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5-Step Marketing Blueprint For Your SHort-Term Rental
Part 4 of 7 - Taking Amazing Photos
Photography Ties Everything Together
Before we start, you need to be aware of some very important research that has been done in the Airbnb marketing space, which has this to say about the impact of your photos:
“This contributes to, and bridges, the photography and marketing (e.g., staging) literature, which has traditionally ignored the demand side (photography) or did not implement systematic characterization of images (marketing). Lastly, these results provide immediate insights for housing and lodging e-commerce managers (of Airbnb, hotels, realtors, etc.) to optimize product images for increased demand.“
Carnegie-Mellon
A Carnegie-Mellon study identified 12 parameters for Airbnb photos that can be optimized and improved.
After analyzing 510,000 photos, they characterized 72% of images as “low-quality.” More dramatically, if those listing photos were improved, they calculated that a rental could earn an extra 60+ bookings per year.
If you’re charging only $100 per night, that would be over $6,000 per year in extra revenue!
Let that sink in for a moment...
The average cost of a photographer is only $300, which can have a return of $6,000 or more.
This makes sense.
(We'll avoid some tempting comparisons to the stock market).
Your photos are the visual implementation for all of the work that you did, captured in the most flattering lighting conditions and displayed for travelers to see.
Your photos do 3 things at the same time:
After analyzing 510,000 photos, they characterized 72% of images as “low-quality.” More dramatically, if those listing photos were improved, they calculated that a rental could earn an extra 60+ bookings per year.
If you’re charging only $100 per night, that would be over $6,000 per year in extra revenue!
Let that sink in for a moment...
The average cost of a photographer is only $300, which can have a return of $6,000 or more.
This makes sense.
(We'll avoid some tempting comparisons to the stock market).
Your photos are the visual implementation for all of the work that you did, captured in the most flattering lighting conditions and displayed for travelers to see.
Your photos do 3 things at the same time:
Attract attention (Click-through rate)
Inform
Establish perceived value
Inform
Establish perceived value
And there is a right way to go about this (more on that later).
So write this down...print it out...and staple it to the wall if you have to...
You can’t get bookings if you don’t get clicks… And you wont get clicks if you don't get seen.
One has to come before the other...
When was the last time you ordered something online with no description, and just one of those placeholder images for the photos?
So write this down...print it out...and staple it to the wall if you have to...
You can’t get bookings if you don’t get clicks… And you wont get clicks if you don't get seen.
One has to come before the other...
When was the last time you ordered something online with no description, and just one of those placeholder images for the photos?
If you’re like most people, the answer is probably never.
Competing online is a completely different beast than traditional brick and mortar business models, because you’re competing with hundreds, if not thousands, of other options in the same category, all neatly laid out for comparison on one screen.
In the real world, if someone wants to comparison shop for a place to stay, they’re going to have to physically go and visit each one of those options.
Online, all it takes is a click or two (no pants required).
Your photos are the closest thing potential guests have to experiencing your space before they book it. And first impressions can make or break a sale.
If they don’t like what they see, they’re going to move on to the next listing without ever reading a word of your 10,000 word description about how amazing it is. That’s just the reality of the online world these days.
(And the younger people are, the faster they swipe.)
More so, people aren’t even going to click onto your listing in the first place if your photos aren’t grabbing their attention.
Competing online is a completely different beast than traditional brick and mortar business models, because you’re competing with hundreds, if not thousands, of other options in the same category, all neatly laid out for comparison on one screen.
In the real world, if someone wants to comparison shop for a place to stay, they’re going to have to physically go and visit each one of those options.
Online, all it takes is a click or two (no pants required).
Your photos are the closest thing potential guests have to experiencing your space before they book it. And first impressions can make or break a sale.
If they don’t like what they see, they’re going to move on to the next listing without ever reading a word of your 10,000 word description about how amazing it is. That’s just the reality of the online world these days.
(And the younger people are, the faster they swipe.)
More so, people aren’t even going to click onto your listing in the first place if your photos aren’t grabbing their attention.
So if we take a step back and look at the bigger picture of our marketing ecosystem again, your photos represents one of the main attractions that bring people onto your listing.
