Does Your Brokerage Name Have to Be on Every Post?
It depends on your state. Texas and Tennessee let your brokerage information sit on your profile or one click away. Alabama requires it in every post unless the company name is part of your account name. North Carolina, according to association summaries of its rule, wants it in the post itself, with no one-click allowance. My advice is to put it on every post anyway, in the image and the caption. That one habit works in every state.
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▼Why the Answer Changes at the State Line
Every state treats a social media post about your real estate business as advertising. They all want consumers to know which brokerage stands behind the agent. Where they differ is on placement.
Some states were written with websites in mind and allow a link: if the consumer can reach the firm name in one click, you’re fine. Others want the firm name visible in the ad itself, on the theory that most people never tap through to your profile. Social media sits right on that line. A post in someone’s feed is separated from your profile, and a screenshot of it travels with no profile at all.
So you end up with two camps, plus a few states in between.
States Where the Profile or One Click Is Enough
These states let the brokerage information sit on your profile or one click away, with conditions. The rule citations are listed so you can read the text yourself.
- Texas (22 TAC §535.155): the profile works if the information is readily accessible by a direct link and noticeable. The broker’s name (or TREC-registered assumed name) has to be at least half the size of the largest agent or team contact information. Texas also requires links to the IABS form and the Consumer Protection Notice (22 TAC §§531.18 and 531.20). Those go in your bio.
- Tennessee (1260-02-.12(3)(b),(6)): one click is acceptable. You need the firm name and firm phone, and the firm’s letters have to be the same size as or larger than yours or your team’s.
- Arkansas (AREC Reg. 10.5): per association summaries, the firm name can be on the profile or landing page, one click or tap from posts with limited space. The firm has to appear equal to or greater than the agent, team or DBA. We haven’t verified this against the regulation text.
- South Carolina (§40-57-135(E)): a link from the ad to the firm’s homepage satisfies the full-firm-name requirement.
Notice the catch in each one. “Readily accessible” and “noticeable” are judgment calls, and your commission makes the call, not you. A bio that says “Brokered by ABC Realty” in tiny type below a giant team logo might not qualify.
States That Want It in the Post
- Alabama (§34-27-36(a)(6),(15); Rule 790-X-3-.16): every post, unless the company name is in the account name. On video it goes at the start. The font has to be equal to or larger than other text or logos.
- North Carolina (21 NCAC 58A .0105): association summaries say the firm name goes in the post itself, and we found no one-click rule. Confirm with the rule text, but plan on in-post.
The States in Between
Several states use wording that lands somewhere in the middle. They allow a link when space is limited but otherwise want the name on the page.
- Georgia (520-1-.09): the firm name and firm phone on every viewable page. Character-limited posts can link to a display that complies. The firm has to be equal to or greater than the agent or team in both size and frequency.
- Colorado (4 CCR 725-1, Rule 6.10): the firm name clearly and conspicuously on each page the broker controls, or “within the first click” when space is limited.
- Florida (61J2-10.025): for online ads, the firm name goes adjacent to, above or below your contact information.
- Arizona (R4-28-502(E),(L)): the employing broker’s legal or dba name on all advertising, clearly and prominently. The Arizona Association of REALTORS® suggests the top of your profile or a watermark.
- Oklahoma (OAC 605:10-9-4): per association summaries, the broker’s name or trade name on all advertising, including social, and never the associate’s name alone. The broker has to be at least 50% of the associate’s size.
- Louisiana (LAC 46:LXVII §2501): the business name plus the sponsoring broker’s name and phone, conspicuously. The rule doesn’t specifically address social placement.
Then there are the outliers. Some states go further: California, for example, requires your license number on every post. New York (19 NYCRR 175.25) wants the broker’s name plus an address or phone on every page, and your accurate license type.
The full table, with every state’s size rule, is in our state-by-state guide to real estate social media advertising rules.
Size Matters More Than Most Agents Think
Agents who get the name onto the post often still get the size wrong. The pattern is familiar: a big headshot, a big team logo, and the brokerage in eight-point type in the corner.
Here’s how the size rules stack up in the states we track:
- Texas: broker name at least half the size of the largest agent or team contact information
- Oklahoma (secondary): broker at least 50% the size of the associate
- Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas: firm equal to or larger than the agent or team
If the brokerage name is at least as large as your name and your team’s name, you pass every one of them. Georgia adds frequency: if your team name appears twice on a graphic, the firm should appear twice as well.
Why I’d Put It on Every Post Anyway
Even if you’re in Texas and the profile rule covers you, I’d still put the brokerage name on every post. Here’s why.
Posts travel without your profile. People screenshot posts, share them to Stories, and forward them in group texts. Once that happens, the link to your profile is gone and the post stands on its own. If the brokerage name is baked into the image, it goes wherever the post goes.
You might not stay in one state. If you hold a second license, work a border market, or join a brokerage that operates in several states, a template built for the strictest state works everywhere. A template built for Texas doesn’t work in Alabama.
Your broker may require it. Plenty of brokerages set a stricter house rule than the state, simply because it’s easier to supervise. “Brokerage name on every post” is easy to check by scrolling through a feed. “Readily accessible by a direct link and noticeable” isn’t.
It costs almost nothing. A footer bar on the graphic and a sign-off line in the caption take a few seconds once they’re part of the template.
What “Every Post” Looks Like in Practice
This is the standard we use for every client, in every state:
- Image: a watermark or footer bar with the brokerage name, at least as large as the agent’s or team’s name. On video, it’s on the first frame and the cover.
- Caption: a closing line, like “Jane Smith, Smith Home Team | ABC Realty.” Add the brokerage phone for Louisiana and Georgia, and your license number if your state requires it.
- Bio: the full brokerage name, phone and any links your state requires. In Texas that means the IABS and Consumer Protection Notice links.
Why both image and caption? A caption-only name disappears when someone screenshots the post. An image-only name disappears in link previews and for anyone using a screen reader. With both, you’re covered either way.
How We Handle It for Clients
When Freedom runs an agent’s social media, the disclosure line is built into the post templates before the first post is made. A Freedom VA builds each post with the brokerage name already in the image and caption, then schedules it in a scheduling tool. The agent approves every post. If it isn’t approved, it doesn’t go out.
That approval step does two things. It lets you catch anything that doesn’t look right before it’s public. It also gives your broker a clean answer to “who reviewed this ad?” More on that in how brokers supervise agent advertising without approving every post.
We post and schedule. We don’t reply to comments or DMs, and we don’t talk to consumers for you. Conversations with the public stay with you.
If you also use us for transaction coordination, we can post your Just Listed and Just Sold announcements too, with the brokerage name already on them. Ask when you get started. See turning transaction milestones into social media posts, or the social media management service page for what’s included.
Quick Check Before You Hit Post
- Is the brokerage name in the image?
- Is it in the caption?
- Is it at least as large as your name and your team’s name?
- Does your state also need a phone number (Georgia, Tennessee, Louisiana) or a license number?
- Does your bio carry the full disclosure and any required links?
If all five are yes, you’re in good shape in every state we track. If you’re not sure about your state, our advertising rules by state guide has the citation so you can check the source.
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