“The pictures here do not do this place justice!” read a recent review I stumbled across on a Nashville Airbnb listing.
Now, imagine if they did, and imagine how many more people this listing could attract.
In a sea of short-term rentals in the Nashville market, it is astonishing to me how many hosts have opted not to use professional photography. If your goal is to stand out and increase occupancy, using professional photos is one of the easiest and smartest things you can do to add value to your short-term rental.
According to Airbnb’s official site, using professional photography results in:
- 40% increase in earnings
- 24% more bookings
- 26% higher nightly price
Pre-Production & Design
Long before you decide to have photos taken, you should spend time understanding the audience you’re trying to attract, and what mood you’re trying to create with your listing.
Are you aiming to create a comfortable stopover for business travelers? Perhaps you’re aiming to create a romantic getaway for a secluded couples retreat, or maybe you have aspirations of hosting larger groups of travelers. Knowing this from the outset can help to guide your styling and design choices, along with the amenities you’re planning to offer.
If you haven’t already considered it, working with a qualified interior designer can really help your listing to stand apart. Having a cohesive vision of your listing’s design will ultimately lead to better images that will attract more bookings.
Clean, Declutter, and Stage
So let us assume you’ve painstakingly remodeled and rehabbed what was once a dilapidated and depleted Nashville bungalow into something that is now cozy, comfortable, eclectic, and cool. The permits are approved, amenities abound, and visions of a fully booked calendar float through your head. It’s time for photos!
You’re going to want to deep clean your listing, declutter the space, and have it staged as how guests will find it upon entering the property. The below list, intended for a real estate shoot, will get you 95% of the way there. An Airbnb shoot will include more detailed shots and focus on amenities, so leaving out remote controls and coffee makers is actually a good thing.
Hiring a Professional Photographer
When hiring a photographer to shoot your listing, it’s important to hire someone who specializes in architectural photography. While many photographers are multifaceted in their abilities, you wouldn’t want to hire a general contractor for a job that requires a specialist’s touch.
Photographing an Airbnb listing requires a slightly different creative approach compared to creating images that will be used to sell the home. You want to work with a photographer who understands this nuance and can properly highlight a space’s mood and ambiance.
The added bonus of hiring a professional is that you gain access to their years of experience, specialized equipment, and advanced post-processing techniques.
DIY Photos
Okay, okay. So despite my best efforts to convince you of the value of hiring a professional photographer, and elevating the profile of your listing, you are dead set on taking the photos yourself. That’s totally fine!
Let’s equip you with some ideas to help you succeed.
- Create a shot list of each room of the property. Within each room you’re going to want to capture wide angled shots, one point compositions, detailed shots, and more transitional shots showing how the space connects.
- Natural light is going to be your friend. Open those blinds and let that room bask in the glory of ambient light.
- Decide if a room photographs better with lights on or lights off. Sometimes tungsten bulbs throw a color cast all over everything.
- Decide on what time of the day best illuminates certain rooms. Do you have a breakfast nook where beautiful raked light streams in during the mornings? Help guests visualize drinking their morning coffee in that space.
- If you are using your phone, photograph horizontally, and make sure your verticals are straight. IE: Don’t hold your phone up in the air and aim down, make sure your camera is nice and level.
- Assuming you are taking photos with your phone, you can employ presets from VSCO or Lightroom Mobile to help edit your photos.
How Many Photos Should I Use?
There is no limit to the number of photos you can add to an Airbnb listing. With that said, there is a certain amount of visual fatigue that comes with scrolling through a large swath of photos. A better approach is to select approximately 25 of the best images that will help tell the story of your listing.
Select the 5 most inviting images and use them as the hero shots that will help encourage guests to click into your listing. The remainder of the images should be ordered in a way that mimics walking through the property.
Other Ways to Help Set Your Listing Apart
The Nashville vacation rental market is highly competitive and anything you can do to help differentiate your listing is going to entice more interest from guests to book your property. Consider using some of the below supplemental tools to help impress guests.
Drone Photography
Drone photography is a fantastic way to showcase the area surrounding a property. This can be useful for both rural and city destinations. In a rural setting, you are able to showcase the beauty of the surrounding land, while in the city you can highlight neighborhood amenities that could make a guest want to stay with you.
Floorplans
Even with a set of great photos, sometimes it is difficult to convey how the rooms of a property flow together. Floorplans can be especially useful when booking larger groups as it helps guests with room selections prior to ever arriving at the property.
Virtual Tours
A virtual tour is another marketing tool that is highly underutilized for vacation rentals. While you are unable to include direct links in Airbnb listings, there is a workaround by including a QR code in one of your images that will link to a walkthrough. Guests are able to virtually tour your property.
Twilight Photos
Perhaps you have a back porch area with glowing festoon lighting surrounding the firepit. Or maybe you have a rooftop deck with views overlooking the city skyline. Instead of trying to photograph this at night, photograph it during twilight and capture a memorable sunset that will impress guests.
Conclusion
Adding professional photos to your vacation rental is a simple and valuable investment. One additional booking a month quickly adds up and the expense of hiring a photographer is quickly made worth it. If you have any questions, I’d love to hear from you.
Billy Reed – 919.609.6722 – info@billyreedphoto.com