Your Airbnb listing is your advertising opportunity, and advertising is a powerful tool. When used effectively.
That is why you have to think through your advertising strategy, starting from your listing’s title to creating your first guest guide. A great, targeted listing will secure bookings and set your guests' expectations.
These are some things to keep in mind while creating your listing:
Highlight the best features of your property, but be accurate about your space. It is important to be honest, because your reviews will reflect the accuracy of your listing.
Avoid making spelling and grammatical errors. It may seem obvious, but many people make this mistake. If you are not a native English speaker, use check tools and ask your friends and family to proofread your texts. While one or two mistakes may sound cute and funny, a text filled with grammatical errors will leave a bad impression.
Write in a simple and clean style, use short sentences, skip unnecessary information, and be organized. If your text is difficult to read, people will scroll down to another listing, no matter what you write. Creating a bullet list is a great example of properly sorting out the information.
Think like a guest. It will help you understand and anticipate their needs and write a desirable Airbnb listing for them.
Remember, by doing market research, you already determined your target customer. Now is your opportunity to appeal to them and finally start getting those booking notifications!
Listing Basics
1. The Title
Your title is the first thing that will appear in the search results, and you will have only 50 characters to describe your listing.
Write the title in a way that will attract your target customers and use all the available space you have. Use capital letters for every word.
Think of words that best describe your listing: spacious, private, cozy, secluded, bohemian, charming, chic, etc., and incorporate one of them into your title. By using abbreviations, you can save more space and be more descriptive (use DT instead of Downtown, APT instead of Apartment, etc.).
If you describe only your unit, you won’t provide enough information to a potential guest. Highlight the details that will grab intention, such as the proximity to a local attraction, a specific area of town, or special amenities you provide. Don’t put the location name only. That is unnecessary, considering that travelers already know the location they’re searching and the listings show the location of your unit anyway.
If your listing is in an area that is seasonal or hosts some special events, update your titles accordingly.
A lot of people neglect this part of their listings. Don’t be one of them. If you know your target customer and use the correct keywords, you will spike the interest of your desired audience and receive more bookings.
This is an example of how to write a catchy title:
Use the adjective to describe your property (spacious, private, modern, etc.)
Tell your audience what is your property type (a house, an apartment, a cabin, etc.)
Add an experience (Christmas festival, a beach getaway), special amenity (queen size bed), or proximity to an attraction, or specific part of town (downtown NY, Disneyland)
Charming Cabin Great For Couples’ Romantic Escape
Spacious APT Queen Bed 1 Min Walk to Downtown NY
Private Studio APT With Parking 5 Min to Main Square
2. Photos
Photos of your listing, like a title, appear first in the search results. Those two are the most powerful advertising tool you have.
Photography is an important factor when it comes to marketing in general. So it doesn’t come as a surprise that more than half of listing views start with travelers clicking on a picture of the listing.
That is the reason why you should consider hiring a professional photographer to showcase your space in the best possible light (literally). You can also request a photoshoot from Airbnb if that service is available in your area.
That said, you can always start by taking photos with your smartphone and later upgrade your listing.
Once your pictures are uploaded, you will have an option to write a photo caption. Don’t skip this step. Describe to your audience what they’ll experience while staying in your space. Think of all the things you can say that the camera doesn’t capture. For example, a picture of your kitchen, no matter how beautiful it is, can’t show the actual size or all the amenities that you have. A picture of a decoration doesn’t show where that decoration is located.
If you connect your words to a visual experience, your listing will be less abstract, therefore potential guests can imagine themself navigating that space more easily.
Writing a photo caption also illustrates how detail-oriented you are, which implies that you will be a good, reliable host.
Some travelers will browse through the listings to get inspired and even plan their trips around their preferred listings. With great photos and photo captions, you can make your listing become a destination itself, even if your location is not.
Listing Description
1. Summary
A listing summary is a brief description of your space. Here, you will have 500 characters to create an inviting atmosphere and explain to your guests why they will love staying at your property.
Avoid endless sentences, be specific, describe the experience, and make sure to highlight the special features and amenities that will provide value for your guests. For example, if you are likely to host remote workers, let them know about a dedicated workspace in your property and describe it.
Make sure to capture the essence of your space and surrounding area.
Here is an example of a captivating summary:
Enjoy the beauty of a by-gone era and the warmth of the Adriatic Sea while staying in our elegant island home. Simply decorated, minimalistic studio for two, featuring a large panoramic terrace connected to a garden filled with seasonal veggies at your disposal. Small, romantic, sustainable, but not a 5-star hotel. The reviews tell the story.
2. The Space
Here you will have the opportunity to describe your property in a more detailed fashion.
Let your guests know about the type, style, condition, age, location, etc. of the property, and highlight any little perks or imperfections that could be surprising or unusual.
How many people does your property fit? How many bedrooms and bathrooms do you have? Is there an outside area? What is the layout and size of the space? What is special and unique about this space? What type of traveler does your home fit the best?
Answer these questions in short and simple sentences, talk directly to your future guests (You will enjoy your morning French press on our summer terrace), be specific (French press instead of coffee), and don’t oversell.
Here is an example of a well-written space description:
Our newly renovated Mediterranean apartment building stands in the center of the island bay. The set of stairs will lead you to a charming studio apartment of 46 m2, located on the second floor of the building. It includes:
a bathroom
an open-concept combined living room and dining room
a romantic bedroom with seamlessly incorporated queen size bed
and a fully equipped modern kitchen
Its spacious terrace of 20 m2 is perfect to relax and sip your morning coffee in the fresh air and sun while overlooking the sea and the island’s coast.
You will enjoy our specially designed coffee corner. Nothing makes the day as the smell of freshly ground coffee beans and a French press coffee.
The local grocery store, a couple of great local restaurants, and a beach are all within 5 minutes walking from the studio.
Our laundry room is detached and shared with other guests, but no worries! It’s located just a couple of steps away from your entrance door.
3. Guest access
Use this section to inform your guests what they have access to in your property and the surrounding area (jacuzzi, garage, beaches, restaurants, local attractions, swimming pool, tourist activities, etc.).
Mention the prices and research and include the best offers you can get for them.
Keep this section brief and list only relevant access features.
4. Other details to note
This is the last section of your listing description where you can share any relevant information you didn't cover in the settings above.
Final Tips
Once you finish writing your listing description, you will have to precisely list all the details of your property (amenities, location, neighborhood description, accessibility, etc.).
You will also have an option to introduce yourself, include your guide books and guest manuals, and all other necessary details.
Remember, a listing title, photos, and description are your advertising opportunity. Keep them short and on spot. Use them to introduce your space and create an inviting atmosphere that will grab travelers’ attention and make them want to spend their time unwinding on your property.
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