On Thumbtack, you pay for the lead when the customer reaches out, not when they hire you. That makes every slow reply expensive. The fix is to answer within minutes with a message that confirms the job, gives a price or a range, and asks one question that moves it forward.
Here's how leads and charges work on Thumbtack, why speed matters more there than almost anywhere, and messages you can copy for the first reply and the follow-up.
How Thumbtack charges for leads
According to Thumbtack's help center, when a customer reaches out to you directly from search results and their job matches your job preferences, you auto-pay for the lead. You set your own lead prices with a slider in the Pro app. Read Thumbtack's article on lead costs.
Opportunities, also called open leads, work differently. You see the price up front, you message the customer first if you want the job, and you only pay if the customer responds.
Either way, the money is spent before the job is won. Housecall Pro's overview of Thumbtack notes that customers often contact several pros at once, so you're competing directly for each job. See the overview.
Why speed decides most Thumbtack jobs
Think about it from the customer's side. They describe the job, a few pros respond, and they start talking to whoever answered first. By the time a slow reply arrives, they've already got a price, a time and a person they like.
Research on online leads in general points the same way: the odds of reaching a lead drop sharply after the first few minutes. We cover the studies in how fast you should respond to a lead.
Set yourself up to reply in minutes
- Turn on push notifications in the Pro app. Email alerts are too slow for a lead you've already paid for.
- Set job preferences carefully. Every lead that doesn't fit is money spent on a job you'll turn down. Tight preferences mean fewer, better leads.
- Save your first replies as templates. Write them once, when you have time, and change the details for each customer.
- Decide who covers nights and weekends. If nobody answers until Monday, weekend leads are mostly gone.
- Check your price slider against your results. If you're paying top price but replying hours later, you're paying for leads someone else wins.
What the first reply should say
A good first reply does four things: uses their name, shows you read the job, gives a price or an honest range, and asks one question. Here are examples for a few trades, with made-up names and prices. Change the details to fit yours.
House cleaning:
Hi Erin, thanks for reaching out! For a 3 bed, 2 bath deep clean we're usually $260 to $320, depending on condition. I have Thursday or Friday morning open. Does either work, and do you have pets?
Handyman:
Hi Carlos, I can do the TV mount and the two shelves in one visit, about 2 hours. That's $240 including hardware. Is the wall drywall or brick? I can come Saturday at 10.
Mobile detailing:
Hi Jen, for a full interior and exterior on a midsize SUV, it's $229 and takes about 3.5 hours. We come to you. What day works best this week?
Notice what isn't there: a long intro about your company, a list of every service, or "let me know if you have questions." Customers on Thumbtack are comparing replies side by side. The clearest one wins.
Move the conversation forward
The goal of the first message isn't to close. It's to get a reply. Once they answer, get to a booked time as fast as you can:
- Offer two specific times instead of asking when they're available
- Confirm the address and anything you need to bring
- Repeat the price and what it includes so there are no surprises
- Send a reminder the day before
Follow up with the ones who go quiet
If a customer doesn't answer your first reply, they're not necessarily gone. They may be at work or still reading other replies. A short, useful follow-up often brings them back:
- Same day, a few hours later: "Hi Erin, just making sure you saw my message. Thursday morning is still open."
- Day 1: Answer the likely question. "All supplies are included, and you don't need to be home."
- Day 3: A last note. "No worries if you went another way. If you still need it done, I'm happy to help."
Then stop. For more wording you can borrow, see our quote follow-up text templates.
Track what each lead actually costs you
Thumbtack shows what you paid for each lead in your payment history and in the lead's details in the Messages tab. Once a month, add it up and divide by the jobs you actually booked. That's your real cost per job. If it's too high, the fix is usually faster replies and tighter job preferences, not a lower lead price.
Do the same for every lead, not just Thumbtack
Thumbtack is often one source among several: your website form, Google, Facebook ads and other listing sites. Every one of those leads deserves the same fast reply. Jason texts and emails new leads within a minute, answers their questions, sends your pricing and books the job, and leads can be forwarded to him from your website, listing sites and ads.
See how it works for home service businesses and auto detailers.