PR for Housing and Property Development: A Helpful Guide
Whether you work in commercial property development, architecture and planning or residential housing, PR plays a vital role in raising your profile and getting your name in front of the right people. Yet, unlike content creation and other property marketing practices, PR tends to be less understood.
Some property professionals still see PR as a bit of a dark art, with fee-earners and their marketing teams unsure how to turn their news and views into content the media actually want to publish.
That’s where we can help.
As a full-service Bristol PR agency with over 35 years of experience in PR for property, we know exactly how to highlight your expertise in a way that will influence key stakeholders, enhance your credibility and help you expand your property portfolio.
Whether you’re a passionate property development company, an ambitious building firm or an emerging estate agent, this guide is designed to help you navigate the PR process and build a strategy for success.
An introduction to PR for the property sector
The challenges of PR for property developers and building firms
Given all the uncertainty around the future of the UK property sector, there’s never been a better time to invest in targeted PR for building and development.
As the Labour Government rolls out its plans for housing and planning reform, the road ahead is paved with challenges, which undoubtedly makes public relations a lot trickier to navigate.
It’s clear the government has plans to “get Britain building again” — something that could be a major boost after the disruption of COVID — but it’s vital to use your voice to help shape what that ambition looks like in practice.
Take the Green Belt, for example. This is something that has served England’s towns and cities well over many decades, but as the housing sector evolves, the need for reform has become increasingly apparent.
In response, the Government has pledged to adopt a “more strategic” approach to Green Belt development, which includes exploring the potential for releasing lower-quality “Grey Belt” land to meet housing demands.
There’s also talk of “golden rules” to ensure development brings real benefits to communities and nature. But rules are only as effective as the voices that help shape them.
If you know that you or your business will be affected by these changes, this is your opportunity to speak up. Public relations can help make sure the right people hear your views — and that those views have influence where it matters.
Make property PR a vital part of your property marketing strategy
Effectively promoting your property business means doing more than just running ads or regularly posting on Instagram. It requires a well-rounded approach that makes use of carefully planned housing and building PR campaigns to position your business as an authority in the property sector.
Getting articles onto the internet and into major media outlets ensures you get noticed by fellow professionals and legislators, especially if you contribute insightful perspectives on the future of the industry, highlighting what will work and what won’t.
Doing this also helps you to lobby and influence key decision-makers — local MPs, Councillors, Mayors and advisors to those in power. By producing high-quality content, you can lay out your arguments strongly, logically and convincingly, showcasing what needs to change in the sector and what should remain the same.
Once the Government begins outlining specific changes to the property landscape, impacting both commercial and residential property, your public relations efforts can then pivot. The focus shifts to influencing not just policymakers but also the people who matter most: your clients and customers.
Let PR drive new business and property partnerships
It goes without saying — prospective clients are far more likely to trust property professionals who are up to date with the latest legislation and who can act fast to take advantage of changes.
That’s why demonstrating your expertise in articles, podcasts, videos and in your online communications is so powerful. It helps you to get to the front of the queue when people are looking for advice and help.
The developer who demonstrates a knowledge of the new planning laws, the agent who is up to speed on new stamp duty rules, the builder who shows a firm understanding of environmental impact rules; these are the ones who get noticed.
Make use of case studies and testimonials
While industry knowledge will get you noticed, talking about issues and showcasing your understanding is only part of the equation.
To truly stand out and attract business, you need to pair your expert insights with tangible proof of your success. That's where case studies and testimonials come into play — they demonstrate your capabilities in a practical, results-driven way.
Get in the habit of celebrating and documenting milestones for every project, ensuring key achievements are showcased online and in the media. From announcing new appointments to marking progress through the planning process, public statements and press releases should be distributed strategically across regional, local, trade and industry media. These announcements should target not only property-focused publications but also the media consumed by your clients.
Say, for example, you’re a commercial office agent involved in letting an office building to a medical equipment business. By acting first and taking ownership of the public relations side of the transaction, you’re in control. A press release can be prepared for the mainstream local media, the business media, the medical equipment media and the national property titles, such as Estates Gazette and Property Week.
In deals like these, various stakeholders — agents, lawyers, banks — often compete for recognition, and those with the slickest PR strategies are the ones who gain visibility and are remembered for brokering the deal.
Unable to lead the announcement process? Try to ensure you’re included meaningfully by contributing quotes and perspectives that highlight your role and expertise.
Align your PR communications with housing and property trends
Another effective way to make your PR efforts stand out is by linking them to current events and trends in the property sector. Whether it’s commenting on new government policies, providing insights into market shifts or responding to breaking news, timely and relevant content is key to engaging your audience.
For example, if a major employer announces a return-to-office policy that could impact commercial property demand, you could provide expert analysis on the implications for the local market. Or, if new environmental standards are introduced, you could outline how your business is adapting to meet these requirements. Essentially, you need to be aware of what media outlets and the public want to discuss.
The content you create around these trends can then be repurposed to support wider engagement efforts. For instance, it could form the foundation of an industry event, where you bring key figures together — either in person or online — to discuss the issues shaping the property landscape.
This type of event not only helps position your business as a thought leader but also creates valuable networking opportunities with the people you most want to connect with. Content from these discussions can then be repackaged into other formats, such as videos, podcasts or social media posts.
Raise your profile with awards and events
Awards, sponsorships and appearances at conferences or exhibitions are also excellent ways to raise your profile — but only if you make the most of the PR opportunities they provide.
By identifying the most relevant industry awards and drafting compelling entries, we’ve helped many of our property sector clients achieve “award-winning” status, so if you’d like to learn more about how we can do this for your property business, don’t hesitate to reach out.
Make the most of every PR opportunity
Finally, remind yourself that the property sector offers countless opportunities for strategic PR.
Property touches almost every aspect of life — from businesses needing retail spaces, offices, laboratories, factories or warehouses to individuals seeking homes to buy or rent. This is why property and PR are natural partners, with strategic communication amplifying the human stories, community impacts and transformative potential behind every development.
PR also plays a vital role in guiding businesses and individuals through the complexities of the planning process. Whether you're an architect designing a home extension or a master planner envisioning a brand-new town, targeted PR raises awareness, influences key audiences and accelerates business growth.
Work with trusted PR professionals to save time
At Empica, we’re well aware that property experts have to focus on their work and earning fees. The “expert voice” articles that demonstrate a firm’s thought leadership have to come from the people who are often the busiest and the largest fee earners, so their time is the most precious.
Luckily, our team of public relations professionals — many of whom are former journalists — are used to carrying out quick interviews, drafting bullet point questions that can be answered quickly and doing the additional fact-checking research needed to produce an article.
With minimal impact on your time, we produce PR content that interests journalists and results in quality media coverage. This content can then also be used on your website, social channels or in communications with influencers, clients and prospects.
Rather than having to sit down with a blank screen and spend precious fee-earning time trying to create an article that the media will want to publish, we do the heavy lifting. We come back to you with a well-written and researched draft which reflects your views and requires very little time for revisions and amendments.
Talk to us about housing and property PR
At Empica, we’ve built a strong reputation as one of the leading property PR firms in Bristol and the South West of England. Over the years, we’ve supported a variety of high-profile projects, from major supermarket consultations and central Bristol regeneration projects to retail occupancy campaigns and the promotion of both new-build and historic homes.
We work flexibly to suit your needs, offering services on both a retained and project basis, with a regional and national focus. Our expertise in property PR includes media relations, content creation, media training, video production, community engagement, reputation management and crisis communications.
If you're ready to amplify your voice in the property sector and make the most of every opportunity, get in touch.