Sound Familiar?
Pesky Problem
The majority of your guests don’t leave reviews.
Even when they were great guests. Even when they had a phenomenal time. Even when you left them a glowing review. Even when all that’s true, there are many guests who let that two week window lapse and never leave your Airbnb a review. This can be especially frustrating for new hosts because it compounds that chicken and egg problem: without any reviews, it’s harder to book guests, and without any guests, you have no reviews.
Let's Try This
Bite-Size Solution
Ask your guests directly to leave you a review.
Here’s a super simple and surprisingly underutilized solution: ask those silent guests directly to leave a review. Often hosts avoid this because they feel like it’s too pushy. Or they interpret the silence as a sign of an unhappy guest. Neither is true.
Guests are just busy folks. Once their trip is over, the most likely thing is they’ve simply forgotten or they don’t realize how much their review matters to you. A little digital nudge might be all they need to pull out their phone and review your place. And we promise, as long as you don’t tell them what to say, guests will not take offense . If anything, they’ll appreciate your reminder to do what they’ve been meaning to do anyways.
5 Minutes
Here's Your First Step
Draft your communication template.
Just like with all routine guest communication, we recommend creating a template here. That way, when you need it, you’ve got your tried and true text message in your back pocket and ready to send. Here’s a starter template if you’re not sure where to begin. Take this language and make it your own.
Hello! We hope you had a safe trip home. If you have just a few moments today, we’d be very grateful if you would leave us a review. Your honest opinion is so helpful to guests considering our Airbnb. Each review makes such a difference for us. Thanks again for choosing our place for your trip. If you’re ever back in town, we’d love to host you again!
Once you’ve got your template all polished up and ready to go, decide when you will follow up with silent guests. Somewhere between three and five days feels right to us. When the time comes, summon the courage to ask for the review you and your Airbnb need. You’ve got this!