Palfish - How to get bookings...


Bookings, Bookings, Bookings!

Bookings are GOLD! On Palfish you need to market yourself to get them... so how do you do it?

Here is my experience...



  • Your Profile
When you first get on to Palfish you have the opportunity to set up a profile - This includes a profile picture. Other pictures, a voice intro and a text intro. THIS is what parents will see when they are searching through profiles to pick a teacher. Make it good! Be enthusiastic and friendly in your voice introduction. Use dot points and emoji's in your text introduction. Let them know about you! Share your interests. Use quality photos! You can always edit and improve your profile - so once you are set up - find some teacher's with lots of hours - look at their profiles and get some ideas! 
  • Followers
Some Palfishers (yep that's what we're called), don't see this as important. I totally disagree! Having more followers will get you seen more, and when you are seen parents will see that you are well followed and it will peak their interest. The teachers with HEAPS of hours on Palfish, have LOTS of followers. There are two ways to get followers - follow teachers and they should follow you back, follow students, and they may follow you back too.

How to follow teachers:

When you first get onto Palfish the first way to follow others is through the moments function - hop on and start following - if someone follows you follow them back! When you are approved to the OKC you will be put in an 'admin group' and a 'mentor group' (more on groups later) but follow everyone in those groups! 

How to follow students:

This is what you really want! Most of the time it's the parent logged into the student's account and they are the ones that BOOK you! Some times you will see moments that feature students. Follow them. Sometimes students will randomly follow you because of your interesting moments (more on that soon), follow them back. Finally - USE THE READING APP. this is where most of my student followers come from - and whether they book with me or not having student followers attracts more student followers - trust me. 
Moments are like your wall on facebook. Here you can post pictures, videos or podcasts. I suggest posting a LOT (Like 3-5 a day) and a variety. Post some pictures about your life - your day to day activities - post some educational moments. Look through other people's popular moments and get ideas! Teachers recommend video moments the most as it gives parents and the sales team the opportunity to watch and hear you!

  • Introduction Video
This is SO important. Everyone on the OKC has one so you have plenty to look through and get ideas! I firmly believe my introduction video was a game changer for me. I had THREE goes at it- the first one I uploaded just to fill the space. I improved it mildly and then posted it again. Finally I redid my whole background and completely redid the video- it can be hard to get noticed on Palfish, but your video HAS to be watched by someone before it is verified - make it good, they WILL notice. The day after I uploaded my third attempt I was featured on the Kids app. and that was a game changer for me! That's when my bookings really started rolling in!

The kids app. is what the students use to learn on Palfish...they feature teacher profiles on there and rotate them every couple of weeks. 

Ok for non Palfishers this is a totally new concept. Basically it's like a facebook live, but on Palfish. You can charge people to attend - don't, for our purposes we don't want to make money from lives and no-one will come if they have to pay (unless you are super popular). Don't panic if no one watches! There is always a Palfish worker in there - so do a GOOD job! Until you get more popular avoid the Q & A format - if no one comes you'll have no-one to ask questions 😂 Just read a book! It's that easy! People can watch the replay too - so this is where students will come to check you out and see if they want to take a class with you. Be animated, be kid friendly! If you want more help with doing a LIVE let me know in the comments!

Ok I love teaching - it's kind of my thing - and I thought I was good at it. The good thing about Palfish is that every class is recorded - and you can watch them! Oh boy if you think you're enthusiastic in person you need to amp it up 1000% for it to come across on a screen. Watch your replay's tweak your style - a sales person watches every trial class you teach - make them good so that they recommend you to parents! When you get an Official class - do a good job! Parents will rate you and you want to keep that rating high to attract more bookings! Click here to read some tips on how.

  • Use the Reading app.
The reading app is a separate app. all together and the navigation is all in Chinese! But don't be put off! There are kids books on there and they are in English! Kids can read and record them and so can you! It's another way for parents to hear your voice - and it is the best way to interact with students. Click here for the best tutorials on how to use the reading app.

  • Be patient
Palfish takes time to build! Be positive - work at it! It will happen! Some people get heaps of bookings straight away - others like me take a while to get them. Some take LONGER than me! If you are dedicated (and very patient), it will work out. Use the app. a lot! There is an algorithm Palfish uses to assign classes, and my GUESS is that they track your activity on the app. I'll just be wasting time on their sometimes and i'll get a pop up for a class. 

Ideally you will be assigned classes in advance, but in the beginning your chance of getting classes is usually through last minute pop ups (within 2 hours of class). My saving grace has been my iWatch because I wear it all the time - I never miss a pop up class notification. Basically the more you accept the more you get to teach - Build your hours! Do a good job at every class, then you will be recommended. 

  • Build your hours
You do this by teaching and doing LIVES. As your hours build so will your bookings - many people say 30-35 hours is the golden number for them. Well i'm not there yet but I am fully booked. 

Ok i'll be honest, in my limited experience it is rare that you will see the same student at the same time each week. Parents like the flexibility of Palfish as much as we do - they may book more than once a week, on different days, and at different times. BUT as I said before, i'm sure the sales team notice and track your activity on the app. they know how many weekly slots you have.. so do it. You only need to know availability three weeks in advance so it's easy to plan - you can also close a weekly slot for the day before it is booked, no penalty, and only a 1 point penalty if it IS booked and you cancel over 24hours in advance. 

It seems like a lot, and i'll be honest it is! But put the effort in early, build your regulars and then you can step back a bit! I did one LIVE a week for my first three weeks, now I just don't have the time because i'm teaching too much - but they are still there for people to watch. I don't post as many moments anymore - I don't have the time in peak hours as i'm teaching. But I make sure they are quality! I was reading and recording 3-5 books a day on the reading app. I've cut back to 2, it takes me 5 min. 

It's like any owner operated business and marketing - put the effort in and you will see results - but give it TIME!

Happy Teaching x


P.S. Every company offers a referral bonus - If you're interested in getting started and would like my help with the process drop me a line! 

 Palfish referral code: 58910752 
SayABC referral code: EG63VF 

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