At the Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Better Retreat 2025 in Nashville, Kyle Scott dedicated his keynote to the art of storytelling and its role in shaping modern real estate brands.
As Senior Vice President of Partnerships, Brand, and Community at Luxury Presence, Scott has built a career at the intersection of media, marketing, and real estate. A former NBC News producer turned brand strategist, he’s known for reframing how agents think about influence.
In this conversation, Scott reflects on his session at the conference, shares insights on why storytelling has become a competitive advantage, and explains how agents can use it to build brands that last.
What was your impression of the Better Retreat this year?
What struck me most about the Better Retreat this year was the quality of the conversations. People weren’t just talking about leads or listings; they were talking about meaning.
There was a shared recognition that our industry is shifting from transactions to trust, and that the stories we tell about our clients, our markets, and our values are what create real differentiation.
It was clear that agents are beginning to see storytelling not as marketing fluff but as strategy. The professionals who can communicate their expertise through authentic stories are the ones who will build brands with staying power.
Your background is not typical for a real estate industry executive. How did it shape your approach?
Definitely not typical. I started as a page at NBC Universal after studying economics at Cornell. My mom thought I’d lost my mind: “You’re going to give studio tours with that degree?” But that decision changed how I think about business forever.
At NBC, I spent nearly a decade producing for the “Today Show” and “NBC News Specials.” I learned that you can have the best product in the world, but if no one knows about it, it doesn’t matter. You could be the best agent, have the best service, but without story, you’re invisible.
When I co-founded Sell It Like Serhant with Ryan Serhant, I applied those same principles to building a business. Now at Luxury Presence, we’re helping agents do the same thing: Turn attention into presence, and presence into market power.
In your session at the Better Retreat, you tie storytelling to neuroscience. What does the research tell us?
It’s fascinating. The American Time Use Survey shows that when people have free time, they spend most of it engaging with stories, whether that’s watching TV, reading, gaming, or socializing. Even small talk is storytelling. It’s how we connect as humans.
There’s a classic study from 1944 where people watched animated shapes move across a screen. Almost everyone described what they saw as characters, motives, or conflict in a story. Our brains are built for narrative.
When an agent lists a property with bullet points like square footage, bedrooms, and features, they’re only activating the language center of the brain.
But when they tell a story about what life could feel like there, the listener’s sensory and emotional centers light up. Their brain is simulating the experience. That’s what makes a story stick.
You also used Coca-Cola and Zillow as examples of storytelling done right. What can agents learn from them?
The old Coca-Cola ads in the 1950s listed product features. Five cents a bottle. Available in offices. That was it. Now, Coke doesn’t sell the drink. It sells confidence, connection, and transformation.
In one ad, a reluctant boyfriend conquers his fear of cliff diving after encouragement from his girlfriend. The Coke just happens to be there. The story is the transformation.
It’s the same with Zillow. Their ad about a widow finding her next home after losing her husband doesn’t mention app features. It shows strength, healing, and new beginnings. Zillow isn’t positioning itself as a tech tool, but as a partner in life transitions.
That’s the blueprint for agents. You’re not just selling homes. You’re selling possibility.
You introduced a storytelling framework during your session. How does it work?
It’s simple: Spark, Struggle, Shift, Superpower.
The Spark is what drew you into real estate. The Struggle is what challenged you. The Shift is what changed your perspective. And the Superpower is what makes you great at what you do.
During the session, I had everyone write those four words down. Then I went around the room and asked people to share their stories. Within minutes, you could feel the shift in energy. People stopped talking like marketers and started talking like humans.
One agent shared how she was pushed out of corporate America after twenty years and found real estate gave her both integrity and balance. Another came from massage therapy and realized her listening skills were her edge. A former teacher talked about channeling her competitive nature into negotiation.
As each person shared, I helped them draw out the throughline: The Spark that started it all, the Struggle that tested them, the Shift that changed them, and the Superpower that defines how they serve today.
These stories weren’t rehearsed or packaged. They were real. And that authenticity is what makes clients connect.
How should agents use storytelling during a showing?
Most agents give tours like they’re reading a checklist. “Here’s the kitchen. Here’s the bedroom.” That’s not how people fall in love with a home.
Instead, tell the story. Say, “Remember this morning when everyone was crowded in the kitchen? Picture hosting Thanksgiving here by the fireplace.” You’re helping them feel what life could be like. That emotional visualization triggers oxytocin, which is the trust chemical. It’s what drives decisions.
Real estate is emotional first, financial second. The best agents understand that and lead with story.
If agents take away one lesson from your Better Retreat session, what should it be?
Write your story. Practice it. Lead with it. Because when someone asks why they should choose you, the answer can’t be “twenty years of experience.” That’s not a story; it’s a statistic.
Your story makes you memorable. It makes you relatable. It makes you the obvious choice.
