Selling a charter week: what a yacht page needs
Most yacht pages open with a specification table. Charter guests, and the brokers who advise them, are choosing something else: a week at sea with the right crew, in the right waters, for the people they travel with.
Lead with the week, not the specification
Length, beam and engines matter, but they are rarely why a guest chooses one yacht over another of the same size. Open with what the week is like: where the yacht likes to cruise, how the decks are used from morning to night, what the crew is known for. Then the specification, for those who need it.
What every yacht page should answer
- Who it suits. A family with young children, a group of friends, a couple, guests who dive, guests who need to work on board. Say it plainly.
- How the space works. A deck plan with the cabins marked, which cabins connect, where the shade is, where people eat. Photographs labelled with the space they show.
- The crew. Names, roles and a line about each, with the captain’s and the chef’s experience. Many repeat charters are booked for the crew as much as the yacht.
- Where and when. Summer and winter cruising areas, the ports where charters usually begin, and a few suggested itineraries.
- Rates and terms. Weekly rates by season, and what is and is not included. Be precise about the advance provisioning allowance and taxes; a broker will ask in any case.
- Tenders and toys. Tenders, water toys, diving equipment, connectivity on board. A short, current list, with the date it was last checked.
Write for brokers as well as guests
Much charter business is introduced by brokers, who compare many yachts quickly for a client. Give them what they need in one place: a brochure to download that matches the website, current availability or a fast way to ask for it, and a named contact who replies the same day.
Photograph life on board
Empty saloons and drone shots are expected. What sells a week are the moments in between: breakfast on the aft deck, the tender heading for a beach, the chef at the morning market, a table laid at sunset. Plan for them in the brief, with permission from anyone who appears in the frame.
The studio designs websites and charter brochures for yachts and their management companies. See yachting.
