The Chris List™

I'm feeling old.

On Saturday, my youngest turned 17.

This week I'm getting a colonoscopy.

Last week I met with a dietitian.

The week before that, I got a few skin tags removed.

With all that said, I'm reminded of one of my favorite quotes:

“Growing old is mandatory, but growing up is optional.” — Walt Disney

Here's what is in this week's Chris List:

📝 [C]ontent: She posted his DM. 2,000 people picked a side.
​ 🛠 [H]ow-To: That GPT you built has 10 weeks to live
🔬 [R]esearch: What a like is actually worth?
🎨 [I]nspiration: Why the Laughing Cow stopped laughing
💡 [S]wipes: The outreach that asks for nothing

📝 [C]ONTENT

The compliment that started a 2,000-person fight 🥊

​Coco Pickering is 22 and works in finance in Australia. Last month, she accepted a LinkedIn connection request.

Then this landed in her inbox:

"Hi Coco, it's great to connect with you. Looking forward to staying in touch."

"And on a totally different note, may I just say what a beautiful lady you are."

She didn't ghost him. She replied directly.

She told him the message was out of line, reminded him LinkedIn is for professional networking, and suggested a dating app might be a better fit for that kind of message.

Then she posted the exchange. His name and photo were blacked out.

She said she wasn't trying to humiliate one guy. Her point was about context and boundaries, not whether compliments are evil.

More than 2,000 reactions later, the comments split.

One camp said he probably meant well. Kindness goes a long way. She could have kept it private.

Her answer: accountability and kindness are not mutually exclusive.

She did handle it privately first. She replied to him one-on-one. Then she hid his identity before posting.

That's not a pile-on. That's the most restrained version of "not okay" there is.

And "he meant well" is doing a LOT of heavy lifting. Meaning well doesn't make it the right inbox.

Sadly, I bet this happens in a lot of Realtors' DMs every week.

As a Realtor, you live in the DMs for business and networking.

Buyers, sellers, referral partners, strangers from last Sunday's open house.

When one crosses the line, most agents freeze. Because the person on the other end might be a client. Or a referral. Or a commission.

Here's the playbook:

1. You owe no reply.
​2. Screenshot the thread first, before they can delete it.
​3. Report it with the platform's tools.
​4. Tell someone.
​5. Keep a folder. Patterns matter.

Need a line ready? Steal this one:

"Thanks for reaching out. I'd like to keep our messages about [the home / the deal / the market]. Happy to help with that."

"I'm not comfortable with comments about my appearance. Please keep our conversation professional."

And if you're the one shooting their shot? Compliment the work. Full stop.

Kindness and boundaries aren't opposites. Being clear is the kind thing.

Have you dealt with something like this as an agent? A message from a client, a colleague, or a stranger that crossed a line?

Reply and tell me. Anonymous is fine.

I may share a few stories in a future issue, without names.

🛠 [H]OW-TO

Custom GPTs have a death date 🪦

OpenAI says custom GPTs are scheduled to retire on Dec 11th.

​OpenAI's migration FAQ says on that date custom GPTs and their GPT pages "become inaccessible."

It says the change affects all ChatGPT plans. Until then, your GPTs keep working.

So that listing description writer you built last year has a deadline.

You have three jobs, in this order:

1. Save. Open My GPTs and write down the ones you actually use. Copy each one's instructions and knowledge files into your own doc. Whatever is in there travels.

2. Migrate. Hit Migrate to plugin when it shows up for your account. Your instructions become a skill. Your knowledge files become reference files. Only the latest published version moves, and the original goes read-only.

One catch: custom actions do not transfer. If your GPT calls an outside service, OpenAI says rebuilding "may require a custom MCP server and technical setup."

If it only writes text, you are probably fine.

3. Test. Run a listing through the old GPT and the new plugin. Then run one harder use case. OpenAI warns a migrated plugin "may respond differently," so re-read before anything hits the MLS.

The plugin also starts private, so re-share it with your team if they are using it too.

Do this today: open My GPTs and make a list of the ones you want to keep.

Then do the remaining 3 steps in October, while the old one still runs alongside the new one.

🔬 [R]ESEARCH

How much money is an Instagram like worth in 2026? 💵

McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski took one bite of the new Big Arch on Instagram and announced, "I love this product."

The video has 309K likes.

Wendy's couldn't help itself. It fired back: "This is what it looks like when you don't have to pretend to like your 'product.'"

KFC and Jack in the Box piled on with videos of their own.

A full-blown fast food beef. Over a burger bite.

But it raises a real question: what were those 309K likes actually worth?

ManyChat tried to answer it.

