Here’s what I thought would happen.
Gorgeous $19M waterfront estate. Stunning infinity pool. Crystal blue water stretching to the horizon.
I figured the pool shot would crush the aerial view.
I mean, come on. It’s Florida. It’s luxury real estate. Pool photos are supposed to be money in the bank.
So I split-tested it
Same ad copy. Same targeting. Same everything.
Just swapped the hero image.
Aerial view vs. that Instagram-worthy pool shot.
The result?
Aerial won by 25%.
Not even close.
Which makes zero sense?
Until you think about it.
Pool photos are beautiful. But they’re also… limiting.
You see water. You see luxury. But you don’t see context.
The aerial shot? You see the whole story. The waterfront. The neighborhood. How massive the property actually is.
Context beats pretty every time.
This is the fourth “aerial” test I’ve run
Started with aerial vs. curb view. Then aerial vs. kitchen shots. Then aerial vs. floor plan combos.
Each time, different properties. Different price points. Same methodology.
The patterns are getting interesting.
Really interesting.
Here’s what nobody talks about
We assume we know what buyers want to see.
“Show the pool! Show the kitchen! Show the curb appeal!”
Meanwhile, the data suggests something completely different.
Buyers want the big picture first. Context before details.
Makes sense when you think about it.
But thinking about it and testing it are two different things.
All the detailed breakdowns, charts and images used are in The LAB
Click-through rates, cost per click, demographic splits, the whole nine yards.
Including which image combo actually beat the straight aerial by double digits.
(That one shocked me.)
What assumptions are you not testing?
Your email subject lines? Your landing page headlines? Your social media hooks?
The stuff you “know” works might be costing you money every single day.
Test your assumptions.
Even the ones that seem obvious.
Especially the ones that seem obvious.
And if you don’t have time or don’t want to spend the money on testing, I get that.
Testing realtor marketing campaigns is my business. I do it daily and post results in The LAB.
