Reply to new messages ASAP
The earliest reply usually wins
When a potential student sends you a question through your profile, they are usually very close to booking lessons with you. Do your best to send a complete, helpful answer to their question as soon as you can.
According to our research:
Teachers who reply within an hour (on average) book the most students.
After 24 hours of waiting for a reply, prospective students are 50% less likely to book with you.
If you’re not a good fit for the student...
It’s ok to reply, “It sounds like I might not be the right teacher for you.” Turning down students before they book lessons will not hurt your search ranking.
- Reply to the student promptly, even if you’re not right for them. This will keep your average reply time within acceptable ranges.
- DON’T IGNORE MESSAGES from students when you feel you’re not a good fit. Missed inquiries and slow response rates reduce your visibility in search and decreases your average response rate displayed on your public profile.
- Be polite- a little kindness goes a long way.
If the message looks like SPAM, or something else...
You don’t have to reply to messages that are not about private lessons, seem like they’re from spammers, or are suspicious attempts to get your contact information. Just make sure to close the conversation thread, to ensure your profile won’t be paused in Search.
You can close a conversation thread from the Inbox in your Teacher account:
Mark the message as “Not Interested” if…
- The message is about something other than private lessons (someone trying to sell you something, a job offer, etc.)
- It seems like SPAM
- The message seems suspicious or is inappropriate
Use the "Report this thread" option if...
- The message is is threatening to hurt you or others
- Someone is threatening to hurt themselves
- The message mentions acts of terrorism
Take action as soon as possible
When a new potential student sends their first message, the system starts a stopwatch. If you haven’t replied or marked the message “not interested” your average response time will be decreased and your visibility in search will be reduced, so make sure to follow up early and often
Learn More
How do I know if a message I received is legitimate vs. a scam?