Sites like AirBnb all allow you to list a vacation property.
Whether you’re pimping out your spare bedroom to budget travelers, or renting an entire estate to corporate events, your AirBnB page is essentially a sales page!
There’s literally just 3 steps to making a great AirBnB description, and it can be boiled down to this:
Step 1.) Write a description for each room (or feature) of the property.
Step 2.) Attract the kind of guests you want.
Step 3.) Slap all those different sections together.
That’s it!
Step 1.) Write a description for each room (or feature) of the property:
Got 3 different bedrooms? Describe each of them:
Guests want to know deeper descriptions of each room. Imagine a group of friends renting an AirBnB together, and they want to know the sleeping arrangements beforehand.
Example:
Room 2: This is large bedroom with 2 queen sized beds, it’s own bathroom, and a small Juliet balcony that overlooks the mountains.
Room 3: This is a small bedroom with 2 twin-sized beds, it shares a hallway full bathroom, is great for sleeping 2 people. Kids will love sleepovers in this room.
Got an amazing kitchen area? List everything inside it!
You need to let people know all the things (or LACK of things) included in their rental.
Example:
Comes with:
– Plenty of Pots/Pans/Platters for large meals.
– Serving utensils.
– Grilling tongs.
– Full set of Henkel chef knives.
– 2 ovens, 1 grill, 1 dishwasher.
– Almost any condiment you need! We keep the fridge and pantry stocked with olive oil, butter, salt, pepper, hot sauce, BBQ sauce, mustard, ketchup, mayo, spices etc.
Have something like a pool or hot tub? Make sure to write about that too!
Step 2.) Attract the kind of guests you want:
Want to attract quite guests to rent out a small side room?
Write something like:
Want to attract corporate events?
Write something like:
Want to attract insane bachelor parties?
Write something like:
You get the point. Based on how you “position” your rental, you will attract those kinds of clients.
Step 3.) Slap all those different sections together!
Simply take all the descriptions you made from Section 1 and 2, slap them together, and BAM! You have a nice AirBnB description ready to go :-)
Let’s do a real life example:
This is the Rockin’ Y Ranch is a 30 acre ranch just outside Austin, Texas:
Here’s some links to the listings on HomeAway, AirBnB, and their personal website:
HomeAway Listing: Rockin’ Y Ranch Oasis Near Downtown Austin
AirBnB Listing: Rockin’ Y Private 30 Acre Ranch
Website: Rockin’ Y Ranch
Renting out the Rockin Y Ranch has been exceptionally easy for the family who owns it, However in 2017 something changed and reservations went down.
It was still booked up every weekend, but on weekdays it would sometimes just sit empty.
We speculate it was caused by a few things:
- More and more people started renting out their homes in the area, and natural market competition crept up.
- The lake rose 40+ feet in 2017, giving many lake houses their waterfront back (Austin went through a long drought, and a lot of “lake houses” literally had no lake in front of them anymore.
- More hotels sprang up in the area, giving people more location options for holding corporate retreats or family reunions.
So we at KopywritingKourse took a glance at the listing for Rockin’ Y Ranch, and figured out how we could improve it.
Previous Rockin’ Y Ranch Description:
Here’s what the original listing looked like:
For a giant property with tons of different features, attractions, and cool amenities, this listing is NOT really selling it well!
The Rockin’ Y Ranch is an unbelievably cool property, but this descriptions don’t do it justice AT ALL!!
So how can we improve this listing to make it way more awesome, and attract more of the people they want?
Let’s follow our 3-Step process for improving an AirBnB description:
Step 1.) Write a description for each room (or feature) of the property.
Step 2.) Attract the kind of guests you want.
Step 3.) Slap all those different sections together!
Step 1.) Write a description for each room (or feature) of the property.
Let’s tell the customers about all the sweet stuff at the Rockin’ Y Ranch. For example, there’s an awesome “Party Barn” which is great for large amounts of people to horse around in and have a good time.
This is one of the coolest parts of the house, yet it was just “casually mentioned” in the original description.
SO by asking the owners a bunch of questions, I was able to pull out all this awesome information about this cool party barn:
THE PARTY BARN:
This is the part of the house people say “WHOA!!” when they see it! While the house has 8 bedrooms and a great family environment, guests can rock out in the Party Barn!
The Party Barn is far enough where you won’t disturb anyone in the house, so you can have a Rockin’ Ranch Party, and still have people sleeping in the main house.
The Party Barn has:
–Full size pool table with balls and cues.
–Ping pong table with plenty of paddles and balls.
–Foosball table.
–Full bar with giant windows to serve drinks/food from inside AND outside.
–Bar has full sized commercial refrigerator. Can hold 200+ beverages.
–Has a full sized commercial sink.
–Has a deep freezer outside the barn.
