How To Find Students For Tutoring On Any Tutoring Website

Learn exactly how to find students for tutoring by effectively addressing pain points the student has, and gain trust, and credibility.

The problem with tutoring websites is they are crowded. Thousands of tutors compete to entice students to click on their profile. Standing out is tough.

But even though it sounds depressing, don’t lose hope. With a few changes to your approach and profile, those prospective students will be knocking on your door.

If you haven’t already, make sure you read my previous post on how to start online tutoring – so you maximize your chances of succeeding in your tutoring business.

With that in mind, let’s get started.

The two places you get noticed on a tutoring website

So let’s dig into the details.

How to optimize your profile to stand out in search results?

Let’s look at what the search results looks like, and what people are looking at when they make a decision. This image is pretty typical of what you will find.

As you see, with over 5000 tutors just for Algebra 2, things are quite crowded there, so that’s why you need to stand out.

The elements of your profile on a search result page

As long as you cover these five basic elements, you increase your visibility and improve the chances of them clicking through.

But it doesn’t end there. Oh, and don’t worry. I’m going to show you screenshots later when I take you through writing your profile to make life easier.

How to get your profile noticed?

I’m sure you are sitting wondering how you do all this, so I’m going to help you. However, we need to go back to those key points focusing on those search results.

1. Catch their attention

Catching their attention is where it starts. Take a look at any search results page on any tutoring website and you will see pages of ‘hits’. 

You must have something in your listing that grabs the attention of prospective students. You must leap off that list to encourage them to click your profile. 

But here’s something to remember. Make sure you come across as a professional. Claiming you are the greatest tutor in your subject gives yourself one heck of a standard to live up to. 

2. Message match

What do I mean by message match? 

What this means is – your profile must reflect what the student is looking for. You want to create that ‘aha’ moment as soon as they see your listing.

For example, if they’re looking for “Algebra 2”, and your profile has “Algebra 2” displayed prominently, chances are they’ll stop and read what you’ve got to say.. 

Isn’t that how you skim read the Google search results too? And that’s exactly how students are skim reading through tutor profiles till something jumps out at that. -> Message Match!! 

So for example, if the student is looking for an Algebra 2 tutor…. 

We do this message match when we search for something we want to buy. It’s how we as humans create brain shortcuts (cognitive biases).

Once again, we do this all the time! We flick through these windows searching for products or services online, and we make an instantaneous decision. Research shows we make decisions in seconds when faced with a list to choose from.

You have those seconds to make an impact.

Remember, if you were searching for a tutor, what would be the message match you would be searching for? That gives insight into what your profile and search listing should say.

3. Social proof and credibility

Nowadays, people go big on social proof to enhance their credibility. We live in a society where checking out reviews is second nature.

So a listing like this makes a difference… 

Now, I know you won’t have this social proof when starting out. There’s no way of getting around that. However, don’t be depressed…

Instead, I’d do whatever I could to get as many reviews as possible, as quickly as possible. These reviews are worth their weight in gold!

So, what do I suggest??

I would offer free sessions to the first few students. I would make myself available for questions between sessions. I would go above and beyond with what I offer at the start with the sole aim of getting those reviews.

There’s nothing wrong with creating a positive learning environment for a student, and then asking for an honest review. To be honest, I’d focus on this at the start to establish yourself on a tutoring platform. 

But what about the student??

Consider creating an incentive for them to contact you.

• Incentives could be direct such as a free introductory session, or a discounted session. Or even a free consultation to see if there’s a good fit. 

People LOVE to feel they are getting something for free. They see it as a no-lose situation. I mentioned earlier about offering free sessions to build social proof, and this is where you bring it into play. 

• Alternatively,  you could use incentives to act fast. Ex. Limited spots available. 

Again, people feel drawn to a limited edition offer. It makes them feel special. Offering limited spots with either a free session, or a discounted one, could encourage people to get in touch.

• Another incentive is to do a limited time promotion. Perhaps a discount for the month? 

Setting a time limit on something encourages action. We hate to feel like we missed out on a bargain, so this limited offer could give them that final push.

Finally, just tell them to reach you. Sometimes, the direct approach works best with some people.

What matters is that you tell them in no uncertain terms to contact you. 

If you’re able to do this, then you will do well. 

However, that means you need to have the perfect profile, and I’m going to help you put your profile together.

How to optimize your profile page to have students contact you?

Writing your profile is daunting. Most people write it, take a look, change things, look again, it goes on forever. This is stressful, but it needn’t be.

Your profile needs to be easy to read, and to the point. Basically, a 9 year old should be capable of reading it. 

The key goals of your tutor profile are to help the student with…

• Get clear that you can help them.
• Be aware of how you will help them.
• Gain trust in your expertise.

As long as you can cover those three things, then you will have a more positive response rate.

This is what I want you to do.

Key elements of your profile page

1. Your profile heading

The first thing is your profile heading. It must convey what you are about in only a few words.

Include the subject as the main point. That’s what will grab their attention and leap off the page. The heading is concise, but the job of the heading is to get their attention, and make them want to read the description (just below the headline).

