Would you critique my listing please

Hi ive struggled to get postive responces to my listing for a sitter

Now I had 1 sitter review it and based on her constructive criticism i went back and rewrote alot of it and reposted

She relooked and felt it looked good

Now since someone says it has a number of red flags
But ive no idea what ?

So here is link
Take a look at my house sit on TrustedHousesitters

(link added to member’s profile by Forum team)

Please be kind as so far ive felt some remarks have been quite unkind

Im new to this and thought i had followed good advice .

Thanks.

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Hi @SusanLogan :slightly_smiling_face:

Just a quick note to let you know that I’ve added your listing link to your Forum profile, where our members can access the listing and give you some feedback.

The Forum has guidelines around kindness and respect, so I know our members will be constructive with any feedback they give you, but if you do feel concerned about anything then you can pop me a DM.

I hope our members are able to help you out. :heart:

Jenny

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Hi Susan, overall you and your spouse come across as a sweet couple with a lovely dog. However, some of the photos don’t do your house justice.

I don’t believe that you need so many photos of the details of the room, like a photo of your fridge, photo of the sink of your bathroom, a couple of photos of the front of the house, etc.
One good photo showing each room that the sitter will use, taken in good light, is better. Try to unclutter the kitchen a bit, put away the tea towels, etc.
I would start with that gorgeous photo of Logan caught mid jump.

Also, quite a bit of information you write up is supposed to go in the welcome guide, it’s not necessary to share so much in the Introduction and the responsibility sections. By all means, leave the information about Logan having had a poor experience with another dog when he was younger and that now you try to avoid this type of situations.

This link will give you plenty of info on how to write a great profile.

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Hi Susan,
Logan looks lovely and with some tweaking you will find an ideal sitter. I read your listing and it’s good you’ve included the pertinent info about Logan requiring a lead, eating kibble while a sitter is there, and not being around other dogs. The problem is how much other and sometimes conflicting information there is.

First, the intro is meant to be a brief synopsis about you and maybe a bit about the pet and location, not details about pet care and behavior or so much about why you need a sitter. Much is repeated under Responsibilties, but again there is a lot of info all running together about things you do but don’t want sitters to do. It’s confusing. Just be clear and concise about what the sitter needs to do and remove things that don’t pertain to them. Try separating with bullet points or short paragraphs.

Also your title should be concise as sitters only see the first few words when browsing: Gorgeous Gordon Setter, comfy countryside home (something like that).

The listing shows a main bedroom and lists a kingsized bed but you mention that sitters will be offered the single trundle bed. Perhaps you have had a change of plans re: sitter sleeping arrangement so check your photo captions, amenities, and listing and make sure it’s accurate. And the one problem with a cozy, lived in house is that it can look cluttered in photos. I’d remove unnecessary items and try to be clear that the home is clean and sitters will have plenty of refrigerator, freezer, and counter space, plus of course fresh towels and bedding.

Sorry if that seems like a lot, it’s just about making it easier for sitters to quickly understand what they’d be signing up for, and as they are likely perusing a lot of sits at once you want yours to shine! Try reading it from an outside perspective and remove first what is repetitive, then what is unnecessary or conflicting (there’s a raw food freezer but sitter is feeding kibble, for example), and you’ll be left with a nice listing. Hope this helps.

7 Likes

Hi @SusanLogan

I would echo the things @Peonie19 and @shafofo have suggested. And use that guide! It’s great!

I’m a homeowner and have a cat with things “above the norm”. I :100: percent get the need to want to identify any /all issues, so a sitter is not surprised by them. However, it is a balancing act to put just enough detail, so a sitter can make an informed decision about whether they are a match for you, but not so much that they stop reading. :heart:

You and your husband seem like a such very nice couple, and Logan looks like a dear large loving dog. I think it’s really important and honest that you have highlighted some of the challenges you and your lovely doggy have experienced in terms of his potential reactivity. It may mean while you get fewer sitters interested in dealing with a more reactive dog, the ones who contact you understand what’s needed.

A few things:
I honestly don’t see any major “red flags”, other than the length and detail, and some inconsistencies. It may not just be the best sit for some sitters. That in and of itself is not a red flag.

