Curious how to select and arrange Airbnb listing photos? Listing photos and their arrangement make a tremendous impact on your number of views, click throughs, and bookings on the Airbnb platform. Read on for the 4 strategies and expert tips we share with our Airbnb coaching clients to make sure they choose the best photos for their listing.
Strategy 1:
Have professional HDR photos taken of your space. This is one of the best investments you can make in your success as an Airbnb investor and/or host. HDR photos leap off the screen and their crisp colors and lighting pull potential guests' attention. Your photos are what "sell" your listing to guests - so give them vivid images of rooms and outdoor spaces they want to spend time in. This will immediately help you stand out from competition who took photos on their cell phones.
Strategy 2:
Your first five photos are the most important to your listing - as they are what potential Airbnb guests see before they click on your listing. So, be sure to select the five photos that show off your space and make guests want to see more. We advise our Airbnb coaching clients to choose one outside shot of their listing, a gorgeous photo of an interior space, a shot of any ammenities (i.e., sauna, hot tub, fire pit), a photo of the master bedroom and a photo of the kitchen or bathroom. These five images should give a holistic idea of the style, feel, and finishes of your Airbnb listing offers.
Strategy 3:
Fill in additional photos of the other rooms in your listing, as well as outdoor spaces, and nearby attractions. These photos help guests answer their internal booking questions, such as the following: What does this Airbnb look like on the outside? What do the bedroom look like? Are the kitchen and bathroom(s) nice and usable? What cool things can I do if I book here?
Pro Tip:
Be honest with your photos! If your Airbnb bathroom is so-so, show it with the shower curtain open. Guests do not mind imperfect places, but they they HATE being duped by misleading photos.
Strategy 4:
Use creative photo captions to help Airbnb guests picture themselves in your place.
Which caption would you find more compelling as a guest? "Master bedroom" vs. "Drift off to sleep in the master king bed with luxury linens and breathtaking mountain views." The more you can share the benefits of each room - the more guests will want to book a stay with you!
Pro Tip:
There is such as thing as too many photos! Do not upload 100+ photos to your Airbnb
listing. No one wants to scroll through six shots of each room or artsy, still
life photos of your coffee machine set up. The ideal number of Airbnb listing
photos is 30. Enough to convey the space accurately, but also few enough to be
scrolled through quickly.
More Resources:
Hopefully, this post helped you understand how to select and arrange Airbnb listing photos for optimal success. If you would like more guidance - our book Host Coach has an entire chapter dedicated to listing setup. Feel free to order the paperback on Amazon, download the kindle version, or listen to our audiobook on Audible. The whole purpose of writing Host Coach was to share all of our learnings from building a portfolio of 10 Airbnb listings and coaching hundreds of hosts across the globe!
You can also book a free 30-minute Airbnb coaching call for help with your listing.
Culin and I absolutely love helping new hosts position themselves and their
listings for immediate success! What are you waiting for?