Imagine you’re looking for a tutor to help you with “Algebra 2”…

Check out these two examples, and see which one you think works best.

2. The short description

Next, we have the short description and this must match the message the student is looking for. If you tutor a specific type of algebra, then include those details. 

Add in your experience but leave out unnecessary details. People don’t care about your family etc. They only want to know if you can help them. 

Again, look at these two options. One leaps out while the other wastes that limited space. 

Remember: The student is asking “What’s in it for me?”. Answer that question, and you’re good. 

3. About you

The bio part is where you can go into some detail, but please don’t write page after page. Our attention span won’t allow us to absorb all that info…

This is a perfect example of wasted space in a profile.

This profile goes on too long about subjects other than tutoring. They do eventually get there, but to the end of their bio. Sell your tutoring ability first rather than making it sound as if you are writing your Wikipedia page…

While that bio wastes time, this one below is more direct and to the point…

This bio is short, gives you key information, and then invites you to contact them. This is way more effective as you are aware that they understand the subject and have the experience to back up their knowledge.

So far we’ve been telling the student “What you will get”.

Now, let’s start telling them “How will you get”. 

What exactly to write in your tutor profile

1. Benefits and Features

Let’s say you teach online, and you’ve been using a shared virtual whiteboard to teach your students, and using that technology has helped them learn much quicker. 

The feature is the whiteboard technology. 

The benefit is learning by doing, and getting instant feedback. 

The way you describe the “how you will get” is.. Start with the benefit (what), and then follow with the feature (how). 

So in this example, it’ll look something like:

“Learn by doing Algebra equations along with me, where I can give you instant feedback while observing where you’re getting stuck. I use a virtual whiteboard so we both can scribble on it while you’re working through each equation.”

List the most impactful benefits you provide. 

Start with the most important benefit, and then follow with others. 

Not more than 3 to 4 benefits, or you’ll lose their attention. 

Remember, for each “feature” you have, translate that into the benefit it brings your student, and then communicate it in the form of – Here’s what you get (benefit to you), and here’s how I’ve made sure you get it (feature I provide). 

Here’s a few benefits /features to get your wheels turning…

• Have you tutored people before? 
• What difference did your tutoring make to other students?
• What about your qualifications?
• What do they get when hiring you?
• What’s your tutoring style?
• What’s your availability?
• What tools do you use?
• What support do you offer?
• Is there anything else unique to what you do?

2. Social Proof

I mentioned social proof above, and I can’t stress enough how important this is. Get those review numbers up and include them in your profile. 

Social proof is the modern-day word of mouth advertising. Leaving this blank is not an option. Have a plan on how you’re going to get reviews and testimonials from students. 

In another post, I’ve covered how to ask for powerful reviews. 

3. Specificity

Remember to include a section going into specifics on your profile.

By going into specifics about your tutoring sessions, such as those mentioned earlier in my section on benefits and features, you strengthen the idea of being the perfect match for the student.

The chances of an algebra student having issues with every aspect are low. On most occasions, people have difficulty with various concepts instead of the whole subject. 

Go into detail, but briefly, of key areas where your tutoring will make a difference. 

You want to hammer home why the benefits you offer are the best around. You want the student to feel that you can resolve their problems on the subject because you fully understand what you are doing.

4. Risk Reversal

Finally, I like to add in a section called ‘risk reversal’ and this is all about building trust and confidence in you as a tutor. By correctly selling your skills as a tutor, any concerns about hiring you should vanish.

The aim here is to show the student that there’s no risk in hiring you. This is the time to point out you have some kind of special offer, perhaps even a free session. 

Alternatively, some tutors give a free consultation to allow the student to get an initial feel for them. Now, you could offer a refund if they aren’t happy, but that’s relatively rare for obvious reasons.

The main thing here is that offering some kind of risk reversal shows confidence in your own ability as a tutor. You are confident that this return of money will never be activated simply because you are fantastic at your job.

5. Call to Action

Remember to ask for the sale. 

Don’t feel shy about directly telling the student to contact you, or to schedule a first session. 

Ask for the sale early. First time immediately after you convey the key benefit to the student. And the next towards the end of your tutor profile. 

Pair the risk reversal statement along with the call to action, it removes any friction or doubt the student may be experiencing. 

Bringing it All Together

I know I’ve covered a lot, but believe me when I say the points mentioned in this post will make a huge difference to your profile.

However, all this requires one thing from you. ACTION!

Follow the tips, apply them to your own profile on a tutoring website, and see the difference it makes to your response numbers. You need to be on these websites in the first place to be seen.

Lastly, if you really want to up your game…

Consider your own a tutoring website.

A simple single page website.

1. It helps you stand out from the crowd.
2. You have more space to flesh out your profile.
3. You have your own individual link to place on social media.
4. A landing page is a wonderful way to generate more leads.

Sure, you may have no idea how to create a landing page, and that’s fine.

In my next post, I’ll go over in detail how to create your own single page tutoring website that will get you students almost on autopilot. 

For now, go sign up to those tutoring websites. There are students just waiting for you!