–Full 2,500 sqft dance floor has space for up to 100 people (although we can’t allow you to have that many people at the Ranch) ;-) Kids and adults love horsing around on the dance floor.
–The dance floor and party barn is designed to be relatively break-proof so adults and kids don’t have to worry about breaking stuff.
–Full sound system. Just plugin your phone or computer. Super easy to use.
–Has a 55” flat screen TV. Has all the channels and cable. Throw your favorite sports game on a play some pool and foosball at the same time!
–Has 4 bathrooms JUST in the Party Barn alone! Great for when you’re drinking beers with the friends and don’t want to miss the fun!
–Barn has WiFi all over.
–Lots of seating inside and outside The Party Barn, plenty of places to sit!!
OUTSIDE The Party Barn there are:
–2 full regulation Horseshoes sets already setup.
–2 full regulation Washer sets already setup.
–3 hammocks underneath a grove of trees. The hammocks are all in a circle so you and friends can drink some beverages and hangout while relaxing under the shade!
–Big open space to hang out by the Fire Pit and watch the sunset. Your personal groundskeeper will even set the fire for you, so you just sit back, relax, and enjoy yourself.
–Hiking Trails on 23+ acres for the adventurous. Beautiful and natural trails to hike while watching the sunset.
–Huge open field area outside the barn for playing games (football, soccer, kickball, frisbee, or general horsing around).
–Miniature Donkeys! Your personal groundskeeper takes care of the donkeys, and will let you play and pet with them. The donkeys are fenced off, so if you don’t like donkeys you don’t have to interact with them. However most kids and adults loovvvee the donkeys!
See how all we did was list out the cool features of The Party Barn?
Most parties probably don’t care about each individual point on there, but they might care about a few. For example, if I was renting the Rockin Y’ Ranch for a bachelor party, it would be GREAT to know The Party Barn has a fridge that can hold 200 beverages, has a big TV, and WiFi all around.
Now let’s repeat this process for other parts of the house! I personally think it’s especially important to list out the stuff the kitchen has. This is because when you rent an AirBnB for a home-style environment with your friends and family, FOOD is a big part of the experience. And you can’t cook up a storm without the proper equipment.
So let’s list out everything in the Rockin’ Y Ranch kitchen:
Fully stocked kitchen:
40% of events held at Rockin’ Y Ranch are family reunions, and people love to cook up a storm. So we make sure to have all the cooking basics you need to make a great meal!
Just bring your own food, and we’ll provide the rest:
— “Dream Kitchen” to cook in and entertain and bring everyone together.
— 2 regular ovens.
— 2 commercial convection oven
— Comes completely stocked with cooking needs, including a huge selection of pots, pans, serving dishes, platters, cookie trays and more.
— Plenty of cooking knives for the chef’s in the family.
— Enough Forks/Spoons/Knives/Plates for everyone in the family (the house sleeps 18 people, and we’ve never had anyone run out of utensils).
— 2 coffee pots, including coffee filters, coffee beans and a coffee grinder. Enjoy an early morning sunrise with fresh ground coffee on the front porch rocking chairs and swing (a family favorite).
— Full sized dishwasher, including dishwasher soap
— Outdoor propane grill, complete with full tank of propane (with extra tanks so you can endlessly grill and be fine).
— Grilling utensils included.
— Outdoor charcoal smoker.
— Includes plenty of paper towels, sponges, wipes, and various other kitchen utensils.
*Fun fact = The company California Pizza Kitchen actually rented out the Rockin’ Y Ranch for a corporate event and cooked here!
Step 3.) Attract the kind of clients you want.
The Rockin’ Y Ranch loves 3 main type of events:
- Family reunions.
- Corporate events.
- Chill bachelor parties.
Since they want more of these, they need to specifically attract those events by describing previous successful events of the same type.
For example, since they want to get more corporate events during the weekdays, they can describe WHY the Rockin’ Y Ranch is perfect for corporate events, and EXAMPLES of corporate events they’ve held:
Step 3.) Slap all those different sections together.
So for the Rockin’ Y Ranch we’ve listed out all the amenities, and let people know the ranch is great for family reunions, bachelor parties, and corporate events…..so now let’s smash all those individual sections together, and put together a great “Sales Pitch” for the Rockin’ Y Ranch!!
Here’s what the entire listing will read like:
THE HOUSE:
The house is a beautiful hilltop home just 15 minutes from Downtown Austin. Perfect for gatherings. Here’s some details on this beautiful getaway:
— On 30 acres of land, so you have plenty of privacy.
— 8 bedrooms.
— 4 ½ bathrooms.
— 4,000 sqft of indoor living space.
— 2 separate living rooms with TV’s, cable, couches, chairs.
— Internet-enabled TV’s so can login to your NetFlix account.
— Have a Pack & Play and high chair for families with babies.
— Decorated in Southern Hospitality Style.
