Top 10 Tips for Writing Your Airbnb Listing Description
Whether you’re preparing to launch your first Airbnb listing or you’ve been doing this for a few years, you probably realize the competition is fierce. How do you move your listing up into the top results for your neighborhood? How do you get users to click? And most importantly, how do you get more bookings?
It’s not rocket science, but it can certainly feel like it! The truth is, the platform’s ranking algorithm takes many different factors into account—nearly 100, according to Airbnb.
Things like eye-grabbing photos and the right price are very important. But in this post, we’re going to focus on something that many hosts struggle with: writing a great listing description.
Here are our top 10 tips for writing a description that gets you more bookings!
1. Find your key selling points: the highlights of your property
Before you begin writing your listing description, start with a good brainstorming session.
Put yourself in your guests’ shoes. If you were planning a visit to your neighborhood, what would you look for? Proximity to famous landmarks, attractions, or the beach? Parking? Easy access to public transit? Amenities like a pool?
Next, think about your property. What makes it wonderful? Remember that too much information can be overwhelming, so focus on what really makes it special.
Choose 4 or 5 top selling points– these are the things that set your property apart from the rest. You’ll use these to “brand” your place- after all, getting more bookings is all about effective marketing.
Trouble finding your selling points ? Try checking your property’s reviews to get a feel for what people love about staying there!
Once you’ve decided on these key assets, it’s time to highlight them throughout your listing, starting with your title. Which brings us to…
2. Craft a clickable title for your listing
Your title and feature image are critical. Together, they’re the first impression you make on potential guests.
The title has one simple job: to make the user click through to your listing. Once that happens, it’s up to your photos, description, and reviews to seal the deal. So what makes a title clickable?
It should be catchy and creative. Forget bland, meaningless words like “nice,” “great,” and “clean”—you want to describe your unique home. Be specific!
You only get 50 characters to convince guests to click, so don’t waste them.
Check out the difference here:
Which one would you click on?
A few do’s & don’ts for your title
Here are a few practical tips (and examples) to help you get it right!
- Do mention any new amenities or special features that other properties in your area don’t have.
- Example: Quaint Coastal Cottage w/ New Finnish Sauna
- Do update your title with the seasons.
- Example: Sun-Soaked Days! Patio w/ Pool, BBQ, Lake Views
- Example: Wintery 1BD Cabin: Snowy Hills & Warm Fireplace
- Do change your title for upcoming special events in your area.
- Example: Enjoy Semana Santa Processions from Your Balcony
- Example: Headed to Lollapalooza? 5-min Walk to Grant Park!
- Do tastefully use symbols to help your title stand out.
- Example: Penthouse Near Penn’s Landing: 5 ★ Views
- Don’t use tags or labels in your title to make tracking your listing more convenient for you.
- Example: 3BD Condo Santa Fe TR0501B
- Don’t exaggerate or use superlatives.
- Example: Best House in All of Atlanta- Amazing!!!
- Don’t write in all caps- it can make your listing look cheap.
- Example: AWESOME APARTMENT WITH FAST WIFI! GREAT DEAL!
- Don’t go overboard with the symbols.
- Example: ★✈ Feel like a ♕,Walk➜Beach! Fun in ☀! You Will ♡
OK! Now that you’ve written that perfect title, let’s move on to the rest of your listing description.
3. Establish the right voice for your listing
The overall tone of your description can change a lot based on the type of language you choose. What’s the “right” style?
It depends on many things… your personality and hosting style, the property, the location, and your target guest. That last one is important. Think long and hard about the type of guest you want to attract, and adjust the tone accordingly.
If your home is a luxury Miami penthouse, you might use language that exudes privilege and exclusivity…that’s the experience your guests are after. But if you tried that same voice for a rustic country cabin, aside from sounding a bit silly, you might alienate the outdoorsy-type guest likely to book your cabin. Not what you’re looking to do, right?
The tone of your description helps you connect with your potential guests, so choose it wisely. Above all, remember to keep it authentic and welcoming!
4. Be concise: write for the way people read today (but fill out every section)
If a user is reading your listing description, it means the title and photos did their job.
Congrats! Your potential guest is officially interested.
Now, they want to find out if your place will suit their needs. The description should make it easy for them to find all the important info and drive home those key selling points.
