Airbnb Marketing — Methods, Dos & Don’ts
With more than 8 million listings in over 220 countries and regions worldwide, the competition for getting bookings is quite on high side. Do you know who will survive in such a situation? The one who thinks smartly. If you’re into a short-term rental venture, it is crucial that you think beyond just Airbnb. Market yourself in a results-driven manner for maximum occupancy. So, how can you market your rental properties? What marketing methods work and what don’t?
Read on to see some popular Airbnb marketing strategies!
First, Know Your Guests - Airbnb Marketing
Yes, you heard it right.
An important part of airbnb marketing is knowing WHO you’re marketing to.
This sounds basic, but most hosts skip this and end up wasting time and money. They often don’t know that their entire marketing strategy depends on this.
If you don’t know your audience, you won’t know:
- What kind of content to make
- What platforms to focus on
- What features should you highlight in your videos or ads
- What language or vibe to use in captions, headlines, and descriptions
Trying to market to “everyone” is a guaranteed way to connect with no one. Remember this.
So, get specific and create a buyer persona. Create a detailed, fictional profile of your ideal guests. You imagine a certain type of person or group as your ideal guests.
Ask yourself, is your guest gonna be the:
- Couples looking for a romantic escape?
- Families who need space and kid-friendly activities?
- Remote workers or digital nomads?
- Budget travelers or luxury vacationers?
Once you know that, everything you create—videos, photos, posts, ads—should speak directly to them. That is how you stand out in a crowded space.
Doing this simple step increases the chances of conversion.
Airbnb Marketing Methods & Strategies
Created the guests’ persona? If so, use these methods to market your Airbnb:
- Be On Social Media
- High-Dollar Photo and Video
- Word of Mouth
- Free Content Creators (Exchange Stays)
- Organic SEO
- Use Multiple Booking Sites
- Email Marketing
- Airbnb Algorithm Hacks
- Google Ads
- Meta Ads (Better, But With Issues)
1. Be On Social Media
It is the 2020s. And almost everybody with internet access is on social media.
Social media has many platforms. Some of these are Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. The list continues. But, Instagram matters the most in the STR sector with its visual nature.
Social media is the #1 most powerful way to grow your Airbnb brand.
Start uploading the videos and photos of your property (or properties) on all the platforms. And take it seriously. Gonna pay you off in the long run.
Best to create separate accounts for each property and start uploading content about it. Take inspiration from Shenandoah Yurt, The Pink Pickle, and HOTEL STELLA’S.
We suggest creating short videos (reels) combined with photos, with a ratio of 1:2, 1:3, or 1:4.
But DO NOT have 1-2 video posts and 30 photos. It won’t work well.
You need to post:
- Consistently
- High-quality vertical video
- With text on screen in the first 1–2 seconds
Start with your best view or feature.
Add text like: “Romantic Getaway – 1 Hour from Austin, Texas”
That instantly tells people who it’s for and where it is. If it applies to them, they’ll keep watching.
In short, don’t take social media lightly. Make a social media account for each Airbnb rental property, just like you did for yourself. Start uploading videos and pictures about each one.
2. High-Dollar Photo and Video
Visual attracts attention. Right? We are often more attracted by visuals than anything else. This especially applies to a property to attract human attention.
- A short, attractive real
- A picture with perfect angle, color, saturation, and so on
- A frame showing the most unique part of your Airbnb
These all catch the eyes of potential guests and make them gaze at the property.
That is the reason most hosts today have pro photos. Around 80–90% of them are using real estate photographers and spending $200–$400 for clean shots.
That’s fine. But if you want to stand out, go bigger.
Spend as much as you can on photography, videography, and drone footage to capture the best angle of your property. Use them on social media, OTA platforms, and everywhere.
Don’t forget to create Instagram Reels (mentioning again).
Do you know that you can have a professional shoot and have enough content to use for the next few months? Yes, you heard it right.
Do it.
3. Word of Mouth
From a pure ROI standpoint, word of mouth marketing could be #1. Nielsen’s global Trust in Advertising Study (2021) found that 88% of consumers trust recommendations from people they know. This is more than any other marketing message. Nothing beats having a happy guest tell their friends how great their stay was. You only get this by providing an amazing experience, from start to finish.
This is hospitality + real estate. Never forget the hospitality side of this business.
So, how can you bring in great hospitality in a short-term rental venture? Well, there are a lot of things involved, but here are the most important ones:
- Design every part of the stay from the guest’s point of view—clear, clean, and comfortable.
