Lessons From PMRE That Will Double Your Real Estate Media Business

PMRE surprised me this year.

One of the first speakers walked on stage and said:
“Raise your hand if you’re making $10–50K a month.”

Half the room raised their hands.
That includes me at the $10K mark.

Then he said:
“Raise your hand if you’re making $50K+ per month.”

The other half of the room raised their hands.

That moment alone hit me harder than anything else. It showed me two things:

1. I’ve been running my real estate media business very differently from the people at the top.
2. The ceiling of this industry is way higher than most of us realize.

My name is Cole Connor — I create, inspire, and love.
Let’s get into it.

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What PMRE Actually Is (And Why You Should Go)

PMRE stands for Photography and Media for Real Estate, and this year was the biggest one yet. Three packed days of:

• top YouTubers in our space
• companies we use every day
• hands-on workshops
• panels
• networking
• Vegas energy
• late-night hangs at the Ghost Bar
• industry breakthroughs

It genuinely feels like a concert for real estate photographers.

Huge shoutout to Fotello for getting me there this year. I met the CEO, connected with their team, and watched people talk about their booth all weekend. They absolutely crushed it. If you haven’t tried them, use my link to get 15 free listings once you join the paid plan — people have been impressed, and I’m using them personally.

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The “Island” Problem in Real Estate Photography

One of the first speakers said something that stuck:

Real estate photographers are islands.

It hit because… yeah.
My mom has literally called me an island before. I’m always in my own world, working alone, grinding, shooting, editing. Even at events, I’m usually the quiet one observing.

This job can get lonely.
You start thinking you’re the only one out there doing it.

But PMRE was the first time I was surrounded by hundreds of people who all do what I do — and many of them are insanely good. Like shockingly good.

It reminded me that what we see as “competition” is actually community. Most of us avoid talking shop because we don’t want to expose our weaknesses or strategies. PMRE breaks that completely.

This event forces you to let go of ego and remember:

We’re all building this industry together.

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Lesson 1: Sell Results, Not Deliverables

One of the speakers said it best:

“Your job isn’t to take photos.
Your job is to help listings sell faster.”

This hit me because I’ve always leaned into the art of real estate media. I care deeply about quality, style, and the creative side.

But clients care about:

• views
• clicks
• offers
• days on market

If their average listing takes 60 days to sell, your pitch should be:
“We get homes sold in under 30 days — here’s our strategy.”

High-end studios aren’t selling:

• photos
• videos
• aerials
• floor plans

They’re selling outcomes.

This reframed everything for me. Especially because I just talked openly in my income report about losing clients — and this is exactly why.

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Lesson 2: Strategy Calls Can 3–4x Your Bookings

Someone mentioned hopping on listing strategy calls with agents either before or after a shoot.

Simple idea, but potentially game-changing.

Imagine telling a client:

“Before I shoot this listing, let’s hop on a 10-minute call and talk through your goals. I’ll show you how to get the most traction.”

This one move can:

• build trust
• sell more add-ons
• raise your average ticket
• convert a $300 job into $1,200+
• put you in a different category from competitors

Most photographers are just order-takers.

You become a partner.

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Lesson 3: Find Your Bottleneck (And Fix That First)

Eli Jones said something simple:

“Identify your bottleneck and attack it.”

For me?
It’s clients.

Everything else is ready:

• systems
• workflow
• editing
• delivery
• gear
• knowledge

I’m just not doing enough selling.
That’s been the embarrassing truth.

Not because it’s complicated — but because I simply don’t like doing it. It makes me uncomfortable.

His advice was to ask yourself five whys:

1. Why am I not making $20K/mo?
   → Not enough clients.
2. Why not enough clients?
   → Not putting myself out there.
3. Why am I not putting myself out there?
   → I’m not doing outbound sales.
4. Why am I avoiding outbound sales?
   → It drains me.
5. Why does it drain me?
   → Because I don’t like doing it / it makes me uncomfortable.

When you get to the bottom, the solution becomes clear:

Do it anyway — or hire someone.

This alone was worth the price of the ticket.

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Lesson 4: Be the Person You Are on YouTube

A close friend told me something blunt:

“You’re so fun, outgoing, and engaging in your YouTube videos… but in person you’re quiet and introverted. If you acted like you do on camera, you’d crush it.”

He’s right.

I’ve been conserving energy.
Staying small.
Observing instead of connecting.

But every time I push myself to be more present and outgoing, it ends up being energizing — not draining.

This conference reminded me that the way I show up online is how I need to show up in real life.

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Lesson 5: AI Isn’t Replacing Us — It’s Empowering Us

AI was one of the biggest topics this year, but not in the fear-based way you might expect.

It was all about how to use AI to:

• build smoother workflows
• create better client experiences
• improve SEO
• produce stronger media faster
• systemize processes
• serve agents more efficiently

One speaker, Jared Bauman of 201 Creative, broke down how large language models are reshaping SEO. The biggest takeaway?

I should be making agent-specific content — especially for Los Angeles. Helpful, searchable, high-value content designed to attract the exact audience that books me.

Another huge tip:

Build a custom GPT trained on your business FAQs — then give that to your VA.

Instant consistency.
Instant customer support.
Instant clarity.

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Final Thoughts: There Is So Much Opportunity in 2026

Real estate media is changing fast.
AI is exploding.
Agents need more content than ever.
Studios are scaling like crazy.
Photographers are hitting $20K–$50K–$100K months.

Yes, competition is rising.

But the opportunity?
It’s even bigger.

We just have to:

• think smarter
• sell results
• care deeply about clients
• improve our systems
• put ourselves out there
• take action even when it’s uncomfortable

I left PMRE feeling encouraged, humbled, and energized.

2026… here we go.