The photographers growing the fastest right now aren’t the ones shooting more listings. They’re the ones creating more value from every listing they touch.
As agent expectations rise and buyers spend more time online, the standard for listing media continues to climb.
Photos are still essential, but they are no longer the full story.
The photographers who win in 2026 will be the ones delivering a more complete, more immersive listing experience every time they show up.
What “Rich Media” Actually Means
You have probably heard the term rich media more and more over the past few years. At its core, rich media simply means any listing content that goes beyond standard photos.
Today, that typically includes:
- Video (long form and short form)
- 3D tours
- Floor plans
- Drone experiences
- Virtual staging
- AI-generated visuals
In other words, rich media is the toolkit that helps buyers better understand a home before they ever step inside.
Historically, these assets were treated as premium add-ons. Today, many agents expect them on most of their listings.
Rich Media Is Now the Standard
Across listings delivered through Aryeo, rich media adoption has grown fast and it’s not slowing down.
In 2025:
- 24% of listings included video (up from 21% a year prior)
- 27% included a 3D tour (up from 23% last year)
- 39% included a floor plan (up from 29% last year)
- 58% of listings included at least one rich media asset (up from 49% in 2024)
We have crossed the line where rich media is simply “nice to have.”
Buyers expect it, platforms reward it, and agents are increasingly bundling it into their default marketing plan.
If your packages still revolve around “photos + optional add-ons,” you’re competing against a market that’s already moving toward full listing coverage.
Why Adoption is Accelerating
This growth isn’t random. It’s being driven by three forces that directly impact your ability to stay competitive:
1) Buyers want more immersive content
Today’s buyers are more selective and research-driven. They spend longer evaluating listings online before deciding which homes are worth their time.
Rich media helps them:
- understand the layout faster
- build confidence earlier
- emotionally connect with the property
The more clearly a listing communicates the space, the more likely buyers are to engage.
2) Agents are focused on performance
Agents care about outcomes.
When you can tie your media to performance like engagement, time on listing, inquiries, or speed to offer, the conversation changes.
You are no longer selling photos. You are helping drive listing performance.
That positioning is what separates photographers from strategic partners.
3) Bundling makes adoption easier
The media companies growing fastest are not just offering more services. They are packaging them more effectively.
When agents have to build a custom order every time, they tend to choose the minimum. When the right bundle is presented clearly, they are far more likely to select a higher-value package.
Bundling is not just about convenience. It is one of the simplest ways to increase average order value while making the buying experience easier for your clients.
Capture once, multiply outputs
The most important operational shift for 2026 is simple:
Stop thinking in terms of deliverables. Start thinking in terms of outputs.
One well-planned capture can generate multiple high-value assets:
- One room scan → floor plan + 3D tour + future video outputs
- One walkthrough → full video + short video + social media reels
- One drone flight → aerial photos + video clips + emerging exterior experiences
- One image → staged variations
The bottleneck is no longer your time on site. It’s how much value you extract from the content you already captured.
This is how modern media businesses grow without burning out.
Not more shoots, more value per listing.
Why Rich Media Is No Longer Optional in 2026
In today’s market, listings don’t win simply because they exist. They win because they perform.
As buyer behavior continues to shift toward deeper research, longer scroll time, and fewer in-person tours, rich media is becoming the clearest way to:
- build confidence earlier
- create momentum faster
- differentiate listings in crowded markets
At the same time, new technology is making it faster and easier to generate multiple media outputs. That does not reduce the importance of rich media. It raises the baseline expectation.
Videos, 3D tours, and floor plans are no longer “nice extras.” They’re the tools that help buyers experience a property, understand it faster, and take the next step with more certainty.
If you want to future-proof your media business this year, the path is clear: build your packages around rich media and capture with reuse in mind.
In 2026, the real estate media businesses that win will be the ones consistently delivering a more complete, more modern listing experience.