You listed on RentAFriend weeks ago, your profile looks fine, and nothing. It is the most common complaint from friends on the site, and the first thing to know is that it is mostly not about you.
Why it happens#
RentAFriend lists friends free and charges the people who want to hire a membership before they can send a message. Most people who browse never buy it. So the pool of people who can actually contact you is a fraction of the site's traffic, and that fraction concentrates where there are enough friends to justify paying: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Miami, a few others. Outside those metros, weeks of silence is normal and widely reported. Inside them, you are one of hundreds of listings and the first photo decides whether anyone opens yours.
Eight fixes that actually move the needle#
- The first photo. Your face, daylight, smiling, no sunglasses, no group shot, no filter that changes how you look. It is the only thing most members see before deciding to click.
- A bio that says what you are for. Not "friendly, outgoing, love to laugh". Say the uses: a plus-one for weddings and work events, a gym partner three mornings a week, museum and gallery afternoons, showing newcomers the city, a dinner companion for people travelling on business. Members search for a use, not a personality.
- A rate in the middle of your city's range. Above it, you are filtered out. Far below it, you read as a red flag rather than a bargain; people who pay a membership are not shopping on price.
- Honest availability. "Weekday evenings and Saturdays" gets booked; "anytime" gets ignored because nobody believes it.
- A recent update. Members filter for active profiles. Edit something every couple of weeks so the date moves.
- Reply within hours. The single biggest factor friends mention. A member who pays and messages five people books the first one who answers properly.
- Public requests, daily. Members post what they want; friends respond. It is the one place you reach out instead of waiting. Answer the ones that fit you, and address what they asked rather than pasting "I'm available".
- The words people search. If you would take a wedding plus-one gig, the word "wedding" belongs in your bio. Same for "gym", "museum", "concert", "business dinner", "new in town".
What not to do#
Do not pay anyone who offers to "boost" your profile. Do not move to another app before a meeting is agreed. Do not accept anything that drifts from platonic to get a booking; it is against the rules and it is how friends end up in situations they did not want.
Then stop depending on one site#
Listing on more than one platform is normal and allowed. The question is which second listing has the fewest people between you and a booking.
Roavi lists Local Friends free and takes no commission, and there is no membership on the other side: hirers browse and message free and pay you directly at the rate you set. It is built around travellers who want someone to show them a city, so it suits you best if you live somewhere visitors come. Profiles are reviewed by a person and need three real photos, which keeps the pool credible. And its US listings are thin today, which is the point: a new profile in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago or Houston is one of a handful rather than one of thousands, and it shows up on the city's pages immediately.
List on Roavi free, no paywall for the people booking you.
Become a Local FriendRelated#
RentAFriend vs Roavi, side by side for friends. Every alternative and what each charges. Getting paid to show people your city. The big-city pages: New York and Los Angeles.
Put the uses in your bio that people search for: wedding plus-one, gym partner, business-trip dinner.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why am I not getting messages on RentAFriend?
Mostly structure, not you. Only paying members can send messages, and most people who browse never buy the membership, so the pool of people who can actually contact you is a fraction of the traffic. Those who do pay concentrate in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Miami and a few other big metros. Outside those, weeks of silence is normal and widely reported.What should I fix in my RentAFriend profile?
The first photo (your face, daylight, smiling, no sunglasses, no group); a bio that says what you are actually good for (a plus-one for events, gym partner, museum afternoons, showing newcomers the city) instead of adjectives; a rate inside the normal range for your city; honest availability; and a recent update date, because members filter for active profiles. Answer every message within hours; reply speed is the single biggest factor people mention.What are public requests and should I use them?
Members can post what they want (a wedding plus-one next Saturday, someone to walk with on weekday mornings) and friends respond. It is the one place on the site where you reach out rather than wait. Check them daily and answer the ones that fit you specifically; a generic 'I'm available' reply loses to a reply that addresses what they asked.Should I lower my rate?
Only if you are above the normal range for your city. Below it, a very low rate reads as a red flag rather than a bargain, and the people who pay a membership are not shopping on price. A rate in the middle of your city's range, with a specific bio, outperforms the cheapest profile with a vague one.Where else can I list for free?
Roavi lists Local Friends free, takes no commission, and has no membership between you and the people booking: hirers browse and message free and pay you directly at the rate you set. It is built around travellers who want someone to show them a city, so it suits you best if you live somewhere visitors come. Its US listings are thin today, which means a new profile in New York, Los Angeles, Miami or Chicago is one of a handful rather than one of thousands. Listing on more than one platform is normal and allowed.Does listing on Roavi affect my RentAFriend profile?
No. They are separate sites with separate accounts, and nothing stops you keeping both. Most friends who do well treat each listing as a separate channel: RentAFriend for local company in a big US city, Roavi for travellers and for anyone who will not pay a membership to message.