- Add small, thoughtful touches like welcome notes, snacks, or personal recommendations.
- Respond quickly when needed, but don’t overwhelm guests with constant messages.
- Include a special feature that guests will remember. This could be a beautiful view, a cozy fireplace, or something similar.
- Handle any issues quickly and kindly—guests remember how you respond.
Here’s a bonus tip: read Unreasonable Hospitality. It can help you improve your hospitality in STR hosting. It’ll shift your mindset.
Make your guests feel at home, welcomed, and like family.
4. Free Content Creators (Exchange Stays)
Have you heard of influencer marketing?
A way to work with people to promote your brand, product, or business exists. You usually offer them money in return.
However, we don’t recommend going for paid influencer marketing.
Instead, you can work with content creators who promote your Airbnb in exchange for stays. These are our favorite people to work with.
- They cost you nothing except the cleaning fee.
- You get a non-paying guest who can also help you spot problems.
- You can test your cleaners while they stay.
Create a list of such content creators and start with vetting their content. Even if they have no more than 5K–6K followers, that is fine.
Follower count doesn’t matter—quality does. If their videos are high-quality and get decent views, invite them to stay during slow days (like Monday or Tuesday).
Ask for collaboration posts on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok—raw vertical footage so you can use it for your own posts
If their content has quality, it will bring engagement.
5. Organic SEO
Just like guests look for places on Airbnb, they also use search engines like Google. They do this to learn about a specific area or short-term rentals there.
If you have a direct booking website (and you should), you can promote your properties on search engines. When you do things right, organic SEO can be massive.
Yes, Airbnb, VRBO, and Booking.com are great—but direct booking lets you build a brand.
Even if you only have one property, we still recommend having a direct booking option.
NOTE: If you don’t have a direct booking site for your business, DOSbnb can help you set one up. With our Direct Booking Website service, we create and optimize one.
6. Use Multiple Booking Sites
DO NOT solely rely on just Airbnb—this is the first suggestion to every new STR host.
If you use one platform (suppose Airbnb) to get bookings on your listings, it puts you at risk. One suspension, one bad review, or one policy change and your bookings can drop overnight.
Isn’t that odd? Isn’t that bad for your business? Yes, it is.
The solution is simple: expand your listing across multiple booking platforms.
A few top OTA platforms you can use to list your properties are:
Platform | Best For | Type of Properties |
VRBO | Families, groups, or travelers wanting entire homes with privacy | Entire homes only – houses, villas, cabins, beach houses |
Booking.com | Travelers booking complete trips (flights, hotels, rentals) in one place | Hotels, resorts, apartments, vacation rentals, hostels |
Expedia | Travelers seeking bundled deals for entire trips | Hotels, flights, vacation rentals, resorts, car rentals |
TripAdvisor | Guests relying on reviews to discover well-rated rentals or hidden gems | Vacation rentals, hotels, restaurants, and attractions |
Plum Guide | Luxury travelers seeking design-focused, premium homes | Only top 1% of homes – luxury apartments, townhouses, cottages |
Marriott Homes & Villas | Loyal Marriott guests want high-end homes with reward benefits | Premium vacation homes and villas only |
9flats | Budget travelers or short-term renters looking for local experiences | Apartments, guesthouses, rooms – especially in Europe |
Remember, each platform attracts a different type of guest (as mentioned in the table). You don’t need to go all-in on every platform at once.
The best strategy is to start slow.
Know your property is good for whom—a group of friends, family, or a business traveler. And then list it on all the platforms that best suit it and are best in your area.
In the process, set up tools like Hospital, Guesty, or Hostway
Use tools like Hospitable, Guesty, or Hostaway. These tools help you sync your calendars and automate messages. This way, you avoid double bookings and reduce your workload.
Enjoy more bookings from different OTA platforms!
7. Email Marketing
Email marketing is the personal favorite of Moonis Mansoor, CEO of DOSbnb.
It may not guarantee high revenue like other methods, but it is much cheaper to run in the short and long term.
Some tools you can use for email marketing are:
However, the real challenge (and the most important part) in email is collecting emails.
In the short-term rental market, the best approach is to give discounts on your direct booking site. Use pop-ups and social media to promote these offers.
If a guest comes via Airbnb, you can ask for their email in person, in exchange for the same discount here as well. You can even use StayFi to help with that.