— Whole house has WiFi throughout.
— Dogs allowed.
— Pool in the backyard, fully fenced off, patio chairs and table (with sun umbrella) right next to pool. Has full sound system near pool, just plugin your phone or computer to play music. Comes with pool and bath towels.
— ROOM 1: Downstairs Master Bedroom has a king bed, TV, large walk-in closet, it’s own bathroom, and French Doors that open out into a beautiful lawn.
— ROOM 2: Upstairs Master Bedroom has queen bed, full sized pull-out futon, it’s own bathroom, and has a balcony that overlooks the front lawn.
— ROOM 3: Downstairs with Queen bed. Has French Doors that open out to a beautiful pool view.
— ROOM 4: Upstairs room with full bed. Has a balcony overlooking front lawn. Shared restroom.
— ROOM 5: Downstairs room with Queen bed, with windows facing the front lawn. Shared restroom.
— ROOM 6: Upstairs room with Queen bed, with windows facing the pretty trees and the barn. Shared restroom.
— ROOM 7: Downstairs room with two twin-beds. Sleeps 2 people.
— ROOM 8: Upstairs small room with a twin-sized bunk bed. Sleeps 2 people.
GREAT FOR GROUPS OF FRIENDS:
The Rockin Y’ Ranch is a great place to host a group of friends!
— Jump in the pool right in the backyard.
— The Party Barn has everything you need to have a fun weekend (read more about it below).
— Grilling, drinking, horseshoes, sun, hanging out by the pool, watching sports….Rockin’ Y has you covered.
Just a 15 minute drive to Lake Austin, and 20 minute drive to Lake Travis.
GREAT FOR CORPORATE EVENTS:
We are experienced at hosting amazing and unique corporate events. In fact we have a huge list of corporate retreats and events that have been hosted at The Rockin Y’ Ranch:
— HomeAway Team Retreat.
— WholeFoods Executive Training Retreat.
— Facebook Team Strategy Weekend.
— 37 Signals Team Work Retreat.
— Live Nation Executive Team Building.
— HomeSlice Annual Company Party (4 years in a row).
— California Pizza Kitchen Sales Team Building.
— WPP Executive Team Retreat.
Need any additional requests? We are also experienced at fully handling all catering and event coordination if you need. We can also happy to help your event planner find local vendors and unique activities.
— We’ve brought in a bluegrass brand and dance instructor for a fun team activity.
— Bring in fresh BBQ from the iconic Saltlick BBQ House (rated top 10 BBQ in the world)!
— Have extra banquet chairs and tables on site.
— Can get large projectors and screens.
Contact us if you have more questions about corporate events, we are happy to help make your experience amazing.
“It was the best venue we’ve ever used!” – Birds Barbershop Team Retreat
“We recommend this place to any company looking to wow their guests.” – WPP
“We had plenty of space for our team, and allowed us to hold our 2 day meeting.” – WholeFoods
GREAT FOR FAMILY REUNIONS:
Family reunions often have up to 4 generations of family, spanning from little babies to great grandparents. The Rockin’ Y Ranch is comfortable for all age ranges!
— Lots of spaces for people to eat together.
— Lots of spaces for people to gather together, hang out, sit, chat, have fun.
— Lots of fun for kids: They’re amazed by all the animals, roast s’mores for the first time, see the stars so well, go for a swim, pet the donkeys.
— Comfortably sleeps 18 people in beds.
— Also includes inflatable beds for kids who want to “camp out” in the living room.
— The “Dream Kitchen” is a perfect family environment where everybody wants to hang out, and flows into to the living room, and flows into the pool area for an “open flow” concept. Great for families!
“The kids have soooo much space to run around!” -Mary
“Our kids spent nearly the entire time playing with the donkeys!” -Jim
“I loved that the kids could all be supervised in the barn” – Bob
THE KITCHEN:
Food is a huge deal when getting together. All you need to bring is your food.
— “Dream Kitchen” to cook in and entertain and bring everyone together.
— 2 regular ovens.
— 2 commercial convection oven
— Comes completely stocked with cooking needs, including a huge selection of pots, pans, serving dishes, platters, cookie trays and more.
— Plenty of cooking knives for the chef’s in the family.
— Enough Forks/Spoons/Knives/Plates for everyone in the family (the house sleeps 18 people, and we’ve never had anyone run out of utensils).
— 2 coffee pots, including coffee filters, coffee beans and a coffee grinder. Enjoy an early morning sunrise with fresh ground coffee on the front porch rocking chairs and swing (a family favorite).
— Full sized dishwasher, including dishwasher soap
— Outdoor propane grill, complete with full tank of propane (with extra tanks so you can endlessly grill and be fine).
— Grilling utensils included.
— Outdoor charcoal smoker.
— Includes plenty of paper towels, sponges, wipes, and various other kitchen utensils.