Here's their math (based on Instagram’s predicted share of Meta’s advertising revenue in 2026 and the number of estimated likes that land on monetizable content each year):

Meta says Instagram has 2 billion daily users.​
Assume each one likes 15 posts a day.​
Estimate Instagram's share of Meta's ad revenue.
Divide.

Result: 7.5 cents per like.

By that math, Kempczinski's 309K likes are worth about $23,000.

A like from a buyer in your farm area? Worth more. A like from a bot in another country? Worth less.

Neither one shows up on a commission check.

Here's what ManyChat's own example actually proves. Their social media manager, Sarah Gavilla, says a 2025 wedding reel that said "comment the word bride" drove 22 orders and $5,000 in sales.

It's self-reported, from someone who works there, so take it with a grain of salt. But notice what did the work: the comments and the DMs. Not the likes.

Three steals for your Instagram:

Comment-to-DM. Ask for one word in the comments and send the next step by DM.

DM scoreboard. Track DMs, clicks, leads, and appointments, not likes. Watch which number actually predicts business.

Real question. Message the people who liked your last open house post with one real question about their plans.

Likes are applause. Conversations are the deal makers.

🎨 [I]NSPIRATION

Three brands, three jokes, three steals 😂

This week I found so many clever ideas I decided to go rapid-fire on inspiration.
​
Here's a cow with a frown, a handbag you pronounce wrong, and a billboard on a boat.

1. The Laughing Cow stopped smiling.

The Laughing Cow took off her smile for the first time in more than 100 years. Select packs in 4,700+ US stores read "We need to talk," with a QR code.

The reason came out on Kimmel Sep 29th and in a press release: trivial, everyday disagreements. Oxford commas. Reclining airplane seats. Group chat etiquette.

Steal it: a one-week "We need to talk" yard sign with a QR code to an anonymous poll of three petty neighborhood gripes.

HOA decor fines. 7am leaf blowers. Post the results and say what you'd do about the winner. Make the gripes about things, not people.

Everyone has a petty gripe. Be the agent who asks what it is.

2. Duolingo made "air-mess" a handbag.

​Duolingo dropped a seven-piece capsule at New York Fashion Week with designer Megan O'Cain. The lime-green bag reads "air-mess." That's Hermès. Duolingo and YouGov say 62% of Americans are confident they can pronounce it. Only 15% get it right.

They also made Givenchy, Jacquemus, Moschino, Loewe, Comme des Garçons and Issey Miyake phonetically correct. I was saying all of them wrong.

Steal it: a one-page guide or fridge magnet with the three street names your farm mangles, labeled "how locals say it."

Ask a longtime resident to check it. Your name on the bottom.

Say the street right and they will listen to the rest. I live on Tanja King and people never say it right (it is TAWN-YA KING).

3. Apple TV sold a cursed island.

Apple TV floated a billboard on a boat around Cape Cod for Widow's Bay. It read "VISIT Widow's Bay. AN EMMY AWARD-WINNING DESTINATION. DEFINITELY NOT CURSED." The show won 14 Emmys, the most wins ever for a comedy series in a single year.

Steal it: a sign or door hanger that says "Visit [Neighborhood]. A totally normal destination. Definitely not cursed." Put three real perks on the back. Best pizza. Easy parking. Best trick-or-treat street.

Add your name, brokerage, and a QR code to a neighborhood guide. Promote the neighborhood, not a listing.

📝 [S]WIPES

Say thanks. Ask for nothing. 🙌

You are probably underestimating how much your past clients would appreciate hearing from you.

In a Psychological Science study, researchers Amit Kumar and Nicholas Epley had people write a thank-you letter to someone who mattered in their life.

The writers guessed how that person would feel. Then the researchers asked the people who got the letters.

The writers guessed wrong. They underestimated how positive the letter would make people feel. They overestimated how awkward it would be.

They also sweated the words. Writers expected the letter to score about 7 out of 10 for articulate, well-chosen words. Recipients gave it about 9.3.

So stop polishing. Those letters went to people in the writers' own lives. Past clients you liked count. Try it this week

Here's the handwritten note/email swipe:

---

Hi Sarah,

This is random, but I was thinking about some of the people I've had the chance to work with over the years, and you and Mike came to mind.

I still remember how excited you guys were when we finally found the house on Oak Street after everything we went through with the first two.

And it made me realize I probably never properly thanked you for trusting me through all of that.

You had a lot of options when you chose a Realtor. You chose me, listened to my advice, and trusted me with a pretty important moment in your lives.

That meant a lot to me then, and it still does.

There's no real estate update or hidden reason for this message. I just wanted to tell you that I'm grateful I got the chance to work with you.

I hope you guys are doing great and still loving the house.

Chris

---

Think of five past clients you genuinely appreciate. Personalize this for each one. Don't ask for anything in return.
​
I bet something special happens.