Ghosting on Craigslist

How to Avoid Ghosting on Craigslist

What is “ghosting”?
The term “ghosting” refers to when you make a post on Craigslist and receive the confirmation that it has been posted, but it has actually been removed so that no one can view it. Ghosting is a restrictive measure used by Craigslist to remove ads they believe are spam, duplicates, or are being posted too often. 
This can be a huge problem for multifamily housing communities that use Craigslist as a leading advertising source and are posting similar ads to Craigslist daily.

Here are a couple of ways to avoid being ghosted:

1)      Avoid Using Links - Craigslist doesn’t like to have its users directed away from their site so they are more likely to ghost an ad with multiple links in it. Your ad should be specific and enticing enough that a prospect will want to pick up the phone and call you without needing to view any other websites.

2)      Change Titles and Descriptions Often – If you are posting the exact same ad every day Craigslist will probably think that your ad is a duplicate and was either posted by accident or that you are trying to spam the site. Get creative with your titles or even use them to highlight a specific apartment or deal that is available. Rather than posting “1 Bedroom Apartment Available” every day, mix it up with titles like “Beautiful 1 Bed with Balcony,” or “1 Bedroom with Parking Included”, and then tailor your description to whatever you want to advertise that day.

3)      Limit Postings From Your Internet Connection – Craigslist tracks who is posting and from where and then limits the allowances for each connection. If you share your internet connection with your Business Center or Community Room and residents are posting a high volume of ads in addition to yours, you are both more likely to be ghosted. Try to separate connections between the offices