Most people love a discount. This is the rmutuality—you give them something, and they give you something in return (like their email).
Email is still one of the most-checked channels (besides texts). 99% of email users check their inbox daily, and some do so 20 times a day.
Even if people say email marketing is “dead”, it still works.
8. Airbnb Algorithm Hacks
We have already talked about Airbnb listing optimization. Now is the time to see other tactics.
First of all, keep in mind that there isn’t any magic hack but a few things that help.
If possible, run a promotional campaign on Airbnb. Why? Because Airbnb loves promotions and ranks those listings higher with discounts.
In case you don’t want to lose profits, you can raise the nightly rate a bit and then set a customer promotion. The goal is to give a sense of promotion to both Airbnb and guests.
Ensure that your alt text on photos aligns with the categories you’re targeting.
For example, if you have a hot tub with a view, use: “Romantic hot tub with a lakeside view”. If you have a game room, use: “Game room with pool table — great for families.”
You can even use ChatGPT to help write these out. It’s easy and effective.
Also, try to hit as many filters as possible:
- Pet-friendly (this is the most searched filter on Airbnb)
- One-night stays during the week
- Two-night minimums on weekends (instead of three)
- Adjust based on what your local data says
Some people we’ve worked with were struggling to get bookings.
We made two changes: turned on Pet-Friendly and dropped their 3-night minimum to a 2-night minimum. Bookings picked up instantly.
Most people search for Friday to Sunday stays.
But again, check your market data—some areas prefer 5-night stays. Use tools like AirDNA or PriceLabs to know what works best in your location.
9. Google Ads
Google Ads—probably the best ad platform you can actually use.
The only issue is that it is hard to track if someone really booked because of the Google ads.
For example, if someone sees your name on Instagram and then later searches for it on Google, Google takes the credit, even if it was Instagram that initially posted it.
The same goes with Meta.
You might run a Meta ad, someone sees an organic Instagram post, hears your brand name, and ends up Googling it. Google then claims they brought you the booking.
One good aspect of Google Ad is the analytics side. Google Search Console, Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, etc., provide you with deep insight.
We suggest you start small with Google Ad or any paid ad. This is called small batch testing.
Start with a small budget and see how your ad performs. Do A/B testing.
The biggest key: if you have an organic post that performs well, turn that into an ad. You don’t need to reinvent anything.
A good organic post can be reused as a paid ad on TikTok, Meta, etc.
10. Meta Ads (Better, But With Issues)
After the Google ads, Meta ads (Facebook and Instagram) take their place.
If you want to grow faster on social media, Meta ads are your best bet. These are a much better option than TikTok ads due to their higher return on investment.
For example, you can install a Meta Pixel on your direct booking site.
When someone visits your site, then later opens Instagram or Facebook, show them an ad (retargeting). You can also retarget those who watched your high-performing organic reels.
However, Meta ads sometimes didn’t localize their targeting—a big mistake.
For example, if your property is in Texas, they sometimes start showing ads to the people who are instead interested in booking in Washington, or other states.
Other than this, Meta ads work just fine.
How Not To Market Your Airbnb?
While it is smart to use the aforementioned Airbnb marketing techniques, there are a few that you should avoid as they use more time but yield fewer results.
Here are the marketing strategies you should avoid:
- Posting in generic Facebook groups
- Spamming your friends
- TikTok ads
Let us start with the very first one: generic Facebook groups.
Many hosts join Facebook groups like ‘Airbnbs of Texas’, thinking travelers will find them. However, these groups have hosts, so you post to them instead.
Doing so is a good idea if you’re looking to network with other hosts. Skip it in the first place if your goal is to market your property to guests.
Secondly, there is no reason to share the “Book Now” link on Facebook or DM your personal contact repeatedly. Your friend isn’t your target market.
It is okay to share your property for once, but doing so repeatedly isn’t.
Now comes the time to discuss TikTok ads.
TikTok is undoubtedly a great marketing tactic for organic reach. However, as far as TikTok ads are concerned, they don’t perform well, especially when considering the cost.
So, avoid running TikTok ads—opt for the other options, such as Google, Meta ads.
Conclusion
Airbnb marketing isn’t just about being on the platform—it’s about standing out. From building a clear guest persona to using social media, SEO, and smart booking strategies, each method has its value.
Skip generic tactics that waste time and bring little value. Instead, invest effort in what actually works—pure content and real connections.
Keep testing, keep improving. The more intentional you are with your marketing, the better results you’ll get.
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