How to Make Your Airbnb Photos Stand Out

How to Make Your Airbnb Photos Stand Out

By Snezana Krdzic of Short Term Stays

Is your Airbnb selfie worthy? And by that we mean, is it ready to take professional shots that will be

posted for everyone to see? And if not, how do you even go about preparing your rental property for

the arrival of a photographer?

It’s a no-brainer that professional photos are a must nowadays, that is, if you want a listing that

stands out. Visuals are what first capture the attention of potential guests. If the photos on your

listing are captivating, you’ve already done half of your job when it comes to marketing and pitching

your home to potential guests.

Professional photos are, at least in this industry, worth more than words, with one exception which is

the review. If a guest likes what he sees, he’s 80% yours. In that spirit, we’d like to share a couple of

home-staging tips that I’m sure will help your rental property look like a million dollars.

Highlight the Creature Comforts

Think about it, you’re trying to attract your guests to your home. Therefore, better show everything

on those photos without being too tacky. If you have a laundry room, bathrobes and a hamper handy

for your guests use, make sure to take photos of that. If you have a habit of making a homemade

meal for each of the guests or storing packs of bottled water in their fridge, find a way to incorporate

this into the photos. Oh, and how about that awesome coffee stations you’ve prepared for all the

hardcore coffee fans? Don’t miss that either! It’s not just about showing off the size of your home,

but the little details that make it special and welcoming.

Get Rid of the Clutter

To make your home look as clean and neat as possible, make sure not to have too much decor or

furniture or items that are simply collecting dust. Take everything out that doesn’t serve a purpose

and keep items that can come in handy for the guests.

For example, too many coffee tables in the living room, or too much decor scattered everywhere

automatically makes your home look smaller and messier. Every professional photographer will

advise you to keep only the necessities so your house looks more open and perky.

Group the Furniture

Now, these tips are not only great for staging your home before the appearance of a photographer,

but they are also useful when furnishing and designing your Airbnb. Here’s how you should use

furniture to your advantage so that your space doesn’t look cluttered and rooms look more spacious.

Group your furniture in clusters, such as your sofa and your arm chairs and one coffee table. Make

sure to create an obvious walk flow throughout the room. This will make your room appear larger

and more user-friendly. It’s also a photographer’s dream come true because he has a lot of space to

move around.

Set Up the Lighting

Photographers know how important lighting is for successful shots. People who aren’t really experts

don’t know this. But here’s a short guide to what you should have for a photo-shoot and overall in

your home to make it more beautiful and cozy.

There are three types of lighting:

– -Ambient

– Task

– Accent

Each one serves an obvious purpose and contributes to the overall space looking more warm and

welcoming. The photographer will know how to adjust the lighting so the photographs turn out

fantastic, and these kinds of lighting are going to be just the ticket.

Get Creative with Decor

This is, for most people anyway, the fun part of home-staging. Decorate your home with special little

touches that gives your Airbnb a special kind of charm. Whether those are going to be custom photos

and pictures from artists of your local community or themed decor all over the house, make sure to

really take some time and set everything up so that every single item has a place. You can always use

Pinterest for decor ideas, you’d be surprised how many Airbnb have been decorated by mimicking

what they saw on Pinterest!

Make it Spotless

Above all, make sure your home is clean! Now, you must be thinking, of course I’m going to clean for

a photo-shoot! But if you actually do this, and photograph a pristine clean home, make sure it’s clean

up to the same standards when your guests arrive.

Imagine choosing a spotless Airbnb, and once you get there, you see dust on the tables and floors,

and trash that still hasn’t been emptied from the previous guests. Not exactly the ideal setting now,

is it? And guest will feel betrayed in a way, because it’s not what your photos portrayed.

Naturally, you don’t want to spruce up your property just for photographs, and then when your

guests arrive you take away all the beautiful little details that attracted them to your property in the

first place. So, if you’ve had snacks and magazines laid down on the table on the photos, make sure

that they are there when the guests arrive. If your beds are all neatly made, make sure they don’t

come and see a messy bed with pillows thrown all around. Stay as true to the photographs as you

possibly can, because nobody likes being deceived.

Short Term Stays is a hosting service that strives to maximize profits and get more bookings for Airbnb hosts, by using 30+ revenue channels. The goal is simple: keep the calendar full while keeping it simple. Instead of sharing your listing on only one website, they enable you to share on multiple websites, sync calendars and collect payments, without charging you any fees.  http://www.ststays.com/