We have had only one application for our sit coming up in July ( 4th-17th) the person who applied has no reviews and no testimonials. This seems really scary. How do I get more applications? Maybe I am doing something wrong
Hello and welcome!
If it were me I would decline that applicant.
Add your listing link to your forum profile for feedback from other forum members; it usually helps much.
Everyone has to start somewhere.
Is the application nice and chatty or one line?
Have they sat before but didn’t get a review?
Do you think the personality coming through from the application would suit your pets/sit?
Maybe ask them to put some references on their profile. Have a chat, preferably a video call, with them to see what you make of them. Make sure that they are completely aware that the chat is a getting to know them better and it doesn’t mean they have definitely got the sit.
One line applications show no commitment, in my opinion. Sitters should put some effort into their letter of introduction. Immediately you sense a red flag, terminate but in a nice way. Encourage them to put more information on their profiles.
I hope you get a great sitter and enjoy your holiday.
Take a look at other listings, especially ones that you’re competing against. See how you could market your sit better, through the eyes of a sitter.
Examples of listings that many sitters pass on:
• A headline that’s not compelling.
• Skimpy info about the location or pets. Like what’s appealing enough about your location and home to make someone want to barter their labor? What neighborhood are you in? How much care do your pets require? Where do they sleep? How long can they be left? Do they need medication or special care?
• Info written in a tone like you’re putting in an order for service.
• Bad or missing photos of where the sitter would sleep, eat, cook, relax.
• Unrealistic expectations, like expecting sitters to rarely leave the home and pets.
Some hosts seem to think cute pets and shelter are enough. That’s rarely the case, because most pets are lovable and most of us have homes or alternatives for shelter. We’re not desperate. We’re looking for enjoyable exchanges. Otherwise, few of us would voluntarily sit.
Eighteen months ago, I was a non-reviewed person and I got a nice sit in large home near the European area of Brussels. No testimonials either.
How many reviews do you have yourself? (I still apply to listings without reviews.)
Hey there,
If you’re struggling with applicants, you might want to check out this blog I inspired for THS about mistakes to avoid when creating a listing. Hope it helps!
Also remember that everyone has to start somewhere, and of course you can have preference about who you’re looking for, but at one stage I was an applicant with no reviews & testimonials too - and now I’m a full time sitter with 4 years under my belt!
High suggest you attach your listing to this post. It’s very hard to give feedback with zero information about what you’re offering sitters.
Here’s how you can do that How to add a listing or profile link to your FORUM profile
Have a video chat with them and get a feel for what kind of person they are before rejecting. We all started out with no reviews.
Then you might be missing out on a good sitter. We all had to start somewhere….
Thanks everyone! I updated my profile! The pets are really low maintenance. We are out of the house from 9-3 most days. No one needs medicine. We have great collection of movies something like 20tb. My pantry is always overly stocked. I’m not sure what really sets my place apart.
My house
My choice
As a HO, I think you could still improve your listing a bit @sparkinit As you don’t have any reviews yet, your listing is all the info potential sitters have.
Try taking horizontal pictures of your home. They look much better on this platform!
Your Home and location section is very informative, but the resposibilities section is quite sparse now. You might like to add a bit more information in it, f.ex.:
- walks: how many, how long and at what time, together or separate
- food for cats: maybe a bit more info about how many food bowls are scattered around the house and how often they would need to be checked typically
- cats litterboxs: how many and how often you should scoop them? Are the cats indoor only?
- how long can the animals be left alone? (When you make your listing, there’s a place where you tick an answer for this question, but that’s not visible for sitters , so you need to write it down)
Go through other listings and pick up things you like. You can get ideas about pictures, way to phrase things and more. I once saw a listing with the info of what a typical day for the pet looks like, and adopted that to my listing.
That’s a good point. We’ve now had two set of sitters, and the third sitter is confirmed for November.
We live in a popular location, so have always had many applicants, but for the first listing most of our applications came from sitter with no or very few reviews. For our third sit, we received more applications for people with lots of reviews.
The first sit was 6 weeks, and it was the second sit for the sitters (their first sit was just before ours, so no reviews when we confirmed the sit). All went really well.
Everyone has to start with no reviews, including you, and it’s hard to get your first sit or sitter. I wouldn’t discount them just for that.
I think your profile could do with a few more changes.
Kayaks - can the sitters use these?
How many bedrooms? Is it a good sit for a family or not?
Pets - there’s very little info on these
Dogs - do they walk nicely on the lead and are they generally well-trained. Do they get on with other animals? Good with children? How long are the walks? What are their personalities? Will they go in the car? Are they walkable together by a solo sitter?
Cats - indoor/outdoor? How many litter trays?
In general - are all pets registered with a local vet (distance to that?) and how will you pay any vet bills (on account? Credit card details on file with vet? Call us and we’ll pay?). Are pets expected to be allowed on furniture/beds? How long can they be left?
I would replace the gushing about your family’s creative, active lifestyle with more practical information about your home so a sitter can imagine what it would be like to stay there without you.
Hello,
Don’t loose hope, It is just the beginning.
If u loose hope in the beginning, how u make it till the end.
Try to get applicants from different platforms.
even a single person is enough, u still don’t have to loose hope.
because something is better then nothing, and you are doing great!
Don’t give up!
@sparkinit your advert isn’t great and needs work
You don’t need to say great home twice in the title.
Its irrelevant that you’re active people - this info doesn’t add anything useful and that’s the first thing sitters read. Here you need to say what is attractive for sitters to want to travel to your home and take care of your pets at their own expense. What’s in it for the sitter.
Info about responsibilities is sparse:
How often are they fed, walked, how long, where are the walks are they nearby or do you red to drive to a dog park, where do they sleep, how many bowls are there, any medications? We need practical info on the work involved with the pet care upfront.
Did you write your home and location section using chat gpt because it gives off an odd and uncomfortable vibe which feels a little fake. Doesn’t sound like a real normal person. What are the bedrooms like for the sitter? Double bed? Air con? Suitable for families?
There’s too much missing for sitters to make an informed choice on whether to apply as it’s likely after applying and scheduling call there’s deal breakers you’ll find out about from in person conversation and it’s a waste of time.
It looks like that bed is in a guest room, and that it is normally standing vertically (crumpling the bedding)?
@pietkuip totally agree - the photo is really uninviting, the bed isn’t made or tidied up even slightly, covers just thrown on the bed.
I also know with experience not to assume that a photo of the guest room is actually the room you’ll be staying in as a sitter - it’s best to have it spelled out in black and white in the info. Lots of people put photos of rooms in the ad that they have every intention of locking and sitters don’t even have access to - pretty pointless.
I see you have already gotten plenty of great advice here and have made some changes, so well done One thing to note is that you have 43 images - you should aim for a maximum of about 20 - 25. Nobody is going to scroll through so many images, and we don’t need to see every angle of every room in the house or quite repetitive images of your pets (some are repeat images too!). Just choose your top 20 pics that really showcase your sit, and you should be good to go!