Important tip: most people will only skim your description!
Help them do that by breaking large chunks of text into smaller bits and using spacing, bullet points, or headings to make it more digestible.
Never add fluff or flowery, drawn-out descriptions. While it’s important to fill out each listing section–from “summary” all the way down to “getting around”–you never want to ramble. It could cost you the booking!
If you’re on the fence, here’s a helpful test: Do your guests need to know this specific piece of information before making their booking?
If they do, go ahead and include it – but keep it short and simple. If it’s not important to know now, then save it for your post-booking correspondence.
5. Photo captions and summary: your listing’s “prime real estate”
Many Airbnb hosts overlook one part of the listing: the photo captions.
Big mistake!
Users are almost guaranteed to click through your photos before reading your description, which means that captioning those photos is your chance to speak to them while you’ve got their attention.
Use the photo captions to highlight your property’s key selling points. Try to help them imagine themselves in the space.
Remember that when they’re first clicking through the photos, guests don’t know much about your property. It’s a good idea to label the images by room (Bedroom #1, Bedroom #2) and describe anything special about the spaces or the layout (French door leads to patio…).
The summary is nearly as important as the photo captions. This small bit of text that appears at the top of your listing is your chance to convince users to click “read more”!
Use bullet points here to highlight the most important features, or try painting a picture of what staying in your property is like.
6. Focus on the experience & create a vivid picture for your guests
People choose to stay in an Airbnb because they’re craving an authentic, novel experience—something
beyond the convenience of a hotel room.
They want to “live like a local.”
Your home is more than a list of specs and amenities- never forget that!
Do you love the sound of the church bells ringing as you enjoy a morning coffee on your balcony with a croissant from the French bakery downstairs?
That’s an experience. That’s why people book through Airbnb.
7. Don’t make guests leave your listing
Have you ever been in the middle of reading something online, and you stop to search up a term you’re unfamiliar with?
You open a new tab, and your search leads to another search, and then another, and before long you can’t remember what got you started searching in the first place?
That’s the danger of including things in your listing that aren’t self-explanatory.
Here’s the golden rule: never mention something (with no further explanation) that a first-timer to your town or city wouldn’t easily understand.
That means local slang, obscure neighborhood acronyms, and abbreviations are out.
You also want to avoid using the name of your condo community in your title or as one of your key selling points. Unless the person visiting is very familiar with the area, that community name doesn’t mean anything to them.
Do everything you can to prevent the guest from leaving your listing. Your goal is to help them find out what they need to know, fall in love with your property, and book.
8. Don’t conveniently “forget to mention” your property’s flaws
This is a big one. You want to carefully manage your guests’ expectations.
Never sugarcoat major issues or oversell your place. Before long, you’ll have lots of underwhelmed, disappointed guests and bad reviews.
Be honest and upfront about anything that could affect their stay.
Do your property’s windows face onto a busy, loud street full of bars? You definitely want to mention that. But if you can, turn that negative into a positive!
Ok, so your place is surrounded by bars and clubs. Definitely not ideal for families, but there are people who travel specifically to experience a new city’s nightlife! Mention how convenient it will be to walk home after a night of bar-hopping.
Remember, if you’re proactive and disclose these details up front, guests won’t feel let down.
9. Respond to all your reviews
You may not realize it, but your reviews are another chance to improve your listing.
Since most users scan reviews before booking, this can be a great opportunity to show that you’re a caring, responsible host.
You should try to answer all your reviews. Short responses are fine- thank them for their stay, and remember to use the guest’s first name.
But what about those negative reviews?
Just be honest, sincere, and professional. Apologize for the issues that affected their stay, and tell them what you’ve done to fix them. It’s not just about the unhappy reviewer…your potential guests will see that you’re responsive and care about your guests’ experience.
10. Proofread before you launch your listing
Forget to mention something important? Spelling mistake or typo?
Don’t let a little slip-up make you look unprofessional. Although some guests won’t notice errors, many will. Proofreading your listing carefully before publishing to help you make the best impression and show that you’re a serious, attentive host.
So…are you ready to start writing? If you follow these tips, you should be well on your way to a winning listing description!
But if you’re not quite feeling up to it, not to worry! With Angel Host, your listing gets a total makeover—stunning professional photos, compelling listing copy that makes your home shine, and much more.