Airbnb first photo tips - what should be on the first photo?

[Marc Shin]

Hello.  I just listed my Airbnb which is a 2 BR / 1.5 BA.  What's unique about my property is that it has an Arcade Room with Pacman and streetfighter arcade machines along with a popcorn machine.  

Should I put the arcade room as my first photo in order to make it stand out from the other Airbnb's in the area?   Or should my first photo really be the best photo of the living room?  The issue is that I see that every other Airbnb in the area has their first photo as their living area.  Thoughts?

[John Underwood]

Put your best foot forward.

For a water front house I always lead with the water.

For you it could be the arcade room. 

Why would people be looking to rent your house? Is it the location, amenities, something else. I would lead with what the draw is and what sets you apart from your competition.

[Marc Shin]

@John Underwood how's this for a first photo?  is it too busy?

[Andrew Steffens]

I agree with @John Underwood your photo should highlight the best part of your property and/or what guests are looking for your market.  Here in FL that is typically the pool and backyard area.  In the mountains it would be perhaps the view, the fireplace, or hot tub.  In your scenario it sounds like perhaps it is the game room.

[John Underwood]

Quote from @Marc Shin:

@John Underwood how's this for a first photo?  is it too busy?

 Since you are splicing multiple pictures, why not show a good one of the game room and other other key parts of the house instead of all of the game room?

[Bruce Woodruff]

I don't like the spliced look. How about a nice picture of your living room or even the front of the house first, followed by the video games?

[Marc Shin]

@Bruce Woodruff so a photo of the living room, followed by a completely separate photo of the game room?

[Bruce Woodruff]

Quote from @Marc Shin:

@Bruce Woodruff so a photo of the living room, followed by a completely separate photo of the game room?

Yes...as long as your living room is really nice....

[Travis Timmons]

This is purely anecdotal, but I've noticed that the top performing properties in my area lead with an exterior shot. Obviously, there are properties that don't have any sort of wow factor from the outside. You can't lead with that if it does not look great. 

Whatever you do, pay up for professional photos. I only say that because the pictures that you posted above look like iPhone pics. 

[Lauren Kormylo]

Think about the person booking, what are they looking for?  When scrolling through a list of houses, will a game room cause them to book over anything else, or will that be secondary? 

I think the game room collage pic is too busy.  One pic of the 2 arcades side by side would be best to show the highlights of the room.  The popcorn machine is nice, but not something that will be a deciding factor in bookings.  Just show the arcades, and you can show pics of the rest of the room in later photos.

Your first pic is important, and also the first 5 pics, because that is what shows on your landing page.  The first 5 should show a variety of spaces, not just multiple shots of your living room or game room, for example. 

[Michael Baum]

This is always a tough question to answer @Marc Shin. If you don't have a crazy house like a potato, a tremendous view or historical area, then choosing a pic is harder.

I like the idea of the game room if that is your best feature. I am also not a big fan of collage photos.

Take some time and post pics of the various rooms. I can see in that one pic that you could use a bit more artwork on the walls. It looks a bit sterile.

Plus I would get some separation between the 2 stand ups. They are too close for comfortable game play.

[Patricia Andriolo-Bull]

Who is booking your property and for what reason?  While I definitely think pics of the arcade and popcorn machine are musts, not sure I would make them my first - maybe in the first few.  I would definitely get professional photos to make them really pop.  Maybe a great living area photo or an outside photo as your first?

[Rene Hosman]

Paging @Garrett Brown our resident STR specialist - what say you about tips for lead photos on listings??

[Gary Nelson]

Why not both? A collage can be a great way to capture multiple standout features of your property in one image. For example, you could showcase the family-friendly amenities, outdoor spaces, and stylish interiors all at once, similar to the one shared here (this is a listing photo, so I would recommend you change the text to fit your guests). It grabs attention, gives potential guests an immediate sense of what sets your property apart, and helps them imagine staying there. A well-designed collage can work wonders as your first photo!

Also, I would recommend adding some sort of screensaver to the TV screen and I second that a professional photographer is the way to go.