Hello, we have not had any luck and hope to get some advice on how we can be successful. We plan to travel for 10 days and was hoping to have at least one application by now. Can anyone give advice on how we can improve our listing?
Thank you,
Okem
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Hi @Macapuno - I suggest updating your post’s headline. It says Thanksgiving but your dates are for June and July. I’m not currently looking for summer sits but if I were, I’d scroll right past your post.
Hello @Macapuno and welcome to the forum. This is THE PLACE to get the answers and help for questions just like yours. This group is loaded with experience and are willing to help whenever you need.
I took a look at your profile and it does state “Thanksgiving” in the title. Potential sitters who see this and are not available during Thanksgiving will most likely scroll on past without delving into the updated listing. My first suggestion would be to edit that title so you are getting the full benefit of what THS offers and what sitters can do to apply.
I would also suggest you update the pics to remove trash can, grill, etc., and instead place a great pic of your babies so potential sitters can see how cute they are.
The dates are far enough out that you still have time for potential sitters to apply so I would not worry yet. You can send written permission to @Angela-HeadOfCommunity for her to post on social media as well.
I wish you the very best and wish I could be in the area as I would love the opportunity to care for those babies!
Thank you!!! I will make the changes.
Hey Okem. Looks like you have a nice house, you’ve described the neighborhood in a positive way, the back yard is a plus, and the dogs are adorable. I have conflicting sits scheduled, but I’m guessing you will get some interest before long. I’ve reviewed loads of listings, so here from a sitters perspective are a few small points that I hope will help:
(1) The last sentence of the first para on responsibilities still references 11/25. Great for you to have shared timing specifics in the post, as so few HOs do that, but it looks like that’s not relevant to this opportunity.
(2) You mention you would like the dogs walked twice per day. It would be helpful to know how long you normally walk them. Is that 20-30 minutes per walk, one hour per walk, one short one long? Sitters mostly want to continue what the dogs are used to doing when you are home, so it’s good info.
(3) Your first pic, which is the splash photo on searches, is not your best pic. It’s the back patio but has a light streak across it. It doesn’t grab attention. Some sitters may not open the listing to see the better pics. I see a lot of listings that, like yours, put house pics first and animal pics later, but the cute fur babies are your best selling point! Personally, I love the pics of Nisha in front of the fireplace (shows her calm and attentive) and Boomer curled up in your arm. Remember a listing is advertising. Do what TV advertisers do and sell with cute animals. Your audience–sitters–are animal lovers. (Btw, I assume you can designate the order of the photos, but maybe I’m wrong?)
Good luck, and enjoy your travels!
Hi @Macapuno: @J0e said several things I would’ve mentioned. Please review your own listing with a fine-tooth comb. I mean, I guess it depends if you want a detail-oriented sitter. If you want only non-detail-oriented ones, then by all means! And best of luck! I was born and raised in South Sac (Pocket area).
@J0e: I’m on a combined membership, so I can talk a little about photos. (And you can learn more by searching the forums.) The TH website is structured so that PP’s home photos go first, then pet photos after. And the website makes it seem like only a home photo can be the “cover photo.” Within those constraints, a PP can reorder photos.
That said, I fully agree with you that the cover photo should be of a pet (and/or person). So the hack is to upload a pet photo to the “home” section, then set it as the cover photo. If there’s another way to hack that, I’d love to know. In the meantime, that part of the TH website is definitely unintuitive. Steve Jobs would hate it!
Thank you for the feedback? I am editing the listing and pictures to make it more inviting and to highlight our pups.
Thank you for the excellent feedback. I have made the changes and agreed with everyone. Thanks for taking the time to read through it. I have also added better pictures 
.