How to Find New Guests with Social Media

Your next guest is already scrolling. The question is whether your rental shows up when they do.

Social media platforms give hosts two distinct ways to grow bookings: reaching people who've never heard of you, and re-engaging people who already have. Here's how both work.

Finding Brand New Guests

Lookalike Audiences

If you're running paid ads on Facebook or Instagram, this is one of the smartest tools you're probably not using.

Upload your existing guest list (past bookers, email subscribers, direct booking contacts) and the platform finds other users who share similar traits: travel habits, interests, demographics, spending behavior. You're essentially telling the algorithm "find me more people like the guests who already love my property."

It's prospecting, but smarter.

Saved Audiences (Interest-Based Targeting)

No guest list yet? No problem. Saved audiences let you build a target from scratch using filters like:

• Interests (hiking, beach travel, family vacations, cabin getaways)
• Behaviors (frequent travelers, people who've recently searched flights)
• Demographics (couples, families with kids, age ranges that match your ideal guest)

You're essentially describing your dream guest and letting the platform go find them.

Re-Engaging People Who Already Know You

Website Retargeting

Someone visited your direct booking site, poked around, and left without booking. That's not a lost guest. That's a warm lead.

Retargeting ads follow them after they leave and show your property again while they're browsing elsewhere. A gentle reminder while they're still in trip-planning mode can be enough to bring them back.

Abandoned Inquiry Follow-Up

If someone started a booking or inquiry and didn't finish, that's your highest-intent audience. They were close. A well-timed ad (or a direct message if the platform allows it) can push them over the line.

Social Media Engagement Audiences

People who've liked your posts, saved your photos, watched your Reels, or followed your account are already interested. You can build a custom audience from that engagement and serve them ads specifically, keeping your property top of mind while they plan their next trip.

Past Guest Lists

Your existing guest list is an asset most hosts ignore. Upload it to Facebook or Instagram and run campaigns directly to people who've already stayed with you. Repeat guests are cheaper to convert than new ones, and a well-timed ad before peak season can fill your calendar fast.

The Simple Framework

Think of it in two buckets:

Cold audiences (never heard of you): Use lookalike audiences and interest-based targeting to get in front of the right travelers.

Warm audiences (already aware): Use retargeting, engagement audiences, and past guest lists to close the loop.

Most hosts only post organic content and hope for the best. The ones consistently hitting high occupancy are working both buckets, putting even a small ad budget behind the content they're already creating.

Your guests are out there. They just need to see you first.

For more tactics aimed specifically at direct bookings, see 7 Ways to Increase Direct Bookings with Social Media, and for the complete platform strategy, Social Media Marketing for Vacation Rentals.