For vacation rentals and short-term rentals
Social media for vacation rentals:
what to set up first
For a vacation rental, the first thing a guest needs is somewhere to check dates, with photos and recent reviews to trust. Here is the order to set things up, what each profile needs, and the five posts to make first, so someone planning a trip can see the place and how to book it.
Paste your vacation rental’s website
Free · no credit card · nothing publishes without your OKSet up in this order
Start with the page guests will book on, and add the next channel when the one before it is complete.
Your own website or booking page, with photos of the place, what is included and a way to check dates or ask. Every profile below links here, so it comes first.
FirstA Page for the rental, with the area in the name or description, a Book Now or Contact button, messaging on, and a link to your booking page. 71% of US adults use it.2
SecondThe grid of rooms, the outdoor space and the area around it. A professional account, linked to your Facebook Page, with your booking page in the bio. 50% of US adults use it.2
ThirdGoogle's guidelines say a rental home can't have a Business Profile, and that a leasing office can. If you run a staffed office, set one up; if not, skip it and keep your name and photos the same everywhere else.
If you qualifyWhat each profile needs
The same list on every channel. The first group is what a guest checks before choosing you; the second group is what makes the profile look tended.
- A profile pictureYour best photo of the place, or its logo if it has one. The same one everywhere.
- A short bioWhere it is, how many it sleeps, and what makes it a good place to stay.
- A linkYour own booking page, so a guest who likes what they see can check dates. If you rent only through Airbnb or Vrbo, link the listing.
- A Book Now or Contact buttonFacebook and Instagram both offer one, so a guest can check dates or ask a question without hunting for the link.
- Photos of the placeEvery bedroom, the kitchen, the outdoor space and the view, in daylight, taken by you. Show only what a guest will find.
- A Google listing, if Google allows oneGoogle's guidelines list rental homes as not eligible for a Business Profile and a leasing office as eligible. If you can't have one, use the same name and photos everywhere else.3
- Reviews, and recent onesAsk after a good stay, wherever the review will appear. See the numbers below for why this comes before posting.1
- A cover photoThe view or the best room, wide. Not a stock photo.
- A pinned "why stay here" postThe first post a visitor sees. Where it is, how many it sleeps, how to book.
- A photo of the hostYou, or the person who greets guests. A phone photo is enough.
- HighlightsOn Instagram: The place, The area, Reviews, How to book.
- The right categoryVacation rental or the closest match each channel offers, set the same way on every channel.
- The same name everywhereOne spelling of the rental's name on your booking page, Facebook, Instagram and your listings.
- What is includedBedrooms and beds, the amenities, house rules, and check-in times, in the words guests search with.
- A post from the last two weeksSo the profile looks tended between stays. Not daily; recent.
Reviews come before posts
For a local business, the review count and how recent the reviews are do more than the posting schedule. From a 2026 survey of 1,002 US adults.1
read reviews for local businesses.
won't use a business with fewer than 20 reviews.
look for reviews from the last three months.
So the first habit is the ask after a good stay, and the first post to make is the one that points a new guest to your reviews.
The first five posts
One job each, in this order. Together they answer what a guest wants to know before booking: where it is, whether past guests liked it, what the place is like, what is nearby, and how to book.
The place and who is hosting. Where it is, how many it sleeps, how to book. Pin it.
A review quoted with the guest's permission, or your own photo of the place as it is today. A real result, not a claim.
A room-by-room tour in photos: the beds, the kitchen, the outdoor space. The same words as your listing.
What is a short walk or drive away, and what you would tell a friend to do first. Real places, named.
Your booking page, the dates that are open, the minimum stay and the check-in time.
What to check before you post
Four things that are specific to rentals. One line each.
Ask before you post a photo of a guest, or a photo a guest took, and say which channels it will go on. A note of who said yes, for which photo, is enough.
