Airbnb's least-famous growth hack

In 2009, Airbnb was struggling.

They’d just expanded from SF to NYC, but bookings were still low.

At the time, paying to stay in a stranger’s home over a hotel room was a tough sell.

One of the issues: the listings didn’t look inviting, particularly the photos.

So Airbnb hired professional photographers and sent them to all the NYC listings, to shoot bright, welcoming photos.

Bookings took off and the following month, revenue doubled.

Airbnb made pro photos a standard for new listings.

The results 👇

I’m all for an ugly MVP, but people are drawn to what looks good.