Yesterday I wrote about the use of clear messages in the financial and business highlights section in Airbnb’s Q1 ’22 shareholder letter.

Right after that section, Airbnb changes gears and introduces us to this guy:

By doing this, Airbnb is following-up the macro with the micro. It is following-up the ‘data-story’ with the story of an individual host.

The story starts with a brief introduction to the host – humanising him, and making you care for him:

Then the story moves to how Jason’s bookings have rebounded post the pandemic (underlying subtext: because of smart policies being adopted by Airbnb):

Finally, it ends with a heartwarming quote from Jason, where he talks about why he is an Airbnb host (this is basically a pitch for future hosts!):

When telling data stories, apart from the numbers and data, consider adding the perspective of an individual user/customer. It can bring a lot of vivid detail and colour to your story.

#SOTD 54