Every Item That Separates the Top 10% From the Struggling 90%

#1: PHOTO DOMINATION TACTICS

TOP PHOTOS – THE MAKE-OR-BREAK MOMENT THE BRUTAL TRUTH: 

Your main photo has 0.3 seconds to stop a guest from scrolling past forever.

What the losing 90% do:

• Upload boring photos that blend into the sea of mediocrity
• Waste their top 5 photo slots on redundant angles
• Let guests guess what makes their property special

What the elite 10% do differently:

• Main photo MUST pop out on Airbnb search page against all competition
• Showcase your USPs in the top 5 photos – differentiate or die
• Avoid redundancy in the top 10 photos – show different spaces. Help potential guests decide whether they should click

PHOTO TOUR – THE CONFUSION KILLER

Your Photo Tour Strategy:

• Create proper photo tour and allocate appropriate photos to each space
• Add additional information for each space – be their virtual tour guide
• Delete similar photos – guest attention is limited, show them as much as possible
• Photo captions on EVERY single photo are mandatory – potential guests see your listing for the first time, give them the context they need to book
• In additional photos: Add top review screenshots, property layout, things to do map

#2: COPY THAT CONVERTS

LISTING TITLE

Get clicks or get buried on page 10.

Your Title Must:

• Highlight top amenities that competitors don’t have
• Famous locations nearby that drive demand
• USPs that make jaws drop
• Target your ideal guests specifically (not everyone)

Airbnb shows 32 characters in search of the total 50 characters.

Frontload your best information!

LISTING DESCRIPTIONS

THE HOOK THAT BOOKS THE REALITY: This is your elevator pitch to qualified buyers.

Your Short Description Framework:

• Speak directly to your target guests – not the masses
• List all your highlights that justify premium pricing
• Clear call to action to book or contact host for questions
• Make it scannable – attention spans are dead, emojis & lists are your weapons.

Other Descriptions – YOUR WRITTEN SALES TEAM

THE TRUTH: Guests reading this are deciding whether to book. Give them everything.

Your Complete Description System:

• About the space: Describe your property like a professional tour guide
• Other things to note: Complete house rules, highlight policies, set expectations upfront for anything guests might consider negative
• Getting around: Detailed transport information, help them decide travel methods
• Neighborhood: Things to do, places to visit, overall area vibe
• Guest Access: Clearly explain all accessible places
• Interaction with guests: Explain how you stay connected

#3: FLEXIBILITY PRINCIPALS

Maximum flexibility = maximum bookings.

(I learned this from Daniel Rusteen, a huge shoutout to him!)

Pricing Settings:

• Apply ALL possible discounts (trip length, early bird, last minute, custom promotions)
• Keep fees as low as possible (cleaning, resort, management) especially early on

Other Settings:

• Minimum stay restriction: 1 night (capture all possible bookings)
• Cancellation policy: As flexible as possible (reduces booking anxiety)
• Instant book: ON (Airbnb favors this in rankings)
• Guest requirements: Make it easy for them to book (remove all barriers)
• Availability Window: Open up your calendar as much into the future as possible.
• Booking Notice: As low as possible, ideally no notice, try to take same day bookings!

Make this your handbook at least until your listing matures to 50+ reviews AND 4.9+ star rating on average.

Then you can start commanding a premium.

#4: COMPLETE YOUR LISTING

GENERAL LISTING OPTIMIZATION

THE COMPETITIVE EDGE THE REALITY: 90% of hosts leave sections blank. The 10% fill everything.

Your Complete Listing Domination:

• Update ALL amenities you have and add additional information as per available options.
• Fill up ALL tabs: Property info, arrival guide, guidebook, custom link, etc.
• Leave nothing blank: every empty section is lost competitive advantage
• Respond to all reviews: This shows a host that cares.
• Fill up host information: Adds character to your listing.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Every item on this checklist separates winners from losers. Skip any section and watch your competitors steal your bookings.

Your move.

Still not getting bookings?

Here’s where the problem could lie,

• You’re priced too high: better revenue management strategy
• Competition has better amenities: competitor analysis to add amenities that your competition has AND no one in your market has.
• Bad reviews: If your listing has problematic reviews, you might want to consider restarting or heavily discounting to get more bookings and get much better reviews. (after your fix the issues ofcourse)
• If you’ve never had a professional photoshoot done, you’re not even playing the game right.

That’s really all you can do on the AirBnb front. Need more help? Book a call and i’ll help you figure this out!