We stay in different Airbnb’s all over the world.

As you likely know, Hannah & I travel a lot.

I want to share with you one creative way I  save myself thousands of dollars in living costs over the coming months.

This strategy won’t work or apply to everyone, but the principle here can be applied to many different niches.

Airbnb has a simple refer-a-friend program where if you refer someone to Airbnb and they start using it you will receive travel credit for referring that person.

Every Airbnb user has access to this. Log into your account, click on your picture icon, then click “invite your friends”. You should see something like this:

Airbnb will generate a unique link to you. Here’s mine: www.airbnb.co.uk/c/nbuchan2. When someone clicks on your link they are tracked using a thing called “cookies”. Meaning once they sign up and create an account, Airbnb will know that you are the one who referred them to the website.

So when someone joins Airbnb after clicking on your link, the user will receive Airbnb travel credit and so will you. The amount you receive changes based on how many people you refer. As you get more people to use Airbnb they will pay you more travel credit.

So the front end is very easy, all you have to do is copy the link provided and paste it into blog posts, your website, social media posts and have people start using Airbnb.

But we all know it’s not that easy…

Once you write a blog post and share it on social media, actually reaching people and having them click your link to use Airbnb is hard. It’s tough these days to get people to click on your link, create an account, and then, book and start using the service itself.

You have to get creative or no one will follow through and actually start using it.

So I decided to create a video and explain to people how to use the service and walk through the process that they need to take in order to book and stay in an Airbnb themselves. Although it may seem like a simple task, walking people through can make it a lot less daunting for people who have never taken a trip themselves.

Take a look at this video I created and shared on my Facebook page:

Notice how detailed it is? I walk through every step of the process that I go through when I booked and use an Airbnb myself.

The result?

So far I have $848 New Zealand dollars in Airbnb travel credit to spend. At the time of writing this, I only posted a few weeks ago and have run no advertising on this post.

I don’t get any credit until after a user books AND USES Airbnb. So there are hundreds of users who have signed up but have not yet taken a trip. As more and more people go on holiday or begin to use Airbnb for themselves I will get more and more travel credit; even months after they originally create their account!

What I have found is creating strategic content like this video, can yield you much greater rewards than what you originally intended, because we use social media to drive more and more traffic and eyeballs to the offer.

I am confident that I could spend $1000 on Facebook ads and get $2000+ in Airbnb travel credit.

Now, this is not money, it’s credit.

But for us, it means we are getting accommodation for at least half price. Or in this case, with $0 in advertising, I have earned $848NZD in credit which could pay for a month’s accommodation in certain counties for maybe 5-6 hours of work.

When looking for products, services, or opportunities like this, it’s important to think creatively. Think about what the person who is watching/reading might be thinking.

Do they have any fears or concerns? Have they ever heard of it before? Are there any terms or words that they may not have heard of that you are aware of?

For example, I know that people are very afraid to stay in stranger’s homes, and when they hear about Airbnb the first thought that comes to people’s minds is, “I don’t trust staying with a stranger or living in a stranger’s house”.

So by me explaining how I have been using them for years and by showcasing what it’s like inside these houses, it will break down the fear that these people have and make them comfortable (and hopefully excited) to give it a try.

There are many different opportunities like this out there for you to get creative and make a good income from.

Companies will pay money for referrals, not just travel credit like Airbnb.

So get creative with it. And keep in mind you could do this without an audience, following, or brand. You could simply pay to promote your content on Facebook using paid ads to have people see it on their timeline.

If you are spending less money than you are making, you’re winning!