5 Ways to Unlock the Power of Video Storytelling

“Seventy-three percent of homeowners prefer real estate agents who use videos,” Billie Parrott shared during yesterday’s PAR webinar on the power of video storytelling for Realtors®. Parrott, a broker-owner with Btown Real Estate in Billings, Montana, discussed some key techniques to ensure audience engagement on social media through video. 

Here are five tips she shared. 

1. Post about more than just real estate. 

“Not everybody is looking for real estate all the time,” Parrott said. “If you’re just posting listing after listing, just listed and just sold content, people don’t care about that unless they’re looking for real estate. They’re going to scroll past that.” 

She encouraged Realtors® to post everyday moments from their lives to connect with and relate to their audiences, adding that she likes to sprinkle in some humor as well. She recently posted a video of herself spraying a wasp nest at one of her listings, which performed well and attracted engagement from people scared for her safety, amused at her DIY strategy and critical of her technique. 

2. Stay consistent. 

“Consistency is the huge word of the day today, whatever that is for you. If you say you only want to post three times a week, then make sure you’re consistent with that and make sure you’re putting it in your calendar to do that.” 

Parrott recommended following Brock Johnson on Instagram, from whom she learned the importance of consistency. She heard Johnson, an Instagram growth coach, speak at a social media convention, where he told his audience to post two reels and one static post a day for 30 days. After following his advice, Parrott saw her Instagram followers increase from 430 to 2,200. 

3. Tell a story. 

“You think of storytelling as somebody reading a book or telling you a story, but really a story could be nonverbal,” Parrott said, noting that anything can be a story – from the history of a local community to how a Realtor® started their brand journey.  

“I always tell people, ‘Take your real estate hat off and put a director hat on. Act as if you’re a director of a short film.’ If you’re thinking in that mindset, you start to get real creative.” 

4. Form an emotional connection. 

“People are going to want to work with someone they feel connected with. If you’re putting stuff out there that’s real and that’s you, they’re going to feel like they know you before they even pick up the phone to contact you or start working with you. I always tell people, ‘Just be yourself.’” 

One story Parrott likes to tell is her experience working with a veteran buyer, with whom she formed a connection because her own father served time in the military. Months after closing, the veteran sent her a photo of him and his family around the dinner table for their first Thanksgiving in their new home. 

“Connect as a human, not just a real estate agent,” she said. 

5. Use tools to help. 

Having an engaging and successful social media presence doesn’t need to be complicated or overly laborious. Parrott recommended that Realtors® who are just starting to build their brand platforms begin by posting stories and reels consistently. 

She recommended some apps and tools that can make editing and posting videos easier as well: 

• CapCut for integrated editing with TikTok 
• Edits for integrated editing with Instagram 
• OpusClip for AI-powered editing that turns long videos into short clips 
• Metrical and Vista Social for scheduling posts 
• Claude and ChatGPT for AI-generated social media captions and bringing ideas together 

Learn More About Leveraging Video 

Parrott shared many more video and social media tips, including how to understand and improve metrics, how to follow her social screenplay roadmap and more about her video production equipment and editing tools. Learn more by watching the webinar recording online.