Angel Host and Turno Partnership

How to Write the Best Airbnb Descriptions for Your Listing

Angel Host — Fri, 22 Jul 2022 22:56:12 +0000

Start With a Brainstorming Session

During this process, we must put ourselves back in the traveler’s shoes. Think of the type of people who would book your property and what would appeal to them. Go back to the exercise where you walked through your home as if it was the first time and wrote down the highlights of your property. Identify what makes it special.

It’s important to be very objective as too much information can cloud any reader. You might find that the property’s highlights are the amenities, the neighborhood, the access to public transportation, the location, and more. From all these assets, the key is to choose 4 or 5 selling points.

The things that set your property apart from the rest will be used to “brand” your property.

They’ll be used to create a cohesive listing that translates into a strong brand. If you have trouble finding your selling points, check out the property’s reviews to find what people find most valuable.

Craft an Engaging Headline

A great headline (along with your hero image) is the main point of attraction for your listing. You know you have a great headline when people click through to your listing from the channels’ search catalogs.

To craft a clickable headline, it needs to be creative and catchy for your guest target. For example, a headline like “1 bedroom apt. in Toronto” might resonate well with some, while “Stunning Designer Flat in Toronto” will speak better to others. Throw out bland, meaningless words like “nice,” “great,” and “clean” — you want to describe your unique home.

And be specific — you only get 50 characters to convince guests to click, so don’t waste them.

Here are a few practical tips and examples to help you get it right:

Do mention any new amenities or special features that other properties in your area don’t have.
- Example: Quaint Coastal Cottage w/ New Finnish Sauna
Do update your title with the seasons.
- Example: Sun-Soaked Days! Patio w/ Pool, BBQ, Lake Views
- Example: Wintery 1BD Cabin: Snowy Hills & Warm Fireplace
Do change your title for upcoming special events in your area.
- Example: Enjoy Semana Santa Processions from Your Balcony
- Example: Headed to Lollapalooza? 5-min Walk to Grant Park!
Do tastefully use symbols to help your title stand out.
- Example: Penthouse Near Penn’s Landing: 5★ Views

Don’t use tags or labels in your title to make tracking your listing more convenient for you.
- Example: 3BD Condo Santa Fe TR0501B
Don’t exaggerate or use superlatives.
- Example: Best House in All of Atlanta- Amazing!!!
Don’t write in all caps — it can make your listing look cheap.
- Example: AWESOME APARTMENT WITH FAST WIFI! GREAT DEAL!
Don’t go overboard with the symbols.
- Example: ★✈ Feel like a ♕, Walk➜Beach! Fun in ☀! You Will ♡

Include a Concise But Helpful Description

Before jumping into the writing, there are two important things to take into consideration: voice and length.

The tone of voice you will use throughout your listing depends on many things: your personality, the property, and most importantly — you guessed it — the type of guest you want to attract. Also, to truly capture the essence of your home, there’s no shame in looking up words in a thesaurus.

Most travelers will skim the description, so keep it short and informative. The description should allow them to easily identify if your property will fulfill their needs and expectations.

Get straight to the point and avoid long descriptive paragraphs. Break down larger chunks of texts into smaller bits and use spacing, bullets, or headings to make everything more digestible.

If you’re not sure if you need to add a particular text, ask yourself: Do guests need to know this specific piece of information before making their booking? If so, go ahead and include it, but keep it short and simple.

Sell the Experience You Provide

When writing your description, it’s important to focus on the experience. People are choosing to book a home rather than a hotel. The reason: the unique experience. They want to “live like a local.”

Aside from listing the amenities, which are important, focus on what they can expect. Does the neighborhood have a weekly market they can go to? Do they wake up hearing church bells or birds chirping? That’s an experience, and that’s why people book through these channels.

What to Avoid in Your Listing Description

Up until now, we’ve talked about things to focus on, but there are some things that may slip your mind.

