A new listing does not start at zero — it starts at a disadvantage. It has no reviews, no booking history and no signals for a search algorithm to work with. What happens in the first few weeks shapes visibility far longer than the three months in question. That is why this phase deserves to be run as its own project rather than as "let's see how it goes".

Weeks 1–2: completeness before beauty

The most common mistake is publishing a half-finished listing too early. A listing with eight photos and empty amenity fields collects exactly the attention in its first days that it will never get again — and wastes it.

Before you go live, these should be in place: at least 20 good photos in a sensible order (living area first, then bedrooms, kitchen, bathroom, outdoor space, neighbourhood last), every amenity ticked — including the seemingly trivial ones like iron, hairdryer or kettle, because guests filter by them — complete house rules, a realistic arrival window, and a title that names the location rather than stacking adjectives.

Photography is the one area where professional help almost always pays for itself. The difference between phone snaps and a properly lit set shows up directly in click-through rate — and click-through rate is what creates any movement at all in those first weeks.

Weeks 1–4: the first bookings matter more than the first price

In the launch phase you are not buying maximum revenue, you are buying reviews and booking signals. A listing with no reviews competes against listings with eighty — and the only real lever you hold at the start is price.

A noticeably reduced launch price for the first bookings, raised in steps as the first reviews land, works well. "Noticeably" does not mean "given away": a price set too low attracts the wrong guests and makes the climb back to your target harder later. A discount in the mid double-digit percentage range for the very first nights, then stepped back towards market level, is a common route — the exact figure depends on the competition on your street, not on a rule of thumb.

At the same time, make it easy to book at all. A five-night minimum in a market that runs on two-night stays blocks precisely the quick early reviews you need. Flexible cancellation terms work similarly in this phase — they lower the hesitation around a property nobody has reviewed yet.

Weeks 2–8: collect reviews actively

Reviews do not appear by themselves; they come from a frictionless stay plus a reminder. Your first five guests therefore deserve above-average attention: a clear arrival message the day before, a short check on the first evening asking whether they found everything, and a friendly review request after departure.

Ask specifically about problems on that first evening — not out of politeness, but because a problem solved during the stay rarely reaches the review. The same problem, discovered unsolved, almost always does.

Those first reviews are also your best diagnostic. If two out of five guests mention the same thing — the mattress, the shower, the stairs — that is not coincidence, it is your first genuine work list.

Weeks 4–12: refine, do not reinvent

Now optimisation runs on data instead of guesswork. Three questions carry you forward:

  • Are you being seen? Few views point to the title, the cover photo or the price — not to the apartment.
  • Are you being booked? Many views without bookings point to price, reviews, minimum stay or cancellation terms.
  • Which nights stay empty? If the same weekdays keep going unsold, that is a pricing and minimum-stay issue, not an equipment issue.

Change one thing at a time in this phase and give it one to two weeks. Adjust cover photo, price and minimum stay on the same day and you will never know which one worked.

After 90 days: the honest look

At the end of the first quarter you should know three numbers: occupancy, average net rate per night sold, and revenue per available night. The third is the decisive one because it combines the other two — high occupancy at low rates is not success, it is a pricing decision with extra work attached.

From here the launch advantage is spent and the listing competes on normal terms. If the fundamentals are right — photos, completeness, clean pricing rules, fast communication — this is the point where the launch discount disappears and the actual return begins.