are stuffy and aloof—a key element of Hege’s “regular guy” brand.

Hege told us to make sure our content resonates with your audience and piques their interest. However, Hege also stresses that nothing is more important than showing your audience that you can help them solve their real estate problems:

1. Let the home speak

He then advised agents to “let the house speak for itself” when making a comedy video without a typical script. In his follow-up video, Hege used tongue-in-cheek Gen-Z slang, but his pitch was the real star of the show.

2. Trust your Gen Z marketer

If you want to have a chance of going viral, you have to trust them. They spend 8 hours a day on TikTok, and you don’t. They may be a real estate expert, but they’re an audience expert.

3. Accept imperfection

While many agents think marketing needs to be polished and professional to make an impact, social media rewards authenticity and even mistakes. Think of it as an easy way to put a human face to your brand and build your awareness, likeability and trust factor.

Will the trend continue?

The trend “Gen Z lets my video be edited” is currently spreading like wildfire in the real estate industry. However, like most Gen Z trends, this one is unlikely to last long.

Florida real estate agent Demeeka Cobb embodied her inner Generation Z with an Instagram video that gave her home tours a young, hip twist:

While Demeeka’s video generated a few hundred likes on Instagram and TikTok, it was a far cry from the millions Hege got from his videos. That’s a pretty good ROI for a video that probably took her 20 minutes to shoot, but her other videos get ten times as many likes on her TikTok. That’s no surprise considering she has over 600,000 followers on the platform. This proves once again that striking while the iron is hot is crucial to garnering likes and leads from Gen Z trends.

This begs the question. How can you learn to spot Gen Z viral trends on social media before they’re gone? Simple. Hire a Gen Z marketing expert and have them edit your video. But not Teresa Sottile. We have a feeling Hege will try to keep her on the team as long as possible. Who wouldn’t?