Hi,
When I apply to pet sits I usu@lly go straight to the point, just basic message. “I would be very interested in looking after your pets … while you are away.
I have reviews from the platform and private ones too.
Thank you
Kind Regards”
I love animals very much but I don’t like to have to sell myself with the same narrative all the time because they have the profile where they can check everything.
How do you write your application for a sit?
Thank you.
I read the listing and try to empathise with the HO, noting what they prioritise I also read the reviews they’ve written for sitters. Then write my application as if I’m meeting them for the first time and mentioning why I think we’re suitable and a good match maybe.
I always offer my WhatsApp number and suggest a video chat to explore if it’s a possible match on both sides.
I suggest they’ll find more information in my detailed profile, and highlight particular aspects that might meet their listing requirements.
Reading back through x8 successful confirmations they’re all quite different.
@Star1968 Have you been accepted for sits with that approach? Most sitters personalize their application more than that. As a sitter, I mention their pets by name, refer to any specific experience that they need (medicating pets, dealing with separation enxiety, etc) and explain briefly why I want to be in their area.
As a homeowner, I like when sitters put more effort into applications. I don’t need a thesis, but I want to see that they have read the details of my listing. If an application is clearly cut-and-paste, I will usually decline it because I always have more enthusiastic applicants.
A couple of cut & paste sentences might work for sits where there’s little competition. But you may be doing yourself a disservice if you’re applying for popular sits.
I have a high acceptance rate with high-demand sits. Like @Lassie and @BonnyinBrighton, I write a warm and personalized application. First impressions matter a lot and the application is where the first impression is formed.
I’m sure there are lots of great sitters who have success with a one- or two-line application. But I’ve sat for a number of hosts who’ve told me they immediately turn down applications that basically just say “Is the sit still available?”
Fair or not, these hosts seem to equate a minimal effort put into the application with a minimal effort that would be put into caring for their pets and home.
@Star1968
Likewise with @BonnyinBrighton and @Lassie I do all of that.
I also mention if the pet(s) photos makes me smile etc.
If I was you, I would personalise every application to make it look like you really are keen, HO like the personal touches.
Good luck in your searches.
Hi @Star1968,
Whilst all applications are different, I think yours may be too short and needs more information and personalisation.
Our application is a cut and paste, personalised to each home host, their pets, and their requirements.
It is roughly 18 paragraphs, as follows
1 - ‘Hello’ - then use the name of the home host plus the name of their partner if we can find it in their listing write-up or in their previous reviews
2 - Introduce ourselves, let them know we are a married couple and give our ages
3 - Some background information about my past work
4 - Some background information about Karyo’s( my husband) current work
5 - Some background information about us as a couple, where we met, where we previously lived, why we decided to do THS
6 - Where we have sat before and why we want to visit their area (we’ve always wanted to 
)
7 - How much we love animals, especially (add their pet type) and travel and how fantastic is our life amalgamating the two!
8 - Say how much we would love to have the opportunity to care for their home and (pet name), the pet (name) looks lovely in their pics, we love it already!
9 - Our past experience with pets ( stay positive, we list the pets we have had between us but don’t mention that neither of us has had a pet for 30 years, we mention Karyo once had a pet pig but don’t mention that he eventually ate it!)
10 - We emphasise our past experience and invite them to take a look at our reviews for their peace of mind that their home and (pet name) will be left in safe hands
11 - We use as many positive adjectives as I can think of to describe ourselves, kind, caring, house proud etc
12 -We emphasise how much love affection and attention their pet will get
13 - We comment on anything specific they have mentioned in their listing, meds -no problem, left for 4 hours - no problem
14 - We promise pet pics
15 - We tell them our needs, Wifi, 2 beds, no pets on beds, accessibility via public transport etc
16 - We give our phone number and invite them to contact us with it, or via THS should they have any questions about ourselves
17 - We tell them how much we are looking forward to their reply and we can’t wait to meet their pets
18 - We sign off formally and friendly ‘Kind Regards and Best Wishes’ (to cover all bases)
Does that way get you results? If it does then great, but if not, you don’t seem to give them a reason to read more about you, over other applicants that perhaps wrote a little extra that was specific to the HO’s profile.
We have a really fantastic success rate for the sits we apply for (in the UK and Spain), but we write our message in a totally different to you.
We make sure the HO knows everything relevant about us, and we include a few extra details that others won’t find in our profile, so they have a full and rounded image of us.
We also respond to some things they have mentioned in their profile, so they know we have read their profile thoroughly, but only if it is relevant to pet or property experience, skills, or knowledge. Also we explain why we are interested in their particular area.
