Anatomy of a good listing description:
I am not saying I am any great authority on what is right or wrong about hosts listing descriptions, but with a few years of experience behind me I would like to make a few observations on what works for me and maybe that can help others who are new to hosting.
1/........Choose your market:
Decide what part of the market you want to appeal to! You can’t be all things to all people.
If you want to appeal to young and function driven travellers, keep it very utilitarian, functional, not lots of choices, don’t focus on the bed, it’s just somewhere to sleep after a busy day. A brief description of the sleeping arrangements is fine, not whole paragraphs. Concentrate on what they can prepare for themselves…the kitchen bench and what they can expect to find and use, the laundry, if you have one, the access. Remember these guests are not coming to stay with you, they are coming to see your area, they are travelers, you are a necessary evil that needs to be fitted into their travel plans. No more than 20 photos, they are never going to wade through them all. Give them a few nice cuisine photos of establishments close you but don’t worry about touristy things! Most of them have an agenda and have their own preconceived plans.
I want to appeal to tourists and people who want to relax. Sure I get young travelers and those who have a business appointment or a wedding to attend but, it has been my observation that the most relaxing things in life are, company over a drink and a tasty nibble, and a nice quiet colourful garden, so that is what I promote in my lead listing photo. From the outset I am promoting the fact that I am a host and I encourage guests to enjoy the moment here. I promote a good bed, a reasonably well stocked library, cooking and food preparation choices and of course the garden, and I allow myself the liberty of 30+ photos because I feel prospective guests will want to know more about where they are staying than, my general area. They will still want to know the area and will probably have a bag full of brochures on it anyway. I know because they leave them behind here when they depart…they move on!
Select your market, set up your property and list to that market.
2/…….Photos:
Let your listing photos, tell a story.
Start with a nice shot of your property but make sure it is not one that will positively identify it. Don’t take a front of house shot with a street number included. This encourages people to inquire privately leaving you potentially vulnerable. Sequence your photos as though you are walking someone through your property, telling a story. Go from one aspect to the next without back tracking. Go from the interior of the property to the exterior and then the general area. Don’t repeat your photos, two or maybe three of the bedroom or the lounge area is fine but more than that, viewers get bored. And for the market that I looking for, I like to finally include a decent photo of us as the hosts so that prospective guests can see who they are going to be dealing with. Airbnb don't like it but it builds a certain level of trust and is like extending the arm of friendship!
Use clear sharp uncluttered photos, but something nice like a small vase of flowers on the kitchen bench is a positive. No photos of a drainboard with heaps of dishes in the dish rack......that just reminds the guest of work! Keep the photos neat! A middle aged couple are not going to want to come to a listing where kids toys are strewn all around the property! 50 photos should be seen as a maximum, as I have said lookers get bored quickly, and after they have looked at a few listings they lose interest.
3/……Description:
Be very upfront about what guests are going to get.
Remember a picture paints a thousand words. If you have a pet make that pet a prominent part of your listing description so guests know what to expect.
It is a proven fact guests are not great at reading listing descriptions, you get more attention, and they will be more likely to take note of it if you condense your comments into bullet form.
- Laundry and detergent for guest use if required.
- No off-street parking is available.
- Wi-Fi log-on and password are in the house rules on booking.
- Pool and spa hours are 8.30 am to 10.00 PM.
- Pets allowed upon negotiation.
4/........Guest interaction: Most complaints from guests come from privacy issues! The guest thought what they were getting was not what was described. Make sure the guest understands the boundary between their space and yours. If it is a self-contained space how much contact or interaction between guest and host can be expected.
a/. I am always available for a chat.
b/. I can be contacted on xxxxxx if needed.
c/. I work and am unavailable at times for a prompt response.
Don’t volunteer anything you can’t routinely fulfill. In shared space tell the guest in the description what will be allowed and what isn’t, but don’t stick post-it notes up everywhere. That just annoys guests and they feel it is an intrusion on what they are paying you for. If they see them in your listing photos that will be seen as a turn-off!
5/........ If you are listing to ‘middle ground’ guests, explain a bit about your area, the transport services, Ubers, taxis and the like. In a general residential precinct guests always ask where the best place to eat is. Form a relationship with a few good food providers and try to enter into a discount voucher scheme with them. Many providers are happy to offer a few % for the referrals and guest love it when you pass that on to them. It makes them feel you have gone to a bit of effort for them! This can really help in the listing bullets…”Discount food offers to our guests are available in my area”!
I secure deals with local suppliers to provide a wide range of condiments for guests enjoyment and they almost all mention it as a positive in the subsequent review process. Once these deals are set up they require little or no effort to maintain.
And lastly say a bit about yourself but don’t go into great detail. Just say you enjoy hosting, have traveled, not how many countries you have been to. Mentioning a language or two helps if you are appealing to international travelers. Mention your hobbies but not to what extent you are involved with them. ‘Passion’ for something or other can be seen as a turn-off. If you are a single host, not wise to mention it. You don’t have to be specific about a partner but give the person reading the description the impression there is someone there in the background….”We often like to"……"My partner is available if required”!
Throughout my hosting I have found that these things have helped me and I hope they can give other hosts some food for thought!
Cheers.........Rob.
