How to Create a Great Airbnb Profile (With Profile Examples)
By: Jasper Ribbers
Tags: Real Estate Investments, Airbnb Host, Short Term Rentals, Side Hustle, Airbnb Hosting Tips

The Airbnb profile is a much overlooked aspect of an Airbnb listing. The reason is probably that people don’t like writing about themselves. However, it can pay off to spend a bit of time on optimizing your profile. Here’s why.

When you stay at a hotel, you are guaranteed that (1) the door is open, (2) there is someone to check you in 24h a day and (3) there is always someone to help you solve any issues.

When staying at an Airbnb, guests rely on their host to provide these basic needs. Their worst nightmare is to arrive at the hosts’ address just to find a closed door, unable to reach the host.

It therefore makes sense that Airbnb guests want to get a good first impression of their host before they book a stay. Your Airbnb bio gives you the chance to describe yourself, make that good impression, to allow your guests to get to know you a bit on a personal level.

Here’s a few simple steps to create an outstanding Airbnb profile.

Use your Airbnb profile to describe yourself in detail

I know, you may not like writing about yourself. But this is important stuff and it’s not hard. Here are some good Airbnb profile description example questions:

Where did you grew up?

What’s your occupation?

What are you hobbies and passions?

What are your favorite places to travel to?

What kind of music do you like?

What’s your favorite sport?

What kind of books do you like?

What type of movies are you into?

What do you enjoy most about being an Airbnb host?

You never know what part of your profile a guest will relate to. For example, if you’re into modern art, guests who share that passion will favor your listing over others because they (1) can relate to you as a person and (2) they’ll anticipate you’ll have some good recommendations for art galleries and museums.

Add a good personal photo

Make sure to upload a good picture of yourself. What is a good picture? Here are the key characteristics:

The picture is clear and of high quality

You are smiling

Your face and eyes are unobstructed

Your hair is combed/brushed

Your outfit is business casual

For those of you out there who consider this information common sense: Bravo. But I cannot tell you how many profile pictures I’ve come across that fail to meet these basic criteria. I’ve seen photos with covered faces, bizarre and inappropriate outfits, and utterly creepy looking expressions. Please, for your own sake, don’t look like a weirdo.

Add a video to your Airbnb profile

Airbnb allows you to display a short 30-second video on your profile. This is a great opportunity to show what kind of person you are without having to verbally describe yourself.

Why is a video important? Because communication is only 7% words, the rest is body language and tonality. Therefore, video is a much more effective way to get your message across and show your guests your true colors.

Add verifications to your Airbnb profile

This is really a no-brainer. There is no downside in adding all three verifications: your government ID, email address and phone number. This information won’t be shared with anyone, so don’t worry. You can also connect social media accounts such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+.

Add references to your Airbnb profile

Adding references is particularly important when you’re just starting out and you don’t have any reviews yet. It doesn’t add a ton of credibility, but again there is no downside to adding references. You can request a reference though email or, if you’ve connected your Facebook account, through Facebook.

Airbnb profile example

Here’s another example of an Airbnb profile. For each example, I’ve indicated what’s good about the profile and what can be improved.

What’s great about this profile

Profile photo: picture is clear, host is smiling and the photo also shows the host engaging in something that he is passionate about. Sports and football-loving guests will immediately be able to relate. First impression of this host: friendly guy who likes sports.

Profile description: the description communicates a lot of positive things: the host is excited to be part of Airbnb and he loves meeting new people. Definitely the type of person that I would want to stay with. He also shares his favorite travel destinations.

What could be improved

References: This host hasn’t added any references. It’s not a huge deal, but it only takes a few minutes to request some so there is no reason not to.

Profile description: It wouldn’t hurt to share a bit more, where the host grew up and what his occupation is for example. The more you share about yourself, the better the chance that the guest can relate.

Notice the subtle reference to his Instagram profile, a creative way to provide an opportunity for guests to get to know the host a bit better. This is a risky tactic though. The hosts basically provides personal contact details, which is against the user conduct terms of Airbnb’s terms of service and could be reason to remove the account. If you’re thinking that this won’t happen, read about what happened to Superhost Kelly Kampen.

Conclusion

People who use Airbnb not only like the authentic experience of a local host, but they’re also putting their trust in someone they don’t know. Creating a great Airbnb profile is an important step in getting people to feel like they know, like and trust you.

It doesn’t take much time to create a great Airbnb profile. Although it’s certainly not the most important part of your Airbnb listing, I believe it definitely pays off to spend an hour or so on it. One extra booking will be worth the time!

Originally posted at the Get Paid For Your Pad blog.