Your listing needs an edit, for content, flow, and punctuation for readability. I am no Shakespeare; I tried to take your listing and cut and paste it into a Word document to do a trial edit, but I was not able to do so. It may help to get a family member or someone else just read through it for editing purposes. If you are familiar with ChatGPT, it could help with that too. @Shafofo made great suggestions.

I also wondered if a little too much is in some sections that can be chopped out, and otherwise go in your welcome guide. I think @Peonie19 also suggested this.

Consider taking out the extra details about your back injury from the listing. You can share that in a video chat. If relevant. Simplify. Use bullet points. Type it out first in a word document.

You put quite a bit about your training techniques with lovely Logan; I wasn’t clear if you were doing so just for information purposes, or if you were expecting the sitter to engage in specific training sessions. I think a lot of that can be removed from the listing and put in the welcome guide with a statement saying that he has had recall training and can follow commands.

Highlight, ( above and beyond the merits of hanging out with Logan, what your home and local area have to offer (day trips, restaurants, hikes, parks). I did eventually DID find that in your listing, but in your edit, I would put a sentence of what would attract somebody to come to do your sit above and beyond Logan himself. How much time in a day or week would the sitter have to explore- can your dog be left alone for a time- and in that time- what cool things are there to explore. Highlight that you allow a sitter to use your car.

You definitely don’t need to make your home a show home, but wouldn’t show the bedrooms or spaces that your sitter can’t use? Edit your home space photos to showcase the rooms/spaces your sitter can use. Spotlessly made up comfy bed, spotless uncluttered kitchen and their bathroom. For example, you indicate in the amenities that a king size bed is available, but in the body of the listing text you indicate that a trundle bed is available for the sitter. Just be consistent. Only put in the listing what is available to the sitter. If the sitter can’t use your bedroom and your king bed, don’t make it available and don’t show pictures of it . Make the bed that the sitter will use comfortable; bed and bedding look well made, clean, sharp and inviting. Clear all extra clutter ( the normal clutter many of us have😉) from kitchen for the photos.

As you have identified a security camera, I have found some sitters like to know where it is located when applying for the sit. In exchange for what you will edit, put a line about this in to reassure sitters you won’t be monitoring them.

Some sitters will self select out of a sit that has a cameras (even one that’s permitted, externally). That’s ok- you want your sit to be a match for YOU and your SITTER. For example, I have a doorbell ring camera, and in my listing, I identify that so they can ask questions about it. Presumably, you’ve some sort of exterior camera as per the TrustedHousesitters terms and conditions as of course, no inside monitoring devices are permitted.

Good luck, I’m sure you’ll find a trusted sitter for Logan soon. As he’s a pretty special pooch, plan far ahead, be flexible. :heart:

4 Likes

Hi @SusanLogan
I read your listing and found this part confusing

“He is crate trained and can be left 4 to 6 hours on odd occasions. The sitter can go out for a couple of hours “

This part needs to be clearer -to avoid any misunderstanding a sitter needs to know precisely how Logan long can be left alone for on a daily basis.

4 Likes

I think your sit looks pretty nice, and Logan looks lovely. I have a couple of suggestions about the photos - maybe tidy/put away some of the cushions on the sofa pictures, they do look rather messy, and perhaps take another living room one without the Christmas tree - obviously Christmas is gone now, so that won’t have any appeal to potential sitters.

Good luck!

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The Intro is what needs to tempt a reader to open your listing. What tempts a sitter would be the location and/ or home, as most listings offer pets. And the people reading are petsitters - we know hosts are looking for sitters.

I know that the THS nudge to tell about yourself, but it should be shorter and not main focus. One option could be something like;

« Discover D**** with XX, Our Lovable Gordon Setter!

Hi, we’re AA and BB, a retired couple living in the charming town of D****, ******.

Why You’ll Love This Sit:

Great Location: Enjoy scenic walks at D*****, *****, and ******, all just a short drive away. XX is well-behaved on a lead and loves visiting local pubs and cafes.

Comfortable Home: Our cozy and welcoming home is perfect for remote working and relaxing. We have plenty of parking space and secured gates for added convenience.

