3 Airbnb Photography Mistakes 70% of Hosts Make

Описание: Airbnb photography tips: What are MOST hosts getting wrong about their Airbnb photography (and suffering a lack of bookings as a result)?!

When we first started out on Airbnb, we were guilty of the same thing. We didn’t realize the power of good listing photos and how they can make or break our occupancy rate & revenue...

...Until we almost lost our life's savings during the slow season in a saturated market.

(Perhaps a story for another time.)

According to Airbnb themselves, listings with professional photography earn up to 40% more revenue than listings that don't, and a Learnairbnb survey further revealed that only 15% of listings actually used a professional photographer.

Say what?!

That means there’s a huge opportunity for hosts to increase their bookings and revenue simply by investing in some high-quality visuals.

After all, it makes sense.

No clicks = no views.

No views = no bookings.

And in order to get the click, the listing has to stand out enough to grab attention in the first place.

(That's like, the FIRST rule of online marketing 101.)

So we would say that the first thing hosts are getting wrong about their photos is by not having good photos.

The second mistake that we see hosts making is that they have TOO MANY redundant photos.

Airbnb allows for up to 100 photos on a listing, but that doesn't mean you should use all of them!

(Especially if there's nothing meaningful to show.)

We've all done it - taking pictures of every corner, every appliance and utensil, and every piece of furniture from every angle...

But in reality, all a potential guest really wants to see is the space itself - how it looks, how it feels.

More importantly, they want to envision themselves there.

And many hosts aren't making sure their photos focus on showcasing their best features and what makes the listing unique.

Too many redundant photos can also make a potential guest lose interest due to the overwhelming amount of uninteresting images they have to scroll through.

After seeing 3-4 photos of the same room from slightly different angles, momentum is easily lost when guests start to notice the redundancy.

Once they become aware of it, it's over...

It's like watching a music video that cuts to a new scene on every third beat.

At first it isn't noticeable, but then it becomes disorienting and distracting, and the main message is lost.

So take a step back, consider which photos truly add value and information to your listing, and let those be the focus of the photo lineup.

And finally (we'll stop at three since this post is already getting long), the third mistake that we see hosts make with their photos is not utilizing the cover photo to it's full potential.

Cover photos are literally your listing's first impression - it's the very first photo that potential guests see, before they even scroll through to the lineup of pictures.

It's also THE photo that does the heavy lifting in grabbing travelers' attention on search pages.

So don't simply use a random picture.

Instead, carefully choose one that will really wow visitors and show off the space in the best light possible!

These three issues alone can be the source of such a huge chunk of frustration that many hosts are having: missed bookings and income...especially in a saturated market.

But want to know a secret?

It can all be solved with just a little bit of effort and some knowledge.

(No professional photographer required!)

We've been doing Airbnb photography since before the pandemic, and what we've discovered is that there are 3 things that matter most when it comes to taking great listing photos.

These three things, when combined, are like a superpower that can account for 80% of the results.

The only problem is that the average Airbnb host doesn't have the training or knowledge to utilize them effectively.

Then the big question becomes... exactly how big of an impact can photos actually make, anyways?

Well, we're glad you asked!

Because we conveniently just so happen to have a whole free guide with more tips and tricks on how to take the most important photos for your listing, so you can increase bookings and income...with just your smartphone.

Learn more at: skylinestr.com/bap
and sign up for your free guide!

And to answer the question about why 70% of listings have bad photos, it's because of the Dunning-Kruger effect (a phenomenon where people with a superficial understanding of something significantly overestimate their ability).



Many hosts think they're good photographers because they have a smartphone that can take decent pictures, but professional photographers know what makes images have the biggest impact on revenue and bookings - which we'll talk more about at skylinestr.com/bap



Happy hosting!