THE GROUNDSKEEPER:
When you stay at the Rockin’ Y Ranch you get a personal groundskeeper that takes care of anything!
— You will not see the groundskeeper unless you call or text him. He’s there to help you out, but respects your privacy. Groundskeeper Dave lives about a 5 minute drive away from Rockin’ Y Ranch.
— The grounds keeper will start fire for you, and gather firewood.
— Can’t figure something out? Give Dave a call and he can be at your service in 5 minutes.
— Just call or text Groundskeeper Dave 24/7 to help you with anything.
— Takes the trash out for you.
— “Dave was amazing! He lit a fantastic fire for us at The Party Barn and showed the kids the donkeys which they loved!” –Mary P.
THE PARTY BARN:
This is the part of the house people say “WHOA!!” when they see it! While the house has 8 bedrooms and a great family environment, guests can rock out in the Party Barn!
The Party Barn is far enough where you won’t disturb anyone in the house, so you can have a Rockin Ranch Party, and still have people sleeping in the main house.
The Party Barn has:
— Full size pool table with balls and cues.
— Ping pong table with plenty of paddles and balls.
— Foosball table.
— Full bar with giant windows to serve drinks/food from inside AND outside.
— Bar has full sized commercial refrigerator. Can hold 200+ beverages.
— Has a full sized commercial sink.
— Has a deep freezer outside the barn.
— Full 2,500sqft dance floor has space for up to 100 people (although we can’t allow you to have that many people at the Ranch) ;-) Kids and adults love horsing around on the dance floor.
— The dance floor and party barn is designed to be relatively break-proof so adults and kids don’t have to worry about breaking stuff.
— Full sound system. Just plugin your phone or computer. Super easy to use.
— Has a 55” flat screen TV. Has all the channels and cable. Throw your favorite sports game on a play some pool and foosball at the same time!
— Has 4 bathrooms JUST in the Party Barn alone! Great for when you’re drinking beers with the friends and don’t want to miss the fun!
— Barn has WiFi all over.
— Lots of seating inside and outside The Party Barn, plenty of places to sit!!
That’s just the INSIDE of the barn, OUTSIDE The Party Barn there are:
— 2 full regulation Horseshoes sets already setup.
— 2 full regulation Washer sets already setup.
— 3 hammocks underneath a grove of trees. The hammocks are all in a circle so you and friends can drink some beverages and hangout while relaxing under the shade!
— Big open space to hang out by the Fire Pit and watch the sunset. Your personal groundskeeper will even set the fire for you, so you just sit back, relax, and enjoy yourself.
— Hiking Trails on 23+ acres for the adventurous. Beautiful and natural trails to hike while watching the sunset.
— Huge open field area outside the barn for playing games (football, soccer, kickball, frisbee, or general horsing around).
— Miniature Donkeys! Your personal groundskeeper takes care of the donkeys, and will let you play and pet with them. The donkeys are fenced off, so if you don’t like donkeys you don’t have to interact with them. However most kids and adults loovvvee the donkeys!
LOCATION:
Even though we’re on 30 acres, we’re actually surprisingly close to everything! We are easily accessible by Uber (takes about 5 minutes for an Uber to show up).
Almost everything is within a short drive of Rockin’ Y Ranch:
1 minute to local dining, groceries, and retail (Jack Allen’s Kitchen, HEB Grocery Store, Liquor Store).
10 minutes to Whole Foods.
15 minutes to downtown Austin.
15 minutes to Lake Austin.
20 minutes to Austin airport.
20 minutes to Lake Travis.
CONTACT:
We would love to host your party, corporate event, or family gathering. We love entertaining and making our guests super happy, so if you have any further questions, feel free to contact us!
Sincerely,
The Yerkovich Family
All we did was take several sections of the house, write descriptions for them individually, and then smash them together in our 3-Step process:
Step 1.) Write a description for each room (or feature) of the property.
Step 2.) Attract the kind of guests you want.
Step 3.) Slap all those different sections together.
Bonus Brownie Points if you put pictures WITH descriptions!
Want some extra brownie points on your listing? Make images with descriptions on top of them. This instills the descriptions in someone’s head quicker than plain copy!
*NOTE* Some rental sites will not allow text on images. They DEFINITELY don’t allow you to put contact info or logos on them.
Here’s some examples of descriptive text over images:
Conclusion:
Writing a great AirBnB description is not about adding fancy words or exaggerating how great your property is. It’s all about showcasing all the positive aspects of a home, listing out everything that’s included in the hone, and setting their expectations correctly:
Setting guests expectations correctly is the best way to get 5-Star reviews in the long run:
If you paint a picture of a fancy AirBnB that’s really nice, but then when the guest gets there, it’s really crappy….you will eventually develop a very poor rating.