For example, you want to avoid having people leave your listing. One way to do this is to avoid introducing unfamiliar words. When this happens, the potential guest will likely leave your listing to look up a certain word, completely distracting them from their booking process.

Here’s the golden rule: Never mention something (with no further explanation) that a first-timer to your town or city wouldn’t easily understand. Avoid:

Local slang
Obscure neighborhood acronyms
Abbreviations
Using the name of your condo community in your title or as one of your key selling points

Also, don’t conveniently “forget to mention” your property’s flaws. We can’t stress enough the importance of not overselling and managing guests’ expectations.

To avoid having underwhelmed and disappointed guests, leading to bad reviews, we encourage you to be honest and upfront about anything that could affect their stay. For example, if your property faces a busy, loud street full of bars and restaurants, you need to mention that.

This doesn’t mean that you can’t turn a negative into a positive. On the contrary, this may attract a specific type of guest and will let other travelers — in this example, families with younger children — know that this property might not be what they’re looking for.

Remember, if you’re proactive and disclose these details upfront, guests won’t feel let down.

Once the Listing Is Launched, the Magic Happens

Listing is the first part of making sure you maximize your revenue, but this must be complemented with its optimization, a bullet-proof dynamic pricing strategy, and excellent customer service.

The post How to Write the Best Airbnb Descriptions for Your Listing appeared first on Turno.

The Ultimate Guide to Listing on Airbnb

Angel Host — Mon, 18 Jul 2022 15:25:00 +0000

What’s In a Listing?

When a traveler peruses a booking channel (be it Airbnb, Vrbo, Booking.com, etc.), they’re looking for a specific place to stay that fits their traveling needs. They’ve envisioned their vacation, staycation, or work trip and are on the hunt for specific things — depending on who they’re traveling with and what they’re traveling for.

The booking channel aims to offer the traveler the best search and booking experience so that they book through their platform. To do this, they must have a large catalog of properties to offer and be able to pair the traveler with the home that best fits their needs.

And then there’s you, a host who wants your home to be booked and generate revenue. To do this, you’ll need a descriptive and enticing listing.

Your vacation rental listing will contain photos and a description of your property, a list of your amenities, reviews from other guests, and an estimated price depending on the check-in and check-out dates and the number of guests.

Your listing will show and tell prospective guests that your property is the right fit for their travel needs.

For this reason, if you want bookings, it’s imperative that your listing is optimized.

How Listings Impact Rankings and Occupancy

Booking channels use complex algorithms to pair up guests and properties. These algorithms rank listings based on many factors — some of them over 100. To put it simply: algorithms will reward listings that get reserved often with higher rankings.

Now, what does “higher rankings” mean and why do we want that?

Ranking higher means that your booking channel or channels will prioritize your listing and show it at the top of the results page when a traveler is looking for a property that fits your category and their criteria.

This is ideal because, as we know, time is precious, and the faster a guest finds your property the more likely they are to book. After all, no one has the time or patience to look through pages and pages to find the right place to stay.

So, what exactly are the factors that influence rankings? Some of them are:

Competitive pricing
Beautiful photos
An attention-grabbing title
A persuasive listing description
Positive reviews
Rapid responses to guest inquiries
Instant Book

If higher rankings influence a traveler’s likelihood of booking, then they also inadvertently increase your occupancy rate — and revenue. That’s why your listing should be thoughtfully created and continually optimized.

3 Tips for Listing on Airbnb

It’s clear that having an engaging listing is imperative to having a successful Airbnb business, but where do you start? Below are three high-level tips for creating a listing that makes guests choose you over the competition.

1. Fill In Everything

All booking channels have additional information that you can fill out. We recommend taking your time to fill in every detail, as algorithms will classify your listing as fully complete and incorporate the details into the search engine.

For example, be sure to list all the amenities available, and modify this list as you update your home. Also, ensure you provide an enticing summary. This small bit of text that appears at the top of your listing is your chance to convince users to click “read more.”

Don’t forget photo captions. Guests are more likely to go straight to the photos rather than the description. This means that captioning those photos is your chance to speak to them while you’ve got their attention. In other words, captions are where you can highlight your home’s key selling points.

