Writing Houfy posts is easy once you get the hang of it–it's even easier to get started on the wrong track. There's no need to go down the same bumpy road some of us already walked! To speed up your learning curve, I've compiled this list so you're not figuring things out alone, and can avoid a "Post clean-up" later down the road. I highly suggest spending 3 minutes reading Introduction to Post, Story, and Collection before continuing.
1) A post is not a collection. A collection is not a post. These terms are NOT interchangeable.
This is the number one thing that confuses people the most. A post and collection are two different things. Posts can be bookmarked (saved) to collections. Don't use the collection's "description box" to write about your favorite hiking trail. The description box is used to briefly describe the kinds of posts that can be found in the collection.
Publish a post about the hiking trail. Then bookmark the post to your collection. Even if you only have one hiking trail to put in your Hiking collection, it should be added as a post. Unlike posts, "collection descriptions" do not show up in anyone's houfeed–not even your own.
Note: If you've never seen your own posts in your houfeed, it's likely because you're writing collection descriptions. Cut/paste the text from the descriptions and create posts out of them.
2) Start following other houfy members as soon as possible.
Begin interacting and using Houfy Social. Following people exposes you to various writing and organizational styles of other members. No one is going to think you're a stalker! Just search for the member's profile in the Houfy search bar or check out the list of people I am following.
I suggest reading the All Posts feed instead of only your own Houfeed. Many of you only see what Thijs posts from Houfy, Inc. because you're not following anyone else. The All Posts feed shows posts currently being published by all members. The more people you follow, the more ideas you'll have when creating your own collections.
Begin to comment and ask questions on others' posts. Share them! In turn, this will encourage other members and travelers to follow suit. Whenever I notice I have a new follower, I always follow the person back (including my own guests) to see what kinds of content they may be writing about. More followers = more people who read and share your Posts.
3) Ctrl + Z Might Be Your New Best Friend.
I didn't discover this time saving keyboard function till long after I began writing posts. For the minority who may not know this, Ctrl + Z is your computer keyboard's Undo function. Post is easy for me now, but I used to struggle when I would accidentally delete my photos all the time. Ctrl + Z does work, and it has absolutely changed my life.
5) Pixabay is great for Stock photos.
If you're like me and hardly have any pics of the places you're writing about, Pixabay is a great resource. I wish I had known about Pixabay when I first started writing.
I played around with Shutterstock and other sites, but complying with their rules seemed like more trouble than they were worth. And the lesser known free sites didn't have much photo inventory. All of the pics in this Story are from Pixabay. The site is really easy to navigate. I highly recommend it.
6) Posts should be revisited from time to time.
Some establishments will close, have a change in management, or change the services offered. In areas where mom and pop places often shut the doors before closing time, it's best to link to the amt the bottom of your Story. That way travelers know to always check their hours before driving out.
Notice within this post I suggest checking the food truck's facebook page for their schedule, and at the bottom I link to their storefront location. For long standing businesses with consistent year round hours, I will include more detail of open/close hours within the post.
7) Don't forget to embed your Houfy listing at the bottom of each post.
You are missing opportunities if you're not! Every time your post is shared by guests, travelers, and other Houfy members, they'll know you also offer lodging. Remember, many people who entered Houfy Social via a post don't even realize they are on a site that also offers accommodations (unless they happen to notice the lodging tab at the very top).
For people with multiple properties, there's a Houfy link that lets the traveler see all of your Houfy properties in one glance, including those you have For Sale.
Embedding our Houfy listings also brings uniformity to our posts, and helps to develop brand recognition for Houfy. Think of it like putting a Houfy stamp at the bottom, right before you hit Publish now.
Eventually, people will recognize these posts and associate them with Houfy. Look at the very bottom of this post along with the tagline.
Learn how to create beautiful posts.
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