As you can see it’s relatively simple to write a great AirBnB listing description using our simple 3-step process:
Hopefully this simple 3-step process helps some of you AirBnB’ers write better descriptions and provide your guests with more information for a happy trip :-)
Sincerely,
Neville N. Medhora – Kopywriter Staying In An AirBnB As I Write This
P.S. Do you have an AirBnb (or other vacation rental) listing? Post a link to it here!
….you might get a comment back with some feedback ;-)
super helpful article! Thank you so much :) I am excited to put these tips to work on my Airbnb in Utah. I know you’re busy, but if you have time here’s my Airbnb- would love any suggestions.
Thank you :)
https://www.vrbo.com/7584561ha?noDates=true Nisi :
Aloha!
We are family owned vacation rental in the Heart of Waikiki, Honolulu. Please help to build a great description it deserves..
https://www.airbnb.com/s?host_id=3152360&page=1&s_tag=A2-YbN8j&allow_override%5B%5D=
Warm greetings from HAWAII:)!!
Mahalo Nui Loa!
Marta
Thank you for your tips on Airbnb copy!
Cheers,
Laura
Thanks Neville, I am currently setting my new home up to be a part time Air BnB. Your wit and charm transcend the written word and make this a delight to read. Thanks for the tips!
Awesome, so glad this was helpful! A lot of people have already improved their AirBnB listings thanks to this article/vid, and it’s easier than most people realize to do that :)
I’d appreciate it if you could take a look at my listing. Thank you! https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/23922939?preview_for_ml=true&guests=1&adults=1
Great pics for the liating Karol!
I would add a few things:
Cool Location 1: 2 minute walk away
Cool Location 2: 2 minute walk away
Cool Location 3: 10 minute walk away
Hi Neville, I’d really appreciate if you could take a look at my listing and give me some feedback. You clearly know your stuff. I’ve put in alot of work on it but I feel it can always be better.
https://abnb.me/YmHeuC9J6U
Hey Gunther! I can’t look at everything I get publicly sent to review…..but I DO review everything inside the Member’s Area here:
https://members.copywritingcourse.com/subscriptions/
Join on…and then we can extensively review your listing and make it better!
Thanks a lot for your tutorial! I will apply it to my listings! I have a whole-house listing and two sub-listings for each level.
https://abnb.me/RGbFpQSD5S
https://abnb.me/z07qF0mw1S
https://abnb.me/5MLYknRD5S
Hello, the best article i read regarding Airbnb hosting, i started changing title and playing around with it. The original Title was “Party Villa with indoor pool in the city center” and I was doing well. Since the i did not have 1 enquire in two months:( Can you help with advice https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/14685121
By the way , at the moment is
BACHELOR PARTY Villa ~ HOT indoor pool 5✰ Belgrade
Weird, I made an Airbnb description for someone about a couple of months ago… and this topic comes up.
I used comments from other listings to inspire myself and so far from the comments is doing well.. I guess, considering the location and price (target audience =>backpackers).
Interesting fact: one of the customers suggested adding more dog pictures :)
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/20992764?location=bucharest&tier_override=0&s=q5G6_nMG
Hey Bela,
just a few points.. Please hire a professional photographer if YOu can afford one..
Your pictures are too dark.
Take Pics from around chest/weist height.
Take pics when the sun is shining (if possible)
Use at least 20pics from all the different angles.
Unplug the cables on the floor, get them around the closet.
Don’t get Yourself in the mirror :)
Put a few pics of the surrounding area so people know the neighbourhood
Hope this helps…
So, I’ve just signed up to Kopywriting Kourse (and when I say ‘just’, I mean weeks ago) and I was looking through my emails to find my emails. As usual I got distracted and found this EDM. I am writing from Bali as our Sydney home is up for holiday rental (Australia summer is now!).
After reading your post I am now convinced our listing is sh*t, non?
https://www.airbnb.com.au/rooms/20572616?location=avalon%20beach%20nsw&check_in=2017-10-13&check_out=2017-10-20&s=bivtZfWi
Here’s another listing we have on AirBnB. It’s a gem.
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/17539023
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/17539023
I’d love to do this, but unfortunately my airbnb website would now read something like:
“Great view of the stars since Harvey blew off my roof!”
and
“no need to worry about getting sand or water on the furniture – it’s already got plenty of both!”
so I’ll wait until after the rebuild to rework the listing….
You have a great sense of humour!
Here are the different listings that I have up on Airbnb :)
Would love to hear you tear the kopywriting apart <3
https://www.airbnb.ca/rooms/21068556?s=51
https://www.airbnb.ca/rooms/20697506?s=51
(professional photos coming this week)
https://www.airbnb.ca/rooms/21763726?s=51
(undergoing renovations in 2 weeks to make this mid level quality… was the first property and needs a significant overhaul)
https://www.airbnb.ca/rooms/21405283?s=51
Neville, thank you so much. I would appreciate any tips to improve my listing if you have the chance.
https://www.airbnb.com.au/rooms/11554332?s=51
Hi, Jane,
What an amazing place you have! I want to come visit…
I love the pictures you posted. Stunning.
