Note: Thanks to
ToonTownRob for posting this mini-revelation about the power of starting your email responses with a twist. It inspired this week's Motivation (and I decided to record it in podcast form too below).
Listing sites like Airbnb and Vrbo rank as the top pound-for-pound allocation of your time to generate inquiries. All the various listing sites make up Stage 1 of Listing Site Independence framework. But also from our findings, we learned that not all listings are created equally. Like speed-dating, if you don’t convey quickly what makes you different from every other listing, you’ve lost the goldfish-level attention span of the visitor.
Note: As
Kim likes to remind us, according to some research, the average human attention span is now eight seconds, less than that of the goldfish with nine
Below are 8 deep adjustments that are reverse engineered from the factors that lead a visitor to inquire or book: intrigue, engagement, and confidence.
Question for Members: What other ideas have you done (consciously or by accident) to beef up your listings?

Listing sites like Airbnb and Vrbo rank as the top pound-for-pound allocation of your time to generate inquiries. All the various listing sites make up Stage 1 of Listing Site Independence framework. But also from our findings, we learned that not all listings are created equally. Like speed-dating, if you don’t convey quickly what makes you different from every other listing, you’ve lost the goldfish-level attention span of the visitor.
Note: As

Below are 8 deep adjustments that are reverse engineered from the factors that lead a visitor to inquire or book: intrigue, engagement, and confidence.
1) Explain you do this for a living
The vast majority of Airbnb hosts do not view their listing as a job, which while endearing and whimsical can also sew doubt in prospective guests. So come out with a disclaimer at the beginning of your listing, revealing you run your property like a business.2) Add provenance
The word provenance refers to the chronology of an antique or piece or art. The backstory of that object is what makes it valuable. So sprinkle provenance throughout your listing: what’s the story on the property, how did you come to represent it, why is the destination special to you and your family?3) Sprinkle property name liberally
“The billboard effect” is a phenomenon that occurs when vacation rental professionals see additional direct bookings after listing on Airbnb. But you need a unique property name (or business name) to pull this off. Insert your unique property name in the title and several times throughout the description, photo captions, and About Us section.4) Improve & shorten origin story
How did you find yourself in this position as a host? DO NOT leave your aspirational storyline on the table.The more interesting or relatable your “pre vacation rental” About Us section, the more you’ll attract inquiries who respect and admire your business. Brevity beats details in this department: you should be able to explain your “origin” story in a few sentences.5) Get on the eco train
Environmentally-friendly vacation rentals are exponentially more appealing than their direct counterparts. Which aspects of your business (products, services, amenities) reflect your awareness of the environment? Mention them blatantly.6) Associate with a special interest niche
Listing sites like Airbnb are like a giant supermarket and it can be overwhelming for guests to navigate to the right specialty aisle, much less find your particular product without some solid signage. Make sure to mention the exact kinds of travelers who most enjoy your property with any buzzwords necessary (yes, this is the one time we permit the use of buzzwords #blessed).7) Deploy “underdog narrative”
Hollywood movie writers use the underdog narrative to get potential viewers to admire the character for trying, moreso than for their actual success. Do this with your listing by including a short anecdote about a challenge, failure, or humble achievement that triggers emotion -- turning what was previously a transaction into a human experience.8) Skimmify your text (3 parts)
Remember the goldfish stat? Listing viewers have very short attention spans and the more skimmable your layout, the better. Here are three quick ways to do that.- 8.1 Normal paragraphs feel like massive walls to someone not fully vested just yet (aka. Visitors simply do not read them) so reduce your paragraph length down to 1-2 sentences (3 max) deleting as much fluff as possible. Your paragraphs should include everything they need, nothing they don’t
- 8.2 Use headers (or short summaries of content) to break up sections. Headers are best when ordered to give the hierarchy of the listing.
- 8.3 CAPITALIZE money words that pique people’s interest, make them use their imagination and turn the ordinary into something worth paying money for. Use ALL CAPS sparingly.
- 8.4 Use bullets or lists to show features, benefits, or any cluster of items together one per line.
Question for Members: What other ideas have you done (consciously or by accident) to beef up your listings?
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