Meet XX: Our 4.5-year-old Gordon Setter is a friendly and affectionate companion. He loves people and enjoys his walks, especially around the beautiful B*** ***, just across the road from our home.

Flexible Schedule: XX is crate trained and can be left alone for a few hours, giving you the freedom to explore the area.

If you’re a dog lover looking for a peaceful and enjoyable stay, we’d love to hear from you!»

It is important that the listing give a transparent impression of what the sit will actually be like. This will give you a good match and better chances of a good review. You don’t need many applicants - you need the right applicants. Hiding important things can give the sitter the right to leave, so one wouldn’t want that.

That being said - if I intend to tidy and clean to prepare the sit, it is an advantage that the photos would show that. Many sitters look for a tidy and clean home - it can well be a family home, but still made inviting to guests.

You decide yourselves what you want to make available to sitters. It could nevertheless be useful to know that many sitters look for a good bed. Many of the most experienced sitters with lots of 5* reviews can afford to be picky and pass on trundle beds. If making the king available could somehow be an option (for instance by getting another top mattress, if you find it uncomfortable to use same as guests) I think it will greatly impact your possible pool of sitters.

But don’t do anything you are not comfortable with or that give you a bad gut feeling. It is important to have good vibes about the sit - for you and the sitter. It is what it is.

6 Likes

Good work on taking onboard all the advice @SusanLogan as the sit, your listing looks loads better :raised_hands:t3: Responsibilities section still needs slimming a lot in that second half (or it sounds as if you & Logan are high maintenance which you’re not), you could either bullet point it or halve it to the WG for later. Tiny thing - if you swap “with” for “&” in your title then the whole word of “setter” will then show as sitters scroll. You can also now pause & relist your dates and you should then show as “new” and not “low applications” which will help too. #fingerscrossedforyou

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Hi ive taken on board All Suggestions I think

I will re take lounge picture and relist.

Lets see what it brings

Thankyou

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Hi Susan
I’ve just taken a look at your listing for the first time. I appreciate you’ve already made adjustments (but I didn’t see the before version)
What I could comment now is that your Responsibility section is WAY too long. (Even if you may have already altered it!)
Several of your comments about Logan are repeated, or so similar, they could be amalgamated into far fewer points. Also duties such as watering plants, poo picking, indoor activities are interspersed with further comnents on Logan walking.
It all sounds a bit chaotic!
I would suggest you summarise everything down and make bullet points of the relevant categories of comments.
Some of the extra detail could also be moved to the Welcome Guide.
The thing is you don’t want to overwhelm sitters with an overly long responsibility section. Sitters want to feel there is also room for their own activities & a bit of freedom.
Btw Logan looks adorable!

Thanks again i will again relook at it

Ive just tailored it down more again

Id appreciate your eyes over it again

I now intend to relook at detail in welcone guide
Plus a lot can be discussed at video call .

OK it (responsibility section) is still rather on the long side but does read better and more logically now. That’s good. :blush:
Its great you are open to feedback and more info is at least better than so little info that one must ask questions before being able to apply properly! At least with a comprehensive listing like yours one can apply with open eyes.
Good luck. I hope you find great sitters!

2 Likes

The listing is now drawing attention in much more, and you have showed how lovely and welltrained your dog is, which is great. Love that you have explained more on the bed and can vouch for it as you have used it yourself. From my point of view it only needs a proof-reading with punctuation as such. I think it gives the impression of a good sit with a great dog and a sensible owner. Check-check-check!

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Can you tell me how you know my listing is gaining attention

?

Ive adjusted a bit more
But im now happy with it

Thanks

In the sense that in my opinion the headline and intro will make a sitter want to open the tab and read the rest of the listing and not scroll on to the next.

(Not in the sense that I can see traffic to your listing, which I can’t see.)

Ah thanks I misread and I misunderstood

Thanks alot

1 Like

I can’t see for your earlier dates how many applicants @SusanLogan but for your July dates it says “Reviewing applications” so you either have 5 applicants or you have paused your listing. Hopefully it’s the former and you have received some great applications. Well done on taking advice onboard.

2 Likes

Ive paused July

I had a couple interested who changed their minds