My suggestions regarding your copy — make the opening page shorter and sweeter and more welcoming. (Keep the details about rules and amenities for a later page section (maybe under “house rules” or “additional information).
Here is a suggested edit:
“Enjoy a peaceful and relaxing stay in St. Ives in your own private wing of our house. Your spacious, sunny, and tranquil private room overlooks a charming garden with your own private bath and a separate entrance. Your private hallway opens into a lounge room which you are most welcome to use. There is a basic kitchenette nearby that you are welcome to use.
Our street is quiet and very safe with lots of free parking day and night. Shops, cafes, hiking, lovely beaches, and Macquarie University, are all within walking distance of our home. We look forward to your visit. Our friends and family who have stayed over the years never want to leave! We hope you feel the same way too.
We have a sweet, friendly, quiet fluffy moodle dog who sleeps most of the day in a seperate part of the house. If you would like to meet him while you are here, please let us know and we will organise it for you. He would love to meet you.
##
Put all the details about rules and utilitarian amenities in a House Rules section.
WoW. great job. Here is my link. Your comments are welcome
Hey Dorothy, looks like you have an awesome rental there!
Like other people in this thread, I think you could drastically improve your listing with a few things:
1.) Get some professional photos taken. Your space looks awesome, but you need to showcase that “awesome” with some awesome pics :)
2.) Break up the listing into different sections such as: “Living Room”, “Master Bedroom”, “Guest Bedroom”.
3.) List all the amenities and features of each room, such as:
Master Bedroom:
The master bedroom is the perfect room with all the comforts of home, and a view that will take your breath away!
— Has a king sized bed with warm duvet.
— Has 2 large windows to see the water.
— Can watch the festival right out of your room!
— Has it’s own private bathroom with all the soaps/lotions/washes you will need.
— Has many towels.
— Has a hair dryer in the bathroom.
— Large walk-in closet with plenty of storage space and hangars.
Now do a similar thing for the other rooms. It helps the visitor understand exactly what they’re getting so they can better plan their trip :)
What do you use to make your animated stick figure gifs haha?
I ask your mom to make them for me ;)
Some great points. My 2 cents towards a t-shirt worthy of a superhost is below. (Please read below…)
Use reviews from past guests as captions for photos. Woohoo!
Rather than a pre-Neville description of:
“This is a queen bed.”
Comment from an actual guest was:
“I had the best nights sleep in a long time”
Check out my listing for more guest/photo captions.
My favourite guest comment however has been:
“Though Peter is such a cool host he would look even more awesome in a Kopywriting t-shirt”
(Okay. I made that up. But I reckon that is what guests are thinking……….well, at least I am.)
Ahhh, thank you, Peter – You’re using my tip of using your guest’s reviews as captions! And believe me, your guests will give you amazing copy. They do good words, they tell you what’s matters to them. not what YOU think is important.
BTW – Neville I would love to connect and have you on my podcast… possible?
Just to follow up Neville, I made some changes as per your recommendations. I still have to take some fresh photos and format the text (there doesn’t seem to be any formatting options!)
These things aside, I’ve gotten 2 bookings since I made the other changes!
:D You rock!
Holy moly, congrats on getting 2 more bookings almost instantly! Glad to be of service :)
Ooh, I just had an idea. “No Internet or TV — perfect for writers to finish that novel — or painters who seek beauty and peaceful solitude.”
AMAZING!! That’s so good :-)
Hi, there! Here is a listing for a cabin on Lake Winnipesaukee in NH. I know we need better photos and new bedspreads! Any help with copy is welcomed. https://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p267332#reviewsPage2
Hi Amy, cool little cabin! However I have some suggestions:
1.) The pics are quite ordinary looking. I would highly suggest cleaning the place up and bringing in someone with a nice camera.
2.) You need to list out all the amenities and activities, such as:
– King sized bed with comforter and 4 pillows.
– Private attached en suite full bathroom. It is fully stocked with soap, shampoo, towels, and has a hair dryer.
Living Room:
– Fire place with plenty of wood and stoking set.
– No TV (we love the woodsy feel of this cabin and don’t keep a TV in the house).
– Seating for 6 at the dining table.
– Full 88-key piano organ.
Things nearby:
– Hiking trails – 1 minute walk.
– Grocery store – 1 minute drive.
– Trader Joe’s – 2 minute drive.
See how simply diving up the different sections makes it easy to understand??
