This post may contain affiliate links, meaning if you decide to make a purchase via my links, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. See my disclosures for more info.
Congrats on making it this far into your listing set up where you need Airbnb listing photos! You’ve probably put so many hours, weeks and months into getting your property close to set up but it’s now almost here.
If you’ve done any amount of Airbnb research, you probably know it’s important to take professional photos of your listing. These pictures, especially the first 5 of any listing, are what sell your potential customer on booking with you. Let’s dive in.
This post is all about Airbnb listing photos.
13 Tips For Airbnb Listing Photos
1. Get your house deep cleaned
First things first, we do not want your guests to be turned off by dusty furniture, speckled windows and smudged appliances. Have your cleaner do a deep clean on everything in the property before you do photos. You can always send them in to do a touch up before your first guest arrives.
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2. Stage the house
Stage the house for photos! Have fun with this but put the towels out in the bathrooms, have the throw blankets draped comfortably on the extra chairs. If staging isn’t your cup of tea, find a photographer who can help support you in this.
3. Set up extra beds
Similar to staging the house, if you have a pull out sofa, get photos of the couch and then photos of the couch set up as a sofa bed with the linens on the bed. This will give your guests visual proof of what you are claiming in your listing.
4. Set the table
Show off your dishes, placemats and set ups with dining! I don’t see these set ups enough and it’s a miss in my book. A lot guests that are booking an Airbnb are doing so to enjoy time together with their family. If you have ways to show that you can create moments for them and their groups, it’s going to give them more reasons to book.
5. Get 4 angles per room
Getting multiple angles per room are going to help your guests get a good look at the space. I always say at least 4 but you could for sure do more for bigger spaces. This doesn’t mean you need to post all 4 angles in your listing, but you’ll have good photos to rotate out every so often.
6. Get close ups of amenities
Get close ups of all the goods – coffee pots, extra coffee, laundry detergent, towels, extra blankets, outdoor kitchen, spa and so much more! Many people are visual and will not read your amenities or listing description and book based on the pictures.
How do I know this? I am that person! Even though I’m adamant about including a great listing description and all your amenities, I still book my vacation spots based on the pictures.
7. Turn on any fire pits, spas, fountains
Not only do you need pictures of the amenities but turn those suckers on! That will give your photos all the vibes and your guests extra excited to use what you’re offering during their vacation.
8. Lifestyle pics of pools, game rooms or yoga studios in action
Taking the pictures one step further is including lifestyle photos. So models in the listing pics showing your potential guest how much fun they’re having utilizing the property.
If you have a pool, it could be a picture of a group swimming, using the pool floaties you offer. It could be a competitive game of air hockey or a bunch of yogis doing their morning flow.
9. Get some seasonal shots
Seasonal pictures are going to be awesome if you plan to decorate for Christmas, get snow in the Winter or have a dock on a lake for the Summer. You’ll want to leverage your seasonal pictures for whatever season you’re currently booking.
10. Exterior shots are important
Include practical shots like guest parking, entrance, check in instructions, trash can placement, lock box locations, etc. You want your guests to not only get good shots in the listing, but carry that same Airbnb aesthetic through to the entire experience of staying in your property.
Want to learn more about creating an Airbnb aesthetic for your property? Check out this article!
11. Utilize the best 5 photos as your first 5 photos of the listing
The first photo will get your guests to stop the scroll, the next 4 will determine if they click to learn more. That’s why those first 5 photos are crucial to your success as an operator on Airbnb, Google, Booking.com and VRBO.
I change the order of my first 5 photos often. This will get guests who are looking for different things to click on your listing. Marketing is all about keeping things interesting, changing photos is a good way to keep it interesting.
12. Change the order of your pictures often
This may sound gimmicky but it works. If you go in and change the order of your pictures often, it’s going to tell the Airbnb algorithm that you’re an active host who’s always conscious of their listing’s performance.
It’s best to swap out photos for new ones but rearranging the order will also help. This is why it’s important to get a great photographer who’s going to get you a lot of photos.
13. Swap out pictures for the season
If your property is in an area that gets snow in the winter but has a lake for the Summer, consider swapping out the photos for the season you are in. This will require getting professional shots at different times of the year but will be so worth showing potential guests all that your property has to offer by season.
What other Airbnb listing photos did you take? Let me know in the comments below!
This post was all about Airbnb listing photos.
This post may contain affiliate links, meaning if you decide to make a purchase via my links, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. See my disclosures for more info.
