Promoting Trusted Housesitters LOCALLY

[Clusenersteffens]

My husband Oliver and I have been sitting full time since January 2025, traveling mostly to decide where we ultimately want to live in Florida, US, and it’s been really really great… We wish we would have known about this platform sooner!

We have now zeroed in on a specific area we would like to spend more time exploring in more depth (Sarasota County, Florida, specifically Nokomis and Venice, Florida) so we want to advertise and create more opportunities for ourselves and sitters like us here.

We have 3 ideas of how to promote and would love feedback (especially with wording and ideas that other users have had success with)…

We plan to:

1. Print out flyers and or business cards describing THS to post on bulletin boards in community centers, cafes, restaurants, dog parks, pet supply stores, banks, libraries, etc (full list below).

2. Create a Local Pet Network themed Facebook Group, where local people join to find resources… in addition to sharing about petsitting w THS. The intention would be to have an online place (like this forum shares helpful ideas) but to locally share:

• referrals of good local pet resources
• great places to interact safely w pets and have them and their people meet or to go on dog walks
• pet related events
• references of good vet services
• good rescue organizations
• volunteer opportunities with any animals, not just pets
• lost animal postings
• emergency resources in case of hurricanes, emergencies, etc

3. Post on other Social Media platforms and free print media with info about THS:

• Next door
• Meetup
• Groupon
• Free print or online newsletters

Places to post…

• Windshield of cars

• Trader Joe’s

• Whole Foods

• Pet supply stores

• Health food stores

• Gardens

• Crystal / New age stores

• LIBRARIES

• CHURCHES

• COMMUNITY CENTERS

• Coffee shops

• Gyms

• Parks

• Bus stops

• community centers,

• boutiques, restaurants, and banks, and ask if they have bulletin boards or areas where you can post them

Any additional ideas? Suggestions?

If successful, we would be happy to post what worked, including our promo material and copy so that other THS sitters can duplicate and spread the benefits around the world without individuals having to start from scratch each time…

Any feedback would be HUGELY APPRECIATED!!! Thanks

-Tanya

[HappyDeb]

If you’re in the area anyway, you’re making life much harder than it needs to be.

Just talk to people when you’re out dog walking, we’ve now got 8 years free with THS by simply helping pet owners finally take a break (all those 2 months referrals add up). I’ll pop you a DM with our website where I explain how we do it.

[Itchyfeet]

I agree with @HappyDeb

It doesn’t sit comfortably with me that you would be promoting THS in such detail with THS receiving all of the rewards of free marketing. What if people did join following your promotion then they found other sitters instead of you?

[cheezymanders]

I think your intention is good; however, all of that effort sounds like something one would do if they were running their own pet sitting business.

[Cuttlefish]

THS need to pay you for all that free marketing for them Honestly, that sounds like a whole lot of work when really not needed. Follow @HappyDeb’s tips and website and do it that way. #keenasmustard

[KittySitter]

It is not clear what you are trying to accomplish. If you’re planning to move there, does that mean you just want lots of sits to allow you to scope out the area more? Or are you looking for long-term sits so you can live there without - living there? Or trying to get paid gigs once you do move there? Meeting people so you’ll have friends once you do move there?

You say you want to “advertise and create more opportunities for ourselves and sitters like us” - opportunities for what exactly?

Once you articulate what success looks like, I can provide targeted guidance.

[KittySitter]

@Itchyfeet

What if people did join following your promotion then they found other sitters instead of you?

From where I stand as a long-term sitter, that would be fantastic. This isn’t a zero-sum game where, for me to “win,” someone else has to lose.

The more happy homeowners and the more happy sitters on THS, the better it is for all of us. If a homeowner finds another sitter instead of me — and they’re delighted with that choice — then I’m thrilled for them.

I tell everyone I know about THS because it’s life-changing. I don’t keep a tally of, “Oh, I told Vicky at the vet and she picked Steve as her sitter instead of me.” What I think is: “That’s amazing — now Vicky and Steve will each tell their friends, who will tell their friends, and before long more and more people will open their homes to sitters. And every sitter will find their perfect pets.”

As it’s often said about human rights: “Equal rights for me does not mean fewer rights for you. It’s not pie.”

The same is true for sitting. With at least 600 million pet-owning households worldwide, we don’t have to fight over pie. It’s an all-you-can-eat buffet with more than enough love and opportunity for everyone.

[Clusenersteffens]

Thanks HappyDeb!

Yes, you may be right that I’m making life harder… temporarily. However if even a single person posts awesome, brief, concise marketing lingo, that will reduce some of my footwork. (I’m certain others have already put in PLENTY of time creating materials, website content, etc. anyway).

And if not, or if they have and are not willing to share here, I’ll eventually share it here to hopefully reduce the hassle for others down the line.

I’m actually surprised THS doesn’t have this kind of material available for its members to promote them…

As for meeting other dog walkers: This time of year it’s surprisingly hard to cross paths with other dog walkers (even though we’re in an awesome place close to the beach) in Florida… it’s like everyone skipped town! So… they all need us right?!

Thanks for your response and I look forward to your DM!

[Clusenersteffens]

Me promoting THS DOES promote us all and collaboration and mutual aid among sitters AND owners will hopefully be the rising tide that lifts all boats.

