We have the technology for self-guided tours and audio experiences. But do you have what it takes to create a successful tour?
Behind all the tech, a self-guided tour is still a tour. The same key success factors that apply to human guided tours — engaging content, storytelling, emotional connection, unique insights and meaningful memory creation — still apply. So how do you deliver those success factors through self-guided tours and audio-guided experiences?
For the third edition of the Arival Guide to Self-Guided Tours and Audio Experiences, we explored the self-guided tour and audio experience landscape, with consumer and industry research, a series of interviews, and a systematic analysis of more than 70 audio guide and self-guided platforms. The resulting guide is packed with key strategies, best practices & platforms for tour operators and attractions to develop amazing self-guided tours and audio experiences.
Below, we’ll explore some of the design factors that make self-guided tours (SGTs) and Audio experiences engaging, and help you build in connection with your guests — even through the format of self-guided or audio-guided technology.
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For more details see the complete Arival Guide to Self-Guided Tours and Audio Experiences, which is available at no cost to Insider Free and Pro Access members, thanks to our leadership sponsor Vox Group and featured sponsors Clio Muse and STQRY.
Beyond the Tech Features: The Importance of Connection
While insights, tips, FAQs and itineraries are necessary features of any tour, there remains one additional, essential ingredient: connection. When an emotional bond is created with your guests, that’s where the real magic happens, and your guests can truly invest themselves in the experience.
Here are three key components to creating connection with your guests (with specific recommendations for SGTs and audio experiences):
1. Facilitate Understanding by Weaving Facts into a Narrative
Don’t kill the kick-off with a cold start. The start of any experience – whether in-person or self-guided – is critical. The guest is there. You have their full attention. They should be excited for what’s to come. Don’t deflate their expectations by starting with the usual FAQ. Start with story.
FAQs are important, even for a self-guided tour, so guests understand what to expect and how to navigate the app. But don’t just read off a list… start with story.
One way to do this is to create a “welcome narrative” out of your FAQ, and add to the anticipation by teasing an upcoming highlight of the tour, such as noting a future stop at a shop or café where the tour taker can look forward to stopping for a treat.
This approach allows you to weave important facts and information into a story or narrative, rather than provide a stand-alone list of information.
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2. Invite Engagement by Interacting with Guests as Participants
What makes a tour an experience is simple: participation. Tour guests do not just want to see and hear. They want to participate (even if they don’t know it).
“The more active a tour the better; for me, tour equals active. It is not a passive experience. You
need the energy and excitement,” as one tour trainer said.
So how do you build this into an audio guide format? Here are a few tips:
- Build questions into the narrative.
- Make it conversational.
- Don’t just tell them where to look, but tell them to look for something specific or take a specific action.
- Offer specific recommendations (insider tips) for things such as things to eat/drink/do nearby, great photo spots, hidden gems, and local tips and tricks.
3. Move Your Guests with Story and Emotion (Not Facts & Figures)
Every tour director, trainer, operator and platform provider we spoke to in putting together the Arival Guide to Self-Guided Tours and Audio Experiences emphasized a common theme: story is everything, and facts and figures are best delivered through narrative.
“At all costs you must avoid facts and figures. Only through a compelling narrative can you get an emotional response from the brain. Story is the only way to create a human connection at an emotional level,” one platform and content provider shared.
Here are some common themes and tips for building stoy and emotion into your self-guided tours:
- Deliver information through narrative.
- Keep stories short (in the TikTok age): 40-180 seconds recommended.
- Use anecdotes: Intimate, quirky, interesting, historical, modern, things anyone can relate to.
- Build in “hero” moments that stand out in a story and leave a lasting memory.
Example: British Museum – the Holy Thorned Reliquary
Listen to the audio guide description on Soundcloud here for a “best in class example.”
Here’s what it does well:
- Keeps it short (2:31).
- Has high production quality with a relevant soundtrack (medieval chant).
- Uses narrator, with audio clips from the museum curator.
- Creates anticipation / sets the stage.
- Delivers key facts through a narrative / story format.
- Interacts with the listener, tells them to engage with the object (e.g. look at specific elements).
Learn More about SGTs and AGTs with Arival
Get the complete Arival Guide to Self-Guided Tours and Audio Experiences, including two matrices of SGT and AGT platforms and providers. This guide is available at no cost to Insider Free and Pro Access members, thanks to our leadership sponsor Vox Group and featured sponsors Clio Muse and STQRY.
Insider Pro Access members can also watch our recent Insider Pro Meetup where Vox Group’s Andrew Lawrence joined us for an in-depth look at the latest trends and strategies in self-guided and audio-guided tours. Watch on-demand as we delve into Arival’s latest report and offer actionable insights to help you create engaging and profitable self-guided experiences.
Become an Insider Pro Access member today and get access to the full library of Arival research, plus many other benefits such as free consulting sessions, special discounts and 20% off in-person events, starting from $179 per year.
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Header photo: Pexels / Breakingpic