They are what tie everything together, from your interior design that appeals to your target traveler to your social media and promotions.
And they ultimately occupy the tip of the spear for grabbing the attention of your ideal traveler and converting them into a guest.
So this is yet another area where it pays to get it right…and here's what we found that works best.
They are what tie everything together, from your interior design that appeals to your target traveler to your social media and promotions.
And they ultimately occupy the tip of the spear for grabbing the attention of your ideal traveler and converting them into a guest.
So this is yet another area where it pays to get it right…and here's what we found that works best.
Your heroic image (With just a smartphone)
Before we get into the details of taking your own photos, we need to establish some context. So we've made a video on the 3 biggest mistakes most hosts make. Start here...
Still with us?
Okay, good! Because we have a confession...
You can get professional looking photographs of your Airbnb with just your smartphone if you have the right knowledge.
*Exhales slowly*
There, we said it!
As a professional, this is something that many of us hope no one figures out because that would be undermining our entire industry (and our livelihoods).
But, as someone who wants to make their Airbnb listing as successful as possible, we want you to know that it is possible.
And trust us, we’ve seen it done well.
One of the main advantages of using your smartphone is the cost savings. But it also allows you to immediately edit and upload your photos, making the whole process much more efficient.
Additionally, you own the copyright to the photos you take (unlike when you hire a photographer... they retain that ownership), which means that you wont have any restrictions on using them for marketing.
So there are clear advantages to using your smartphone and investing the time to learn how to take great photos with it.
If you decide to go the DIY route, there are still some things that you can do to make sure that your photos are as high quality as possible.
Okay, good! Because we have a confession...
You can get professional looking photographs of your Airbnb with just your smartphone if you have the right knowledge.
*Exhales slowly*
There, we said it!
As a professional, this is something that many of us hope no one figures out because that would be undermining our entire industry (and our livelihoods).
But, as someone who wants to make their Airbnb listing as successful as possible, we want you to know that it is possible.
And trust us, we’ve seen it done well.
One of the main advantages of using your smartphone is the cost savings. But it also allows you to immediately edit and upload your photos, making the whole process much more efficient.
Additionally, you own the copyright to the photos you take (unlike when you hire a photographer... they retain that ownership), which means that you wont have any restrictions on using them for marketing.
So there are clear advantages to using your smartphone and investing the time to learn how to take great photos with it.
If you decide to go the DIY route, there are still some things that you can do to make sure that your photos are as high quality as possible.
First, make sure that the space is clean and tidy before you start taking photos. You don’t want potential guests to see any clutter in your listing photos.
Second, take advantage of natural lighting by taking photos during the day. Open up all the curtains and blinds and let in as much light as possible. If you have to take photos at night, use lamps and other artificial lighting to brighten up the space.
Third, pay attention to your composition when you’re taking photos. You want to make sure that the focus of each photo is clear, and that there aren’t any distractions in the background.
Second, take advantage of natural lighting by taking photos during the day. Open up all the curtains and blinds and let in as much light as possible. If you have to take photos at night, use lamps and other artificial lighting to brighten up the space.
Third, pay attention to your composition when you’re taking photos. You want to make sure that the focus of each photo is clear, and that there aren’t any distractions in the background.
To avoid blurry photos, you MUST use a tripod for the sharpest images.
That's the big secret to shooting with a smartphone (or any camera for that matter).
Blurry images are caused by camera shake, which is when the camera moves while the shutter is open, resulting in a fuzzy photo.
Because smartphones aren’t able to control artificial lighting like flashes or strobes, the shutter has to stay open longer to let in enough light, which makes camera shake more likely.
A tripod will keep your camera still so that you can avoid this problem. And you can get one very inexpensively on Amazon.
If you don’t have a tripod, you can prop your phone up against something sturdy to keep it steady while you take the photo.
That's the big secret to shooting with a smartphone (or any camera for that matter).
Blurry images are caused by camera shake, which is when the camera moves while the shutter is open, resulting in a fuzzy photo.
