Krys Benyamein shares the surprising lesson he learned climbing Mount Everest, and how it applies to content creation, identity, and marketing in today’s attention economy.
I remember the first time I saw a dead body.
It was just below the Hillary Step, about 8,700 meters up the mountain, near the summit of Mount Everest.
When I realized what I was looking at, everything stopped for a moment. That’s not something you can really prepare yourself to see. And it’s not something I specifically trained for. But by that point, I had spent hundreds of hours preparing for the climb itself.
Training. Planning. Cold exposure. Mental preparation.
I knew the mountain would demand hard things from me. I just didn’t know exactly which hard things those would be. So as best I could, I stepped over the man’s head, careful not to catch him with my crampons, while holding the fixed ropes along the granite Hillary Step, and continued climbing.
That moment will always stick with me.
Not just because of what I saw, but because of what it reminded me of: the mountain doesn’t care who you think you are.
Up there, your identity means nothing. The mountain doesn’t care about your accomplishments, your résumé, or the stories you tell yourself about who you are. It only cares whether you can keep moving forward.
And recently, that lesson came back to me in a completely different way.
Three weeks ago, I threw out my back.
As someone who runs almost every day, it forced me to confront some uncomfortable questions:
If I can’t run… am I still disciplined?
If I can’t run… am I still a leader?
If I can’t run… am I still the same person?
It’s amazing how quickly your identity can get tied to something you do.
And it’s the exact same trap many real estate agents fall into. They tie their identity to production. Commission checks. Instagram views. Sales volume.
But if those things disappear tomorrow, who are you?
Your value was never your production. It was never your video views. And it certainly isn’t the performance of a piece of content.
Why does that matter when we talk about marketing?
Because when your identity is tied to performance, content becomes terrifying. If a post flops, you feel like you flopped. And that fear keeps most agents from ever pressing publish.
But once you separate your identity from the outcome, something powerful happens. You become free to experiment.
And experimentation is the entire game. Because today, attention is the new currency.
No One Is Watching As Closely As You Think
One of the biggest reasons agents don’t create content is fear of being on camera.
They worry about how they look, how they sound and what other people might think. But most agents misunderstand how people actually consume content.
Think about how you scroll social media.
You’re probably doing it while:
- waiting for a client
- sitting in the car
- going to the bathroom
- watching TV
- standing in line somewhere
Content today is consumed passively.
People are distracted.
And attention spans are getting shorter. Think about the last time you tried to watch a movie on Netflix.
I realized something recently: I can’t get through the first ten minutes of a movie without picking up my phone.
And that’s when someone like Chris Hemsworth is on the screen. If I can’t focus on Chris Hemsworth for ten minutes, how is anybody supposed to focus on Krys Benyamein?
That realization is actually incredibly freeing. People aren’t studying your delivery, they’re scrolling.
But there’s an important second lesson here.
Because attention is so fragmented, people are only catching small pieces of your content over time.
They might see one post today. Another one three weeks from now. Maybe a story in between.
Which means visibility isn’t built through one perfect post. It’s built through consistent presence.
In a world where people are giving you only tiny slices of their attention, the agents who win are the ones who show up more often.
Not more perfectly. More often.
Start With News, Not Your Opinion
When agents decide to start posting content, the next question is always:
What should I talk about? The easiest place to begin is the news, not your opinion. Not because opinions are bad. In fact, some of the most successful creators online are built entirely around strong opinions.
Take someone like Grant Cardone. He’s incredibly polarizing. People either love him or hate him. And that’s because he’s comfortable sharing bold opinions. But that level of confidence usually develops over time.
Most agents don’t feel comfortable jumping on camera and immediately giving strong opinions about the market, interest rates, or the economy.
And that’s perfectly normal.
So instead of forcing yourself into a style that doesn’t feel natural yet, start with something simpler:
Use a simple framework:
- Report what happened
- Explain what it means
That’s it. You’re not debating anyone. You’re helping people understand the housing market. And the great thing is, you don’t even have to start by talking on camera.
Four Simple Content Formats That Work
You can begin sharing market information using simple formats like these.
Green Screen Explainer
React to an article and explain what it means.
Example:
View this post on Instagram
Trending Audio B Roll
A quick clip of b-roll with a headline using trending audio.
Example:
View this post on Instagram
Plain Text Graphic
A headline-style post explaining a market update.
Example:
View this post on Instagram
Trending Movement With Text
Footage of a movement with information delivered at the pace of the audio
Example:
View this post on Instagram
These formats allow you to build confidence while still delivering useful information.
Over time, your opinions will naturally start to show up in your content.
Make Hay When the Sun Is Shining
Some of the best moments to create content are when you’re already in the right environment.
For example:
- when you’re at a listing
- when you’re already dressed nicely
- when you just got a haircut
- when you’re already filming something
Instead of recording one video…Record five. Batch recording turns a single moment into weeks of content. Agents often believe they need clever ideas to create content. But their everyday lives already contain endless opportunities.
Listings. Showings. Inspections. Restaurants with family. Local parks with your kids.
People don’t just buy homes. They buy lifestyle and community. Content that shows what it feels like to live somewhere is incredibly powerful.
Finding Your Voice Takes Repetition
Most agents worry they sound scripted on camera (that’s normal). Comfort on camera is built through repetition. The best way to practice isn’t necessarily by posting public videos right away. It’s by practicing in environments that feel natural. Two of the easiest places to start are:
- Video DMs. Instead of typing a response to a client, send a quick video explaining something. You’re talking to one person, not an audience. That helps you develop a natural tone.
- Story updates. Stories are another great place to practice. They’re temporary. They’re casual. They’re less intimidating than feed posts.
Recording short story updates throughout your day builds comfort quickly. Over time, that repetition removes the awkwardness most people feel on camera.
Why Authenticity Beats Perfection
One of the biggest mistakes agents make with content is trying to perfect every idea before posting it. But perfection slows momentum.
The real secret to content creation is something much simpler. You need more jump shots. Even if you think an idea is great, you won’t know until you test it. Creators who succeed online aren’t the ones with the best ideas. They’re the ones who take the most shots. They test ideas quickly. Then they double down on the ones that work. Which brings me to a real example.
One Post That Started Everything
I saw a lender sharing news about the California Dream For All program returning in 2026.
The post was performing well. So I created a simple headline-style graphic explaining the program. I posted it. That was it. But the response surprised me. The post kept gaining traction for weeks.
View this post on Instagram
Eventually generating:
- 500,000+ video views
- 13,000+ shares
Once I saw the signal, I doubled down.
Turning Attention Into Opportunity
That single graphic eventually turned into:
- 24+ pieces of content
- 12 email campaigns
- 4 live webinars
- 120+ leads captured
- 10 buyer consultations
None of this started as a campaign. It started as one post.
The Real Secret
The agents who win online aren’t the ones waiting for perfect ideas. They’re the ones who: Show up consistently. Test ideas quickly. Learn from feedback. Improve over time. Perfection waits. Authenticity publishes.
And in a world where attention is the new currency, the agents who show up will always outperform the agents who stay silent.