But I don’t see it as ‘selling myself’, as the details we include is only info that is relevant to properties or pets, and to the HO’s profile. Personally I wouldn’t entrust the keys to my home and the care of my loved ones to anyone unless I felt like I knew-knew them, so that is why we write our message the way we do, and we typically get a nice response back each time, it’s very rare that we don’t get a response.
While I use a few different templates or formats, it definitely is not the same narrative, as I totally change and adapt the message each time, because each sit, requirement, and place is totally different from sit to sit.
I would like to think that by taking the time to write a personalised message, then an HO would invisibly know that we would put effort into the care of their pets. But everyone is different.
Mine is fairly short about 57 words. I do say why I want to do the sit how, I travel,
use the pet names and say all my information is in my profile and reviews. I always give my phone number. They can see from my reviews that I have 62, 5* sits. I am booked up until next May. I do know homeowners who skip over long detailed introductions so I will be sticking to my short ones as for me it works and have only had one no in the past year. But everyone is different, write in a way that seems most natural to you but people don’t really need a sales pitch type of essay.
As a petparent, I’m not looking for a sitter to “sell” themselves. I don’t care about that. But I want evidence that they’ve read the listing, and know what the sit is. Even though I’ll look at their page and see their reviews and references, I want to hear from them a little about their experience as it relates to my pets. So it’s more about specificity and paying attention than “selling” youself.
I’m both a sitter and an HO, and as others have mentioned I think it’s really important to personalize your message and show that you’ve at least scanned the listing before applying for a sit. As an HO in a competitive location, my top choices will always be the ones who tell me a little bit about themselves and why they’re right for the sit in their initial message. This gives a good first impression that they are attentive to detail and will make an effort to communicate, as opposed to the person who says “you can check out my profile” (which like, yeah I can but I’ll probably already have made a judgement by that point).
That’s not to say it needs to be an essay, but including some details like the pet’s names, why you’re traveling, and a snapshot of your experience can make a real difference. You can easily create a template for yourself where you just switch out some of these points depending on the listing.
Yes, I’m the same @Marion . I don’t really like the “selling vibes” on the application, nor do I expect very long applications that repeat everything that’s already in the profile.
What I do like to read, is a short introduction, and some lines that relates to my listing. Like why are they travelling here, have they been here before, what plans do they have for their time here, something about my dog etc. (Obviously not everyone needs to mention everyone of these things, just examples.)
I find that it doesn’t take chapter and verse to book up quickly.
I intro myself as a solo sitter who telecommutes. I also share why I want to do that specific sit; my relevant experience to the pet(s); how I’m reachable across various platforms.
There’s more in my profile and my reviews mention happy pets, clean homes, strong communications and self-sufficiency.
@Star1968 great question.
We have been THS members for 18 months and have 21 sits confirmed. This os what has worked for us so far :
Our application is one or two paragraphs long (around 200 words) It is personalised for each listing but follows a similar structure each time .
We start with greeting the hosts by name. We always mention the pets by name and our relevant experience with that type of pet .This shows that we have read the listing .
In just one or two sentences we explain why we want to come to stay at that location & what we plan to do during our stay - e.g (we will be working remotely or visiting friends /family in the area or on holiday exploring local area or that we want to visit a specific attraction in the area )
We encourage the hosts to look at the reviews for our previous sits (mentioning that they are all 5 stars).
We might ask a couple of questions if something that is a deal breaker for us hasn’t been covered in the listing -e.g how long can the dogs be left at home alone for ?
We let them know that we like to have a phone call or video call before accepting a sit and provide our WhatsApp number.
We finish by saying if they would like to know any more about us please get in touch and that we look forward to hearing from them.
Wow!
Mine are short. Three “paragraphs” maybe:
I give no autobiography, except when there are touching points with the HOs life.
@pietkuip , You’d need at least an afternoon to read ours - I’m sure Netflix could easily pad it out and turn it into a mini-series 
If they google me, they can find maxi-series of me trying to explain physics 
Mine’s lengthy too @Colin and so far, it’s worked well!
I think you have to be honest. Because if you oversell, you will get bad reviews. Sometimes I am puzzled that I am declined when I didn’t get an interview, yet, I have 6 confirmed sits and I just started in Jan. And 5 stars. So I think I fit some perfectly, and some not. I have declined about 4 sits, because I apply for ones that work, and if I get one, I have to decline another. But have been declined far more. So apply for more. It could just be a numbers thing. And it has to be a fit. As on another comment page, some people clean thoroughly, some expect a bottle of wine. I do neither, but my HO like the way I take care of their pets. I do leave the home respectable and neat, and broom clean, counters wiped, but I do not scrub down the shower. So I fit some but but not all.