Give those suggestions a try and hopefully you’re start getting even more guests :-)
Thanks, Neville! We’ll work on it and repost. Thanks for your suggestions. I especially like, “we love the woodsy feel of this cabin and don’t keep a TV in the house.” (I wonder whether the Bernstain Bears need a summer getaway…) Thanks again! Amy
Glad you liked the feedback Amy, hope it helps get some more bookings :)
We have been struggling with our AirBnB listing. So many people rent and many are willing to rent at a very low rate just to get the income. Our house is pretty magnificent and the view is literally unbelievably gorgeous. I’d love some feedback on our listing. We are not willing to compromise on the price, so we want the copy to express what a lovely home this is and really highlight what a sanctuary it is. https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/21052488
Hi Wendy! It looks like you have a great place there, buttttttt…..
I don’t think the pictures are so great :-/
Here would be my suggestions:
1.) Get better photos of the property. Either hire a photographer, or get a friend with a nice DSLR camera to take some proper photos. Photos do 90% of the selling on AirBnB listings!!
2.) Break up that GIANT BLOCK OF TEXT you have into different sections. The different sections could cover all the topics in a much more organized way.
3.) List out all the amenities and activities nearby, such as:
– Snow hiking trail – Right outside the front door!
– Grocery and Gas – 1 minute drive.
– Snowmobile tours – 3 minute drive.
– Skiing – 8 minute drive or Uber to Stone Mountain Trails.
By doing these 3 things, I think you will have a much better chance at renting out your place for a tidy little profit :)
Hi Neville, thanks for this super thorough post! I rent a room in my house on Airbnb and we’ve been had some success with it but I’m always looking for ways to attract great guests. I’ll be going through your suggestions carefully, but in the meanwhile if wanna check out my listing, have at ‘er!
https://www.airbnb.ca/rooms/7325523
Of course, if you ever find yourself in this part of the world, I’ve got a room!
Thanks!
Hey Margaret!
1.) I think you should try positioning this room as an “Affordable” room in a family home.
Sometimes people try to say “Cozy” when in reality it just means “Small” :-P
2.) I would more thoroughly describe the situation they will be living in, such as:
3.) Maybe list the ideal scenarios for guests? Such as:
– Small families visiting relatives in the same neighborhood.
– University students visiting for the summer and looking for an affordable place.
– Families remodeling their homes in the neighborhood.
– Travelers looking for a nice place to stay on a budget.
Hopefully these things will help convince more people to stay in your AirBnB :-)
Thank you so much for the feedback. I had just read the part about using the word ‘cozy’ moments before I saw your reply. Your point makes sense because the room can feel cozy, but it is not small…it’s pretty spacious actually!
I’ll implement these changes and see what happens!
Thanks again Neville ;)
This is my airbnb – would love to hear recommendations to improve the listing! https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/9171770
Hey Jennifer, it looks like you have a GREAT listing here!
1.) Since you have so many cool activities and amenities for the guests, I would highly suggest listing those out for them, such as:
– 6 chair outdoor patio table by pool.
– 2 full sized kayaks (1 person each) with paddles. They are parked next to the lake, so just slide them in the water and you’re off!
– Small pier by the pool. Our favorite thing is to bring some chairs to the peer, and sit there with some beer and strawberries while watching the lake.
– 3 Snorkel masks.
– Hiking and biking trail just across the property.
– Fully setup badminton set with several sets of rackets and shuttlecocks.
2.) I would also list out the things you have in the kitchen. This is important as sometimes people want to cook, or make coffee, or serve snacks…and they have no idea what utensils and such you’ll have for them.
3.) Like some of the other feedbacks I’ve given above, I would highly suggest you give your “local knowledge” of the area by listing out some nearby stuff, such as:
– Hiking and biking trail – 30 steps from the front door!
– Whole Foods – 2 minute walk.
– Gas station and liquor store – 2 minute walk.
– Alligator tour – 5 minute Uber drive.
This stuff will definitely help out your guests, and make your place more desirable :-)
My wife and I have two small spaces. I’d love to hear your thoughts on them! We’re really enjoyed our experience with Airbnb. It’s been a great way to meet interesting people and make some extra income!
North Seattle Getaway: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/19970485
Greenwood Piano Studio: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/13825056
Hey Dan!
I wonder if you can catch the whole “Tiny House” craze with the little studio?
Also, I would make sure you properly list the amenities (or lack of) for each room, such as:
– Full 88-Key standup piano from 1949.
– Cool mod lamp for mood lighting.
– 3 Big windows.
– Lounger chair.
– Small desk (good enough for a laptop).
– There is no TV as we try to keep this a nature-friendly environment.
– Queen sized bed with nightstand and lamp.
See how just listing out what it comes with gives people a better idea of their stay??
Great listings Dan, just go though this 3-step process and add some more descriptions to it!
Thanks for the feedback Neville! I’ll do exactly as you suggest. The 3-step process us super helpful!
Would love feedback on my listing: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/20754317?s=51
It’s an older property that is pet friendly.