If you offer a thank-you for a review, offer it for any review, good or bad. The FTC says a reward can't depend on the review being positive; see its Endorsement Guides questions and answers.3
Both platforms have rules against moving a booking off their platform. Airbnb's list includes asking guests to move future or repeat bookings and offering discounts to book off Airbnb. Vrbo's covers links, QR codes and contact details in a listing. Read Airbnb's off-platform policy and Vrbo's for each platform you rent on before you promote booking direct.3
Some cities ask for your license or registration number on every listing that advertises a rental; Seattle's rules are one example. Check your city's and county's rules before you post, and keep the number with your other listing details.3
Rebbel reads your site: the place, where it is, the photos of the rooms and the area, the way you describe it.
Your words, colors and photos, kept in one place you can see and correct. You confirm the photos it may use.
The five posts above and the ones after them, in your voice and colors, for the channels you connect.
Where the posts go
The channels live today. Connecting one takes a few minutes; the guide walks through it.4
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Bluesky
LinkedIn (Personal)
PinterestCommon questions
What should a vacation rental post first?+
The five posts above, in that order: the place and the host, a review with permission or your own photo, a room-by-room tour, the area, and how to book. After those, one new photo or one local tip a week is plenty.
Can my rental have a Google Business Profile?+
Not as a rental home. Google's guidelines list rental properties such as vacation homes as not eligible, and a sales or leasing office as eligible, so a staffed rental office can have one. Separately, Google's vacation rental results are for professional property managers, who usually connect through a booking partner, not individual owners. Check Google's eligibility guidelines and its vacation rentals page before you start. Rebbel doesn't post to Google.3
Where should my profile link go if I rent on Airbnb or Vrbo?+
To your own booking page if you have one. If you rent only through a platform, link the listing: Airbnb lets hosts share a listing and make a custom link for each one. Read the platforms' rules in the section above before you promote booking direct.
Is this for short-term rentals, cabins and villas too?+
Yes. A short-term rental, cabin, villa, cottage or bed and breakfast needs the same list: your booking page first, then Facebook and Instagram, with the place, what is included and how to book on each.
Can I post a guest's photo?+
Yes, with their OK. Ask before it goes up, say which channels it will go on, and keep a note of the yes.
Do I need to post every day?+
No. For a local business, a complete profile and recent reviews matter more than the posting schedule.1 Keep one post from the last two weeks on each profile so it looks tended.
Do I need templates or a designer?+
No. Rebbel makes finished posts in your colors and type from the photos you confirm. Your own photos of your own place are what a guest wants to see; stock pictures show somewhere else.
What does Free include?+
One brand, one campaign a month, a brand guide and a strategy, and publishing to Facebook and Instagram. No card, no time limit.
Set up and read more
1 BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 (1,002 US adults): brightlocal.com/research/local-consumer-review-survey. 97% read reviews for local businesses; 47% won't use a business with fewer than 20 reviews; 74% look for reviews from the last three months.
2 Pew Research Center, Social Media Fact Sheet, 2025: share of US adults who use each platform. Facebook 71%, Instagram 50%. pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/social-media.
3 FTC, Endorsement Guides questions and answers: an incentive for a review can't depend on the review being positive. www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/ftcs-endorsement-guides. Google, Business eligibility and ownership guidelines: "Rental or for-sale properties such as vacation homes, model homes, or vacant apartments" are not eligible; "Sales or leasing offices, however, are eligible for verification." support.google.com/business/answer/13763036. Google, vacation rentals on Google: individual owners, peer-to-peer rentals, individual rooms and partial homes are not eligible for its vacation rentals results; professional property managers can list through a connectivity provider. support.google.com/hotelprices/answer/12564561. Airbnb, off-platform policy: asking or encouraging users to move current, future or repeat bookings, and offering or soliciting discounts to book off Airbnb, are prohibited. www.airbnb.com/help/article/2799. Expedia Group, off-platform booking policy: Vrbo hosts must not include links, QR codes, buttons or contact details intended to redirect guests away from Vrbo. expediagroup.com/en-us/marketplace-policies/offline-booking-policy. City of Seattle: the short-term rental operator license must be posted on every listing advertising or offering the unit. www.seattle.gov/business-regulations/short-term-rentals. Rules differ by platform, city and county and change over time. This page is a checklist, not legal advice.
4 The channels listed are the ones live in Rebbel today. The profile list is the one Rebbel checks for a rental; the order within each group is ours.
Last checked 2026-10-19; re-checked every 30 days.