The way we consume content has changed. Audiences no longer simply go to traditional media or brands for information – they’re discovering it through creators, social media platforms and videos.

According to the Reuters Institute’s 2026 Digital News Report, 54% of people globally use social media and video networks to access news, including through creators, who are described as more entertaining, easier to understand and more relatable than traditional news outlets.

A recent event exploring ‘The Future of Digital’ revealed that the creator economy isn’t just changing social media. It’s changing audience expectations and what they want to see from the content they consume – including personality, authenticity and relatability.

In a sector with vast expertise, stories and people, what can the built environment learn from creators?

Understand your audience

Algorithms have changed the way audiences experience the internet – no two feeds are the same, whether on TikTok, Instagram or LinkedIn. Therefore, you can’t create content for an undefined audience. Marketers in the built environment need to identify their audiences from the very start and understand their specific behaviours and needs – this will help with social media strategy and wider content planning. For instance, a housebuilder will have multiple audiences, including first-time buyers, second-steppers, investors and stakeholders – all of whom consume content differently.

People first

Being authentic doesn’t mean abandoning professionalism or your brand standards. It means giving audiences something that feels human, genuine and worth engaging with.

Creator culture has increasingly shown that audiences want to see the faces behind the content. This is a real opportunity for brands within the built environment, as it’s not just about showing more of the brand, it’s about putting more of the people, personalities, expertise and stories behind projects into the spotlight, which works particularly well on both B2C and B2B platforms.

Don’t be afraid of less polished content. High-quality videos have their place but a simple piece of content that feels relatable and natural can be just as effective, especially on platforms like TikTok and Instagram.

The point isn’t that the built environment needs to start making hundreds of TikToks. It’s that creators are very good at understanding that people connect with people, stories and personalities, not just logos.

Create for the platform

Repurposing content isn’t the same as duplicating. All your content ideas can be created and repurposed across platforms whether it’s B2B or B2C – it’s the way you use it that matters. It’s important to recognise before you create your content that it needs to feel native to the platform in question. The same idea might need a different execution on different platforms; for example, a ‘day in the life’ video might work well on TikTok, whilst it might be better to provide a professional insight behind the same experience on LinkedIn.

This is why creators have become so good at distributing multiple pieces of content across channels, as they constantly have to keep up to date with the changes taking place and learn what works best.

Expertise can be entertaining

Social media is supposed to be fun and has become an essential tool to share knowledge and expertise. So, by combining the two you are creating content that people will want to engage with. The built environment has a huge amount of specialist knowledge, but it can sometimes be communicated in very technical ways. This is exactly where the gap is for brands to make content resonate better with audiences, whether that’s through more of an educational piece like a blog for LinkedIn or collaborating with a creator to debunk housing myths on TikTok.

Now, we are not suggesting that brands in the built environment need to become creators, but they can use creators and the way they think for inspiration. Creator culture isn’t about abandoning the principles of good communications – it’s about putting your audience first, finding your voice and creating content that earns attention.

So, perhaps the question is: what could brands in the built environment create if they embraced creator culture?

Are you in the built environment industry and need help? If you would like a 30-minute consultation about how we can support you on your digital PR journey, email brdigital@building-relations.co.uk and book in a free conversation now.