I recently joined THS and posted a listing but I have only received one response so far. If anyone could offer some advice on my listing I think I have added it to my profile. I would appreciate any feedback from the community.
Hi there!
Here are 2 listing guides that might help you:
By @fatamorgana:
https://forum.trustedhousesitters.com/uploads/short-url/2j2Xbyp2Go6y4DDKISeAKg8njw7.pdf
By me:
https://forum.trustedhousesitters.com/uploads/short-url/pLTxH15JL8f02lWEkv8FsjpLKxD.pdf
I also took a look at your listing, and overall it looks welcoming and friendly, but could be improved. Here are some ideas to consider:
1: Cover photo.
Your cover photo is quite a long range shot of your home and a lot of the image is just a large patch of dirt out the front. Can you try a close up of your home instead, or a nice image of your dogs or local area?
2: Title:
Try a more engaging title in 6 - 8 words that tells sitters straight away why they should sit for you. E.g: âCity escape in Benton; peaceful countryside.â You donât need to mention that the dogs need somebody to watch them, anyone viewing your listing is a sitter and knows what theyâre here for.
3: Intro:
Give some compelling reasons why somebody should visit Benton or nearby areas and come sit for you, straight away in your first sentence of your listing. E.g: âwant to explore the peaceful countryside of Benton, quite walks and rivers? Then this may be a perfect sit for you!â Use an exciting and upbeat tone that keeps sitters engaged and curious to know more.
In your intro, you can also state how many sitters you can host, if they can bring their own pets, and what you expect for a handover (when should a sitter arrive?)
4: Home and location section.
You have given a good description of your home, but youâll really need to sell your location to gain interest. Why should somebody visit your area? What is there to see and do nearby? Give greater detail. Driving 2 hours to the nearest big city is a 4 hour round trip, which many will not view as a feasible day trip. If somebody wanted to go to Nashville, theyâd likely find a pet sit in Nashville, not a small town 2 hours away. Instead, tells sitters why they should come to your area and list top things they can do near you. It sounds best for a nature retreat - so make sure you really sell it! Consider adding pictures of your local area and nearby rivers & relaxing places.
Transport:
- Will sitters need their own transport, or can they use your car? Can you offer to pick sitters up from the nearest airport or station if needed?
Home:
The image of your living room shows just 1 single armchair, and a pretty bare room⌠do you not have a sofa? If not, then the sit is probably best for just one sitter. You may want to address this in your listing, as it seems there is only space for 1 person to sit down & relax, besides the bed?
- I also see that in your guest bedroom, there isnât a lot of furniture and places for a sitter to store their belongings? thereâs a walk in closet, which is great for hanging clothes (make sure you provide coat hangers!) but for an almost month long sit, you may want to consider getting your sitter a cheap chest of drawers or even just some storage baskets for socks, underwear, T-shirts etc. You can get really cheap, collapsible ones from IKEA.
Photos:
- You have given specific information in your captions under your photos, about the dogs possibly sleeping on the bed. Please write this in the responsibilities section. Captions can only be viewed on the app, not on the website, so anyone viewing your listing via the webpage will not have access to that info.
5: Responsibilities section:
- In your captions, you say the dogs may or may not sleep on the bed. Dogs who sleep on the bed with sitters will really decrease your pool of sitters, as many do not want pets in the bed with them. Is it necessary? If not, consider taking it out of the listing all together.
- Can you give some more detail about the dogâs personalities and sociability?
- What happens when itâs raining? Do you leave them inside for the day, or do they have a shelter outside?
- I imagine dogs who mainly live outside can get quite muddy/dirty - please address how you manage this when you let them inside? Do you wipe their paws and have towels and brushes at the ready? I cared for two mainly outdoor dogs once, and when let inside they would get grass seeds and sticks and leaves absolutely everywhere - it was a constant mess and pain to clean up, as they spent most of their day sleeping in thick bushes and digging holes in the lawn.
- How much playtime should be given per day?
- Can the dogs go for car rides with the sitter if they wish?
Hope that helps!
8 Likes
Your location is far from amenities that draw many sitters. If so, your most likely applicants would be people whoâd spend significant time in your home. In that case, theyâd likely look for more creature comforts than your photos show. You might want to check out other sits in your region and see what youâre competing against. That can help you get a sense of how likely you are to get applicants.
2 Likes
Agree with Maggie here - as your images give the impression that your home is somewhat minimalist, it may be helpful to assure sitters that you can provide everything needed including spare bedding, extra blankets & towels, fully stocked kitchen equipment, etc.
Welcome to the forum @cliff35 .
Have you contacted the sitter who has applied and had a conversation ( messages / phone or video call ) with them ?
You only need one applicant - if they seem like they are potentially what you are looking for in sitter , start a conversation with them. You wonât be committed to selecting them at this stage , have a conversation to see if they are a good match and then decide if to accept them or decline and wait for more sitters to apply. If you delay in making contact , you may find that they are no longer available.
This has just happened to us this week (we are sitters ) on Monday we applied for a sit in the U.K. in April. We heard nothing back- On Thursday we were offered another lovely sit in U.K. for the same dates , we had a chat with those hosts and we accepted . Today, Friday - five days after applying and having heard nothing in response to our first application, the first owners contacted us to ask if we are still available. Unfortunately not . They were disappointed.
My recommendation is to act promptly and message the sitter who has already applied .
4 Likes
It seems there are interesting things in your location? Did a search, and found Poca Terra Winery which arrange wine tastings, it seems Paducah has a National Quilt museum (very interesting for some, I guess, as it is unique), there seems to be a golf club in Benton etc.
Are there some nice eateries nearby,? How would a sitter get groceries? Shops, farmer shops - is there a market? If there are little shops to explore this is also an activity and exploring Benton and surroundings.
I would put a little work into finding and choosing a few of these attractions and put a paragraph about it in your Intro.
Do you have some outdoor furniture where you sit outside? If so, take a nice picture of it, so the sitter can imagine themselves sitting there with a cup of coffee watching the dogs play.
And as Silversitters say - you only need one sitter. If your applicant looks like somebody that is a good match - do get in touch and arrange a videocall so you donât miss out.
3 Likes
The listing pics imply that this is a home which is occupied by a single guy who doesnât have visitors - theres no group seating - so may be off-putting to some single sitters and is clearly not suitable for couples or families.
A single armchair and adjacent running machine in the living room doesnât suggest comfort or relaxation and the bedroom pics look stark. I initially thought this was maybe a vacant / unlived-in property.
Remember that, sitters generally only read the listings which visually appeal, so take a step back and ask yourself how you can give your listing that edge. Iâd suggest that adding a few cushions to both beds and to the armchair, and maybe a small vase of flowers or potted plant here and there might help to soften the edges a bit.
Your greatest obstacle (IMHO) is the lack of comfortable seating. Itâs possibly worth specifying âsingle sitterâ in your introductory paragraph.
As has already been said, you only need one applicant if itâs a good fit, but donât be tempted to accept your single applicant if it doesnt feel right.
Best of luck!
1 Like