I’d prefer plenty of competition to crickets… No one knowing about THS and us sitters hurts everyone, pets most of all. But there are also SO MANY home owners for whom THS would be a game changer because it’s an affordable sitting option that allows homeowners to travel more freely too. There are so many of them waiting to be freed by us / this platform, people who believe they can never ever go on a vacation due to their pets intolerance of being boarded or the cost prohibitive nature of being away for long periods of time.

1- Florida is practically famous for having people leave for MONTHS at a time and yet I have seen relatively few posts for more that 3 weeks at a time in the last 6 months. I just read a stat on the THS site that there have been less than 2500 sits in Florida. For a 65,000 square mile STATE that has a current population of 23 million? It’s because not enough people know about it and until January when I joined, I was one of them…

2- Even if someone who learns about THS ends up getting a sitter, I’ll still benefit from the free referral months, and since I’ll be posting my Google phone number on any printed material, they can still have access to me in the future.

3- Even if I don’t get the sit I’ll probably get free months from it

4- Sure I’d LOVE to get paid by THS and maybe in the future THS will pay members who drive tons of traffic / money to their site… fingers crossed! (I’m honestly surprised they don’t have marketing kits openly available since it’s so beneficial to EVERYONE)

5- I’m also interested in building actual physical (non-virtual) community on a local level, a referral network where people can actually make friends locally.

6- I’d love to COPY a marketing template, and if there is non yet, create one that is duplicatable anywhere in the world that brings pets and humans, and humans with other humans together in person because people need people, full stop.

7- I’m not sure that sitters realize that there are homeowners with pets that use the platform themselves as world traveling sitters too

Thanks for your response, Itchyfeet! I hope this clarifies that I think we sitters ought to band together with one another AND collaborate with THS to make more opportunities for us all… time will tell!

Fingers crossed we all have tons more sits to chose from (we will in Florida at least!)

[Clusenersteffens]

THIS! Thank you thank you thank you KittySitter! And thanks for all your wonderful emojis!

[Brightlight]

If you have a large social presence, a website, or a newsletter, as we do, you can become an affiliate and earn a percentage of the membership fees from anyone that signed up with your link. Similar to referrals, but instead of free months, you actually earn $.

[buttercup]

Not sure I get it either…unless it’s in the hope of people booking more holidays You’re planning to move there to offer free housesitting and dog-walking to locals and neighbors, or is this ultimately meant to turn a profit?

Would make more sense to use the time there to scout the perfect base and home. If I were a local, especially a real estate agent, employer, or host with a property for sale (plenty of those on THS) - flyers like this could easily read differently than you intend. For example, that you might not actually have the funds to move there or, even worse, that your motives aren’t entirely aboveboard.

Worth checking the discussions here about local housesitting first…after all, this is travel matchmaking.

If you do decide to use content from the app or website, remember people join as private members. Not everyone will be thrilled to see their name, profile, or reviews plastered on flyers. Personally, I’d have zero interest in being used that way; the only promotions I agree to are the ones I sign a contract for.

Europe has GDPR, America has lawyers Happy househunting and good luck

[Garfield]

A possible drawback to heavy marketing could be to recruit people that doesn’t get the THS ethos, and thereby lowering the quality of the community. You might also recruit sitter-competition rather than the hosts you seem to want.

On a more serious note. You are not the only one that has tried this. In my experience, the people who actually join are not from posters and links. The people who actually join are people I’ve had direct communication with - person to person.

[VanessaW]

If you love petsitting, why not turn it into a paid business and benefit from all your hard work? You can still use THS and offer free sits as well until you build up your contacts.

Many pet owners will be happy to ask you to help them and pay you, especially if they have met you and seen you interact with their dogs.

You do need to get Pet Business Insurance cover, but this is very affordable.

[Mark_B]

@Brightlight

If you have a large social presence, a website, or a newsletter, as we do, you can become an affiliate and earn a percentage of the membership fees from anyone that signed up with your link. Similar to referrals, but instead of free months, you actually earn $.

That’s right, for more context I’ll share this link which outlines promo opportunities which you can get involved with.

There’s also the ‘refer a friend’ scheme which @HappyDeb was describing.

[ExploreDreamDiscover]

@Clusenersteffens

I’m not sure if this is still going but you can check into the THS ambassador program

TrustedHousesitters Ambassadors

TrustedHousesitters Ambassadors | TrustedHousesitters.com

[HappyDeb]

I’ve tried to send you a few emails now, and they vanish. At first I thought it was because the THS police didn’t want a website sharing, but I’ve just tried to send you a very normal message, and that’s vanished too.

So, I think it may be you, rather than me, so check the settings in your own preferences on your forum profile, or perhaps send me a DM instead so I can reply to it.

[ExploreDreamDiscover]

@Clusenersteffens

I created a QR code link referral that I have on my phone in my photo gallery. Someone can then scan off my phone.

The one in the picture is blocked out so I can show in the forum

[BonnyinBrighton]

I have no idea how to do this…. wow!

[KittySitter]

The easiest way is to go to the THS app, go to the “Refer friends” link, then on the next page click the button that says “Share QR Code”. Take a screenshot of that and TA DA! It is in the photo gallery. Or, you can just pull up the code from your app each time.