How to Get Your First Airbnb Guests: Marketing for New Short-Term Rental Hosts
Launching your first Airbnb or short-term rental property means getting those initial bookings. You have a few main ways to attract guests: optimizing your listings on sites like Airbnb and VRBO, using paid ads, and sharing on social media. Each method works differently, with varying costs and time to get guests. Here's how to focus your efforts to fill your calendar fast.
READY TO TAKE ACTION?
Use the free LaunchAdvisor checklist to track every step in this guide.
The Quick Answer
Optimizing your listings on platforms like Airbnb and VRBO is your best long-term strategy. It builds your reputation and gets more bookings over time. Use paid ads (either on Google or directly within Airbnb/VRBO) to get immediate bookings while your listing builds its review history. Social media is less direct for bookings but great for showing off your property and local area, which can lead to direct bookings later. Start with great listings, run ads to fill up your calendar, and add social media when you have more time.
Side-by-Side Breakdown
Listing Optimization (Airbnb/VRBO SEO): This is free to do yourself, only costing your time. It takes about 2-6 months to rank well and get consistent bookings from good reviews. It keeps giving back over time, bringing in more guests. Filling out your listing completely with great professional photos and clear descriptions is the most important step. Paid Ads (Google Search Ads / Platform Boosts): You pay for these. Expect to spend $50-$300 or more per booking, depending on your property, location, and daily rate. You can get bookings within days of starting ads. Ads stop working when you stop paying, but you control your spending and can easily see what works. Organic Social (Instagram, Facebook): This is free to post on. It's not great for getting direct bookings right away. It's better for showing off your space, local area attractions, and building excitement about your property. This can bring repeat guests or direct bookings for your own website later on.
How to Prioritize Listing Optimization
Make your listing on Airbnb, VRBO, or Booking.com as perfect as possible. This means hiring a professional photographer to get high-quality photos that show off every part of your space, inside and out. Write a detailed description that uses keywords guests often search for (e.g., 'pet friendly', 'hot tub', 'walk to beach', 'near [local attraction]'). Be sure to set clear house rules and cancellation policies. Ask every happy guest for a 5-star review. Good reviews are the single biggest factor in getting more bookings and showing up higher in search results on these sites. If you have a separate website for direct bookings, make sure it has the same clear information, good photos, and local details, optimized for searches like 'vacation rentals [your city]'.
When to Use Paid Ads
Use paid ads to get your first few guests and fill empty dates quickly. Many platforms like Airbnb and VRBO offer ways to 'boost' or promote your listing for a fee. This helps you show up higher in search results right away, especially when you don't have many reviews yet. You can also use Google Search Ads. Target searches like 'vacation rental [your city]', 'Airbnb [your neighborhood]', or 'short term rental [your city] with pool'. Send these ad clicks to your direct booking website or your property listing on Airbnb/VRBO. Start with a daily budget of $10-$30 and track how many bookings you get for the money you spend.
The Verdict
First year: Focus most of your effort on making your listings on Airbnb and VRBO perfect, and get as many 5-star guest reviews as possible. Use paid ads (like platform boosts or Google Ads) to quickly fill your calendar and build your reputation. Second year and beyond: Your strong review history will naturally bring more bookings without as much need for paid ads. Social media becomes more useful for attracting repeat guests or promoting your own direct booking website. Don't waste time trying to get bookings only from Instagram while your Airbnb/VRBO listings aren't top-notch. That's where most guests are looking for rentals.
How to Get Started
1. Listing Optimization: Create complete, eye-catching listings on Airbnb, VRBO, and Booking.com. Hire a professional photographer to capture your space. Write clear, keyword-rich descriptions. Set up instant booking and respond quickly to guest messages. 2. Guest Reviews: Ask every guest who enjoyed their stay for a 5-star review. Make it easy for them. Respond to all reviews, good or bad, to show you care about guest experience. 3. Paid Ads: Explore the 'boost' or 'promoted listing' options directly on Airbnb or VRBO to get quick visibility. If you have a direct booking website, set up Google Search Ads for keywords like 'vacation rental [your city]' and similar high-intent searches. 4. Social Media: Create an Instagram business profile for your property. Post high-quality photos of your rental and nearby attractions 2-3 times a week. Use relevant hashtags like #yourcityvacation, #yourneighborhoodairbnb, #travel[yourcity].
RECOMMENDED TOOLS
Some links above are affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you sign up — at no extra cost to you.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How long does local SEO take to work?
Most local businesses start seeing meaningful Google Business Profile traffic improvements within 1–3 months. Ranking in the local 3-pack for competitive keywords typically takes 4–9 months of consistent optimization. The timeline depends on your market competition, how complete your profile is, and how many reviews you accumulate.
What is Google Local Services Ads and how does it differ from Google Ads?
Google Local Services Ads (LSA) appear above traditional search results for service categories. You pay per lead (a phone call or message), not per click. You must pass a Google background check, license verification, and insurance check to run LSA. Standard Google Search Ads are self-serve, pay-per-click, and available to any business.
Should I pay someone to manage my Google Ads?
For budgets under $500/month, managing your own ads with Google's built-in tools is more cost-effective than paying a management fee. At $1,000+/month in ad spend, a skilled Google Ads manager typically produces enough improvement in cost-per-lead to pay for themselves. Avoid agencies charging a high percentage of ad spend — it creates an incentive to increase your budget regardless of return.
Apply This in Your Checklist