Hipcamp Hosts: The Perfect Listing Checklist

We’re committed to helping you succeed in 2020, which is why we want to offer you this special listing review checklist! Below, you’ll find a comprehensive list of ways to make sure your listing shines this year.

Before you get started, have you tried viewing your listing like Hipcamper? This is the best way to put yourself in their shoes and make your listing stand out as much as possible. To view your listing like a Hipcamper might, follow these steps:

1. Visit www.hipcamp.com
2. Start typing in your exact listing name—when you see it appear beneath your typing, click it.
3. Press search.
4. Look over your listing as if you’re a Hipcamper interested in booking. What do you notice?

You can read more thorough instructions on how to find and book a listing here.

Now that you’ve searched and viewed your listing like a Hipcamper, you’re ready for the listing review checklist below. It’s broken up into different sections to make it easier for you to identify an area you want to learn more about.

Listing Setup

❒ My listing is Instant Book, if I’m able to offer this.

❒ On my listing page, under “Campsite area” or “Lodging provided,” the correct site type is listed. (If I allow tents only, it says bring your own tents, for example.)

❒ If I offer a tent or RV campsite as well as a structure, they have been separated into different listings.

❒ On my listing page, under “Essentials,” all of my site’s core features are listed. (Hint: guests love pet friendly sites, toilets, campfires, and showers.)

❒ On my listing page, under “Amenities,” I’m not missing any amenities. (Hint: guests love potable water, kitchens, picnic tables, and trash bins.)

Photos

❒ My first photo is a horizontally-oriented, zoomed-out photo of where the guest will be staying. Learn how to reorder your photos here.

❒ My first photo is not blurry, dark, or vertically-oriented. It’s also not a picture of a sign, my property entrance, a dark sunset, or a close-up of an animal or plant. (We love these photos, but it’s best if you show the guest where they are staying first!)

❒ I used Hipcamp’s photo guide to take photos of my land.

❒ My photos are not too small and they are easy to see.

❒ I have uploaded at least 10 photos.

❒ I have added descriptive captions to my photos explaining what the guest is looking at.

❒ If I offer a vehicle-only listing, there is a vehicle in the first photo.

Listing Name & Description

❒ My listing name doesn’t have typos or special characters (!%$#), and is grammatically correct.

❒ My listing name includes the type of experience I’m offering (tent or RV campsite, cabin, airstream, treehouse, etc.)

❒ My listing name includes keywords about the site, like private, secluded, views, forest, river, coastal, beach, farm, etc. and I used the listing naming guide to name it.

❒ My listing description is at least 100 words.

❒ My listing description doesn’t have typos and is grammatically correct.

❒ My listing description has paragraph breaks every couple of sentences.

❒ My listing description mentions how many acres my property is, how private the site is, any special features or amenities the camper would like to know about, and nearby attractions like natural features, swimming holes, outdoor activities, restaurants, and shops. I have used the listing description guide to write it.

Pricing

❒ When I visit the pricing section of my listing in my dashboard, I’m pricing within the suggested range.

❒ If I’m a tent-only site, I’m not requiring more than 1 minimum night.

❒ If I’m not getting enough weeknight bookings, I’m offering a weeknight discount.

Marketing

❒ I have shared my listing on Facebook, Instagram, and other social channels (see how to craft the perfect post here), especially in groups I’m a part of.

❒ If I have a website, I’ve added a Hipcamp booking button.

Examples of listings that check all the boxes

1. Hidden Lake Farm, Kentucky — Tent and van camping
2. The Watering Hole, California — Tent, van, and trailer camping
3. The Quail Nest at Star Route, California — Canvas tent
4. Riverbank Tent Sites, Maine — Tent camping

Still have questions about how you can improve your listing? Get in touch with us here!