Because smartphones aren’t able to control artificial lighting like flashes or strobes, the shutter has to stay open longer to let in enough light, which makes camera shake more likely.
A tripod will keep your camera still so that you can avoid this problem. And you can get one very inexpensively on Amazon.
If you don’t have a tripod, you can prop your phone up against something sturdy to keep it steady while you take the photo.
Mastering The Visual Experience
Let’s consider our marketing ecosystem once again.
Like interior design, there are sub-systems within the larger realm of photography that target specific interactions that your guests will be having while browsing for a listing and considering their options for a place to stay.
Like interior design, there are sub-systems within the larger realm of photography that target specific interactions that your guests will be having while browsing for a listing and considering their options for a place to stay.
The first photo that potential guests will see when they come to your listing is your “cover photo."
Your cover photo is what we call the “hero image” on a website, and it should be attention-grabbing and reflective of the kind of atmosphere your Airbnb has. It should make people want to click through to see more.
Next is the visual experience that is necessary for your potential guest to be able to “experience” your listing before they even arrive.
This is broken down into two sections:
Your cover photo is what we call the “hero image” on a website, and it should be attention-grabbing and reflective of the kind of atmosphere your Airbnb has. It should make people want to click through to see more.
Next is the visual experience that is necessary for your potential guest to be able to “experience” your listing before they even arrive.
This is broken down into two sections:
Visual Story Arc. These are the sequence of images that are arranged in a way to showcase your listing in the best light and tell a cohesive story about what it’s like to stay there.
Visual Storytelling. These are the types of images that you take in order to create your sequence. We like to capture not just the basic shots of each room and feature, but also lifestyle images that show how guests could use and enjoy the space.
Visual Storytelling. These are the types of images that you take in order to create your sequence. We like to capture not just the basic shots of each room and feature, but also lifestyle images that show how guests could use and enjoy the space.
Once you have your photos, it’s important to use them wisely.
It can be really tempting to upload every photo you’ve taken, but in our experience less is more when it comes to your listing photos. Repetition and clutter can be overwhelming for potential guests and make it harder for them to focus on the important features of your space.
Too many angles of the same room gets boring really fast! Don't do it!
Most people organize their images in a logical order, such as putting all of the exterior photos together, followed by all of the interior photos, and then the close up shots.
We used to do this too...
But the goal is to keep potential guests engaged as they’re scrolling through your photos, so you’ll want to mix things up a bit.
We like to start with the 5 best features of the place, then a photo of the exterior, and alternate between wide shots and close up shots in the following order:
It can be really tempting to upload every photo you’ve taken, but in our experience less is more when it comes to your listing photos. Repetition and clutter can be overwhelming for potential guests and make it harder for them to focus on the important features of your space.
Too many angles of the same room gets boring really fast! Don't do it!
Most people organize their images in a logical order, such as putting all of the exterior photos together, followed by all of the interior photos, and then the close up shots.
We used to do this too...
But the goal is to keep potential guests engaged as they’re scrolling through your photos, so you’ll want to mix things up a bit.
We like to start with the 5 best features of the place, then a photo of the exterior, and alternate between wide shots and close up shots in the following order:
Living room
Special features
Bedroom
Outdoors
Kitchen
Bathroom
Host photo
Special features
Bedroom
Outdoors
Kitchen
Bathroom
Host photo
This helps to keep potential guests engaged as they scroll through your photos because they’re seeing a variety of images that are all representative of different aspects of your Airbnb.
Once you have all of your photos taken, we highly highly highly recommend using some templates to create a consistent and visually appealing listing, which you can then use for your branding/marketing on social media and beyond.
Not only will this help your listing to stand out, but it will also save you a lot of time in the long run.
But before we get to that, we have to finish one last piece of our listing...
The description.
Once you have all of your photos taken, we highly highly highly recommend using some templates to create a consistent and visually appealing listing, which you can then use for your branding/marketing on social media and beyond.
Not only will this help your listing to stand out, but it will also save you a lot of time in the long run.
But before we get to that, we have to finish one last piece of our listing...
The description.
- Benjamin & Sheila Harty
Skyline STR
Skyline STR