Thumbtack vs Takelessons

Hey everyone! This is Ms Tammy :)

This is my first blog post on this website - I'm excited!

I've been asked this question many times - how do you go about finding students? As someone who has lived in NYC for a little over 10 months, I can say it hasn't been easy. Today, I will share with you how I go about finding students!

Disclaimer: These are just tips and advice and how I went about building up my student base. This does not guarantee you will get students!

I'm registered on two websites - Thumbtack.com and Takelessons.com (And actually I'm also on MusicTeachersNetwork.com but I have not been getting any work from that website, so I won't talk about it!) Both are websites that one can use to find service providers. Both are great avenues and resources for finding students. Both have amazing user interfaces! Takelessons, as its name suggests, obviously is more oriented towards education. On Thumbtack however, you can find anything from photographers, movers, interior designers - and of course teachers. I've personally used Thumbtack to find photographers and videographers!

How Thumbtack works

As a service provider, you pay money to buy credits (less than $1.50 per credit). Using these credits, you can send quotes to customers who request for your service. Each customer is limited to receiving 5 quotes, unless they ask for more. So hurry up and send in your quote, otherwise you'll miss out on a potential job! I have it set up so that my phone receives a text every time someone within 15 miles of me requests for a piano teacher. If the potential student seems like he/she would be match, I send a quote. I've lost track but I've gotten at least 15 students from Thumbtack. I've earned all the money I spent on buying credits back!

How TakeLessons works

I have yet to fully understand how it works. I think students basically search for a teacher, and if you're lucky, they pick you. I have also had experiences where TakeLessons places students with me. The catch is they take 15% of every paycheck (which adds up after a while), so I end up marking up my price by 15% to make up for the loss. I've gotten about 6 students from Thumbtack, of which 3 are still active. That said, TakeLessons is an excellent tool - I wish they could integrate their payment and scheduling system into Thumbtack!! I've never had to worry about reminding students about paying lesson fees on TakeLessons.

If I had to choose between the two, Thumbtack.com. Here are my tips for how I've managed to be successful through Thumbtack.

1. Send personal quotes. I let a friend of mine read my quote and he said, "wow yours is long! I literally sent two sentences!" I have a template I work with, but I edit each message to show that I actually read the quote and I address the issues that are brought up (e.g. "I have three kids so I'm looking for a good deal", "My son is autistic", "We are free Monday-Wednesday evenings") As someone who has used Thumbtack to find photographers and videographers, I can tell you from a consumer standpoint that I can clearly tell who simply copied and pasted their standard template without bothering to read my request.

2. Update your profile - that means having good pictures, videos and accurate information. In my case, I put nice DSLR quality pictures of my studio and of myself teaching my students, and a video compilation of my students playing the piano. I also have a separate website I use for my educational purposes - this one for instance (www.tcmusicstudio.com) is separate from my other singer-songwriter portfolio website. It leaves a better impression. So, clean up your studio and have someone take pictures of you and your students!

3. Follow up with quotes - If they don't read/respond to your initial quotes, send them another message within the next 24 hours. Sometimes they need a little reminder! You've already spent the credits, you won't be charged again! Text if they leave a cell number. Arrange a call. Build rapport!

4. Have a target audience - I used to send quotes to everyone and realized a pattern. Maybe it's due to my pictures on my profile, or my age and experience level, or my rate, but I never had any success with anyone past their mid-20s. So, I focused on a specific age group. Zooming in on a specific demographic or market will help you fine tune your quotes and help you build a reputation. Do you teach strictly adult-beginners? Are you really good at preparing your students for auditions? Do you prefer teaching hobbyists?

5. Offer an incentive - a free trial lesson won't harm anyone :) Also, do your best to hold recitals if you are a music teacher, or some kind of activity to indicate and show progress if you're more academic (art exhibition, graduation, competition?)

6. Get reviews! - some of my students or their parents have left me reviews. Some may need prompting via a text or email, but most of them would be more than happy to!

Whew! This was a little tedious to write about! Hopefully you found this useful. If I think of anything else, I will add on to this blog post. Good luck!

Ms Tammy

#takelesson #thumbtack #work #tips