Designing The Perfect CouchSurfing Profile: Part 2
In case you missed it, part 1 of this series dealt with what kind of picture to use and how to fill out your personal description.
Welcome to part 2 of my guide to designing the perfect CouchSurfing profile. Follow my advice and you’ll always have a couch to sleep on, guaranteed.
In this guide, we’re going to cover what you should write to your prospective hosts to land a killer couch.
Step 1: You’ve Got To Grab Their Attention
I want you to try a little experiment for me.
I want you to put yourself into the mind of a prospective CouchSurfing host.
You’re receiving hundreds, maybe thousands of requests a day from people all over the globe who want to stay on your couch.
How are you going to select just one person? There are so many messages in your inbox, your head starts to hurt. You don’t even know where to begin.
But what if your eye catches a subject so compelling, so breath-taking, you have to open that message? Do you think the writer of that message is going to be the lucky recipient of your couch? You better believe it.
That’s it for the experiment. You can snap out of your trance-like state now.
What I want you to get from this is the idea that you’ve got to grab your prospective host’s attention with a compelling subject.
I personally suggest you greet them in the subject, and then insult them. It’s the ol’ push-pull technique, and works like a charm. Something along the lines of…
“Hello and good day, shit head”
I know I would open a message with that subject, fascinated and compelled to learn more about its sender.
Bonus points if it’s an insult in their own language, since many lazy foreigners don’t take the time to learn the finer details of English swearing. Pisses me off.
Step 2: Appeal To Their Senses With The Perfect Message
Now that the prospective host has opened your message, you have to prove to him how cool you are.
I have never failed opening with, “What’s up, dude.” Don’t be an idiot and try anything else. This line is gold.
Through rigorous split testing, I’ve found that the body of the message works best when it is short, sweet, and a little bit threatening. Something along the lines of…
“Hey, I’m looking for the perfect couch to sleep on. Yours looks great, and I would be a great guest. Don’t make a fucking mistake by choosing someone else.”
Finally, your signature is vitally important. This is the final impression that the prospective host will have of you, so you have to make it count. I’ve found that being bubbly and fun is killer.
“Hehe, well I’ll see you! Clay”
This clearly shows you’re a fun person, which is very important.
This is what the final request should look like.
And That’s It!
By having the perfect profile as covered in part 1, along with the perfect CouchSurfing request as covered here, you’ll never have to face online rejection again.
Good luck!