The location, value and privacy are the biggest benefits.
Hey Jimmy!
There’s not a lot of description you’re giving the guests in your listing.
1.) It seems you could change the headline of your property to something like:
“Perfect location, great value and lots of privacy!”
2.) I would use the 3-Step Process as defined above and list out the different things the townhouse comes with.
3.) Maybe list out some nearby attractions or amenities such as grocery stores or coffee shops. You write that it’s only 2 minutes from Downtown, so it must have a TON of stuff nearby!
4.) I would even include a section such as:
You’re welcome to bring up to 2 dogs or cats. They will have plenty of space to run around and play. We already have some leashes, water bowls and food bowls here for you to use.
Adding features of the house like that often help attract more guests!
Best of luck on the updates Jimmy!
Love this article and tips. and here is my link https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/27531
Wow, I love that right off the bat you mention there is a neighboring home that’s under construction. It’s good to be 100% upfront on these listings.
I think your listing description is great, HOWEVER the one thing I noticed missing was “Nearby Places.”
It might be helpful to make a list of nearby amenities or attractions. Such as:
– Grocery store – 1 minute walk.
– Bike rental stand – 1 minute walk.
– WeWork Coworking space – 3 minute walk.
– Sweet Basil Restaurant – 3 minute walk.
– Times Square – 5 minute train ride.
– Statue of Liberty – 20 minute Uber ride.
While people can obviously use Google to search for nearby things, it always helps to add your own “local knowledge” in there. Maybe even list your favorite nearby coffee shops or lunch spots.
Something like that could help people plan their trip a little better, and get them a bit excited about the neighborhood. Other than that you have a great listing with an IMPRESSIVE number of 5-Star reviews!
Thanks for the feedback. Will add the local knowledge.
A long time ago I worked for Airbnb in their customer service department and one thing bad listings had in common were bad headlines paired with cheating pictures.
“A cozy room” sounds cute, but 99/100 times it’s just a glorified backroom that’s small enough to give you anxiety. No, your wide lens shot doesn’t cover up the fact that people can’t turn around or stand straight in your room.
Here’s the thing, you don’t need to live in a palace and you can make a killing with normal rooms IF you are honest about it. There are tons of Superhosts with everyday rooms who replaced their day job because they focus on the experience and not the room. Most people will book a mediocre room with a kickass host who has tons of raving reviews over someone with a great room and nothing else.
Quick advice list:
– Don’t use cliche headlines and buzzwords. Everyone else is doing it, it doesn’t work and your rating will be lower by setting wrong expectations. (Yes, even if your room is cozy, it means something else for every guest and that will fire back.)
– Don’t cheat on your pictures. If your pictures have candles, artwork and what not, but the actual room doesn’t you will be in deep shit.
– Focus on added value. Living in a tourist area and you know your way around? Make it your mission to help your guests to have a great time. Make suggestions, things they can’t miss etc.
– Throw in a bonus. Small things like 2 bottles of cold water in the fridge for the guest convenience or some tea/coffee go a long way for better ratings and increased room prices. Don’t make it part of your description, make it something extra. People love extra.
Last but not least, be careful! with descriptive pictures. Most scam accounts on Airbnb do this to include Email addresses, bank details and what not. You don’t want to be associated with those when starting out and Airbnb might close your listing for investigation.
I completely agree you should OWN UP to your rental.
Some people feel the need to lie and exaggerate, but pretty quickly people will complain, ask for refunds, and rate you poorly.
– vs –
Thanks for the advice Kim, possibly shirt-worthy comment :)
I love the descriptive text over images.
Here’s the link to my Property: https://abnb.me/EVmg/6xyLQnhd4H
Hey Travis, great job on your listing, it looks really cool and you did a great job describing it.
One piece of formatting advice:
In your “The Neighborhood” section, I would maybe break up that list of locations and add the driving time. Maybe something like this:
At our place, you are only a 20 min drive from Picton, and just a short drive to a bunch of great wineries and other great locations:
– Half Moon Bay Winery – 5 minutes.
– Lighthall Vineyard – 5 minutes.
– Long Dog Winery and Exultet Estates – 6 minutes.
– Waupoos Cider and Waupoos Winery – 7 minutes.
– Black River Cheese Factory – 8 minutes.
– Bird Observatory – 10 minutes.
– Sandbanks Provincial Park – 10 minutes.
Listing locations in this format helps people see how close (or far) everything is so they can better plan their trip.
Great listing Travis!
Thanks Neville. I really appreciate the feedback. Cheers.
I thought this was going to be a much more complex process, but it was delightfully simple and replicatable. Very cool =)
Awww why thank you Reed! I try my best to make things ULTRA simple for two reasons:
1.) I’m kinda dumb and it’s helpful for me to understand things in a simple way.
2.) Easy stuff is better :)