Hi Timmy,
Thank you (and Ally) for very helpful comments. I am in the process of adding more information and photos now. Re rural as we only have one car so it will be with us while we’re away but I could put more info about public transport — a 10 min walk down the hill is a stop for the Totnes/Dartmouth/Plymouth bus.
Thanks, Nancy
Adding in the extra photos is excellent. As a sitter, I’d be much more inclined to consider your sit now that I can see where I’d be spending my time. (We are booked for that time period so can’t help you out I’m afraid.)
Hello everyone
My vacation is 3 weeks from today. I have had zero applications and zero luck with invitations.
At this point I feel like I am begging sitters to help me out and it feels wrong.
Instead of having the opportunity to make a real connection with a sitter, I’m going to have to accept the first one that can do it. I’m not comfortable with that.
I’ve done everything I can think of to improve my listing.
Our trip is a gift to our daughter for her college graduation. She is an RN now and we are so proud but it is looking like either myself or her father will have to stay home.
So disappointed
Jennifer Alderman
We would maybe change the first photo to a different one, you and the doggies look a bit sad (quite a different impression from all the other photos). Listing the sit again or boosting it could also help (we usually don’t scroll down to older sits).
“Use of car is negotiable”-- suggest you include use of the car, contingent on a solid driving record and proof of license and 3rd-party liability insurance.
“City” “Countryside” doesn’t make much sense. It’s clear that you’re not close to the beach, but otherwise even I (as an American) don’t have a good idea where Lakeland is. The pool is a nice feature, and your home appears clean and well cared for.
Suggest you limit the photos to ~10. It’s a lot to get through.
edited to add: for location, you could state that it is between Tampa/St Pete and Orlando, and add logistical information about its distance from the airports etc., and local features such as museums and restaurants.
Hi Timmy
Will take your advice and change my first picture. Also I’ve already boosted it so how do I relist it? Delete it and start over?
Thank you for the help.
I hope it works!
Sincerely
Jennifer
Hi @Jenann I just took a look at your listing again, and then saw your comment to Timmy. I was about to mention your photo, but for a different reason. This is how it displays on the app:
Unfortunately, the dogs don’t even show. Aim to use a photo shape that’s not portrait, and perhaps then check it on the app as well as on the website.
Hi Katie
I will definitely take your advice and change those things you mentioned. I listed city and county because we live in a country setting while a less than 10 minute drive puts you in the city. Also I thought a map was provided with my listing that showed where Lakeland was in reference to Tampa and Orlando but I could be wrong. Will make the changes and see what happens.
Thank You for taking the time to look it over and for your advice.
I hope it helps!
Sincerely
Jennifer
There is a map, but it doesn’t show until someone opens the post. You need to entice them to open with an attractive first photo and headline.
Some sitters might pass by your listing when they see that there are 3 dogs. However, 3 tiny dogs are very different to 3 large dogs, so i would start the headline with “3 Shih-Tzus in lake-filled central FL” Remember that only the first 4-5 words show on the website.
Hi Snowbird
I’ve created my entire listing from my phone using the app. Are all my photos cropped liked that to anyone else viewing my listing?
When I review the listing on my phone it looks fine but someone else viewing from a computer sees it differently?
Hi @Jenann I’m no expert on this but my observation is that overall, the thumbnail photo that displays on a search doesn’t work well with a portrait layout (website or app). My guess is that landscape is better, but I’m not sure on anything more specific. The good news is that, once I click on your photos (website & app) the portrait layout photos display fully.
I think the main difference in what displays in the thumbnails - website vs app - is that the website has less character allowance for the heading than the app. The app you can create a more descriptive heading, but that is cropped when viewing on the website.
I’m going to tag @Vanessa_A to see if she can give a more thorough answer when she’s next online. I’m learning more about this by reading her posts.
Hello,
I have had my sit advertised about 9 days and have had no interest either - I think there are way more sits than house sitters so I am going to cancel my mebership… Good luck finding someone!
Hi @Finch and welcome to the forum, although sadly at a time when you are deciding to leave TrustedHousesitters. I’ll just mention a few things that you may find interesting or useful.
There is a post on Sitter/owner ratios which includes @Angela_L’s 10 tips that can make a big difference in having a successful outcome for a listing.
I notice in your listing you’ve mentioned that you could work with a shorter timeframe. Have you considered adjusting your dates to reflect this shorter timeframe? If you do that, I believe it will refresh the listing and show as a new listing. Or you can adjust your headline to show ‘flexible dates’, which may attract suitable sitters.
One key point that comes up often on the forum is that, because of worldwide uncertainties for quite some time, many sitters are waiting until much closer to sit dates before booking. Given your sit is in August, there is still lots of time to find a suitable sitter. You have many key features in your favour, including no mention of a car being needed, and being family friendly. Those are important bonus features for many sitters.
I’m not trying to change your mind, but more just hoping to highlight some things you may not be aware of.
Francine,
Voluntary Forum Moderator
I love that Lassie!
May I use that for my title?
Thank you for taking the time to help me. I appreciate it!
Of course! Good luck
I have had my dates up for nearly 3 weeks and have not had a single reply.
I have contacted lots of sitters but no one is available.
Am i doing something wrong?
if you link your listing in your forum profile, people here can make suggestions on possibly improving the appeal. There are lots of suggestions in other posts.
Hi @Finch sorry to hear you are having trouble finding sitters for your two lovely dogs. They look very cute, could you try using a photo of the two of them as your main picture on the listing? Maybe try taking a photo of them in good light looking at the camera (as it’s hard to see black dogs sometimes, like in the pic on the sofa).
The current photo of the front of your house wouldn’t really grab my attention to tell the truth. But a cute animal photo just might.
Best of luck!
Thanks - I’ll change it!