Remember that potential guests don’t know much about your short-term rental, so captions are the perfect way to explain the home’s layout (how rooms are connected), what makes each space special, and even label rooms (Bedroom #1, Bedroom #2, etc.).

2. Proofread Before Launching

Forget to mention something important? Spelling mistake or typo? Don’t let a little slip-up make you look unprofessional. Although some guests won’t notice errors, many will.

Proofreading your listing carefully before publishing will help you make the best impression and show that you’re a serious, attentive host.

3. Respond to All Reviews

Once you begin having reservations, be sure to respond to reviews as your clients will tell you exactly what they want and what you can improve in your listing and in-house experience.

Since most users scan reviews before booking, this can be a great opportunity to show that you’re a caring, responsible host. When responding to your reviews, short responses are fine — thank them for their stay, and remember to use the guest’s first name.

But what about those negative reviews? Just be honest, sincere, and professional. Apologize for the issues that affected their stay, and tell them what you’ve done to fix them. It’s not just about the unhappy reviewer; your potential guests will see that you’re responsive and care about your guests’ experiences.

Bonus Airbnb Listing Tip: Keep Making Improvements

Listing on Airbnb should always be seen as a live project, something to be constantly monitored and updated.

Once you upload your listing to multiple booking channels, consistently review your performance. Review your Occupancy Rate, First Page Search Impression, Average Search to Listing Conversion, Average Listing to Booking Conversion, and any other metrics you desire.

The post The Ultimate Guide to Listing on Airbnb appeared first on Turno.

The Importance of Professional Airbnb Photography

Angel Host — Mon, 18 Jul 2022 02:26:00 +0000

Do You Need Professional Photos for Your Airbnb Listing?

If you’re starting in the vacation rental business it’s very tempting to take out your phone and channel your inner photographer. After all, this latest phone does have a higher quality camera and who has that extra cash to splurge on Airbnb photographers?

Well, that “splurge” is a non-negotiable investment that can completely propel your property’s performance. According to Airbnb, hosts who use professional photos tend to increase their earnings by 40% compared to other listings in the neighborhood. Locations with professional photos are also booked 24% more often.

Images speak louder than words. Low-quality imagery implies low effort, and this indirectly suggests to guests that their stay will too be of lower quality. Your smartphone might take great family photos, but there’s nothing that grabs the eye like a sharp, high-resolution shot with a professional camera.

Whether you decide to take photography into your own hands or hire a professional photography service, we have some guidelines to make the job easier.

7 Tips to Master Airbnb Photography

Remember, if you do the preparation, a professional photographer can spend more time capturing images. Here is a handy guide to make sure you’re ready for your photo shoot.

1. Declutter and Clean

Put away any unnecessary items scattered around the rental, such as dishes or knick-knacks. The less clutter, the larger your space will appear. Unless you believe that an item is relevant to fully capture your space, put it away.

In addition to decluttering, clean up by vacuuming the floor and washing your sheets. It is important to declutter and clean to capture your Airbnb in its best form.

2. Stage Your Home

Think about the theme that you wish to portray in your home. For example, is it tropical, outdoorsy, or family-friendly? Keep in mind what guests will typically look for in your home based on its location and size.

Once you’ve established a theme, base your decorations and amenities around it. For example, if you choose a tropical theme, use bright colored sheets and décor.

In addition to selecting and implementing a theme, make your home look as professional as possible. Make the bed, fluff your pillows, and ensure couch cushions have been placed neatly. These small details can significantly elevate the pictures of your home.

3. But Don’t Overstage

Avoid creating an unrealistic portrayal of your home. It’s important to meet a guest’s standards when they arrive at your Airbnb. Therefore, don’t declutter too many things from your home to add them back later.

Additionally, don’t take images of amenities such as an espresso machine if you won’t offer one to guests. Although it is important to take photos that will attract guests to your home, don’t make it unrealistic.

4. Highlight Unique Features

Do you have a pool or loft? Be sure to capture the unique features of your home through Airbnb photography. It’s important to use this opportunity to show potential guests what your home has to offer.

5. Edit the Lighting

If you cannot get the perfect picture through natural lighting, free apps such as Snapseed and Lightroom can do the trick. Adjust the exposure and contrast or add a filter to your images to make them stand out. Once again, remember not to edit the photos too much or create an inaccurate portrayal of your home.

6. Add Captions To Each Photo

Under each photo, include a caption that describes what the photo is about. First, include what room is portrayed in the image, such as the master or guest bedroom. Next, highlight the unique features that the photo is capturing. Many hosts also quote their best reviews and include them in the captions of their photos.

Additionally, you can include your average star rating and top ratings written by guests in your gallery. Do this by taking a screenshot of the ratings and uploading it along with your other images.

7. Include a Floor Plan

If you have the ability, include a floor plan in your Airbnb listing photo gallery. This can be a highly beneficial tool for guests to have a better understanding of your home. Sites like Floorplanner and Roomsketcher include many user-friendly options to draft a simple floor plan for your Airbnb.

Selecting a Good Cover Photo

Now that you have a full catalog, it’s time to choose the most important picture: the hero image. This term is taken from general marketing and refers to the image that sits at the top of a website — in this case, your listing on a booking platform.

As we said, images are the first glimpse of your property. This “glimpse” is extremely important, as studies have shown that we have 50 milliseconds to make a good first impression. Basically, 50 milliseconds is how long it takes to form an opinion, and just to put that in perspective, it takes on average 100-400 milliseconds for a human to blink.

With this information, it’s only fair to take the time to evaluate your new photographs to truly choose the best one for your listing. When you have such a small window of opportunity to make an impression, it better be the best one. So, what does this “best” photograph entail?

Firstly, this image should accurately represent where the guest will be staying. Overselling can also backfire when a guest’s stay doesn’t meet their expectations, which will be set by this initial snapshot. The image must be visually appealing, but most importantly, this image should be one that engages, persuades, and moves guests to book with you.

The importance of this one image may seem overwhelming, but the good thing is that you can change it as you please over time. We actually encourage this as your home may have different selling points throughout the year. This means that the garden may be a focal point for summer but a cozy living room may seal the deal during winter.

Frequently Asked Questions About Airbnb Photography

How many pictures should you take?

Airbnb allows up to 100 pictures to be published to your listing. However, it is unlikely that guests will need this many images. Instead, aim to include 20-30 photos of your listing, focusing on quality versus quantity.

Make sure to have a few pictures of each room, capturing different angles and views. Do not repeat images as they will be repetitive and invaluable. Airbnb recommends that you not only take pictures of the inside of your home but of your backyard and neighborhood as well.

If there are any popular destinations around, feel free to include images of them. It is important for potential guests to know what the area has to offer.

Do you need an expensive camera?

Short answer: no. However, Airbnb recommends that photos uploaded onto their site should have a minimum resolution of 1024 by 638 pixels. Taking images with a higher resolution may not be easy to do on your smartphone’s camera.

Additionally, it is best to stick to a 3:2 width to length aspect ratio for Airbnb photography.

When is the best time to take your photos?

It is ideal to take your images in the daytime while it’s sunny outside. Avoid taking images at night as it can create a dark and less lively atmosphere. Additionally, turn on all lights in your home to brighten the space.

A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words

The travel experience begins when searching for a place to stay. The reason why images are so important is that they are a visual representation of what the guest can expect.

When sitting at home browsing for their next stay, photos allow guests to envision themselves already there cooking in the kitchen, lounging on the sofa, or maybe playing by the pool.

Overall, attention and detail should be put into taking and selecting photos for your Airbnb. However, it doesn’t have to be complicated. By following these simple yet helpful tips, you can create beautiful Airbnb listing photos.

The post The Importance of Professional Airbnb Photography appeared first on Turno.