Here’s how user feedback drives our content strategy
The Host HQ is a Chicago-based independent media outlet to help Airbnb hosts navigate rules and taxes, learn from each other, and optimize their business. Visit us at thehosthq.com and follow us on Medium to see what we’re doing behind the scenes.
The Host HQ’s editorial team has been on the grind for the past few weeks. As we described earlier in this blog, we want our content creation to be a two-way street where readers can not only get the information and resources they need, but also provide their input promptly through our own channels. You may have noticed: We incorporated a feedback questionnaire at the end of every article to engage readers in the conversation.
We designed it to take only a few seconds to fill out, but it opens an avenue for us to gauge reader interest, receive feedback and adjust our content strategy accordingly. For example, for a story on Airbnb’s Host Guarantee, we asked readers to tell us their own experiences filing a claim. Feedback from that form inspires follow-up stories to help other readers.
We also asked readers about their trusted vacation rental insurance provider — hosts are already helping each other out with product recommendations in all kinds of forums and online groups. We add value by providing the reasons behind their top choices, breaking down the product details and helping hosts make more informed decisions on our Listings page.
To build user loyalty around our brand and voice, it’s important to start off with the right attitude and strategy, but also constantly revisit and reflect upon work done in the past.
That is why we are reaching out to a selection of hosts in Chicago across different demographics, occupations and neighborhood areas for their honest opinion. In return, we provide $20 Amazon gift cards to hosts who participate in the feedback interviews. We want to go above and beyond in evaluating how our content is actively benefiting hosts, what we are doing well, what we’re missing, and how we can improve.
Inside the newsroom
Here’s the breakdown of our editorial process:
- At the start of each week, the team comes up with an overarching theme for the next newsletter issue.
- Each reporter pitches a unique story under that umbrella.
- The editor approves these pitches and gives recommendations for sources or angles.
- Reporters reach out to sources for interviews and write their drafts.
- The editor and editorial adviser give feedback on the drafts.
- Reporters go back in to finalize their stories, add SEO headlines and descriptions, feedback questions, pull quotes, information for sidebars and social media copy.
- The designer curates art or creates graphics for each article and places the story on the website.
- The editor approves final drafts and publishes to our website, social media and newsletter, where readers enjoy the final product.
Our first issue focused on the legal landscape of hosting a vacation rental in Chicago. Here’s how we covered it:
- The city has implemented complex requirements for license and registration on short-term residential rental activity. In her data-driven, well-researched piece, our reporter Jessica Qiao broke down why the requirement was created in the first place and how hosts can navigate the process with ease.
- Guest “horror stories” are often overhyped as long as hosts take reasonable precautions. Using personal experiences from local hosts and a legal expert, I took a narrative approach to provide tips and tools so hosts can more thoroughly vet who’s coming to their homes.
- When incidents happen in the unit, it falls on the insurance to protect Airbnb hosts from large legal fees. The rental platform provides a free Host Guarantee that promises to cover up to $1 million in property damage. Reporter Tyler Sonnemaker dived into the fine print to show hosts they can’t rely solely on the guarantee.
Takeaways from the reporting field
Our big takeaway: Readers are eager to give feedback, and their insights can lead us into different content directions that we didn’t anticipate. We need to be open to changes.
When I posted a question on Facebook group asking if hosts who have experienced so-called “horror stories” are willing to describe them, I received critical input from multiple hosts that this predetermined narrative would paint Airbnb in a negative light, which in turn might discourage newcomers to the market and agitate lawmakers who are already on the fence about home-sharing. Shorge Sato, an Airbnb lawyer in Chicago, told us to avoid the common mistake the media makes by focusing on the negative and blowing it out of proportion. Their advice helped me readjust my story focus — instead of profiling a bad guest experience, I ended up writing about measures hosts can take to prevent such things from happening.
As journalists, we sometimes fall into the trap of writing articles that impress ourselves and show off our reporting skills. But as content creators for The Host HQ, where design thinking is at the forefront of everything we do, it is key we adapt to this new editorial philosophy. We aim to combine the rigorous research, fact-checking and reporting standards with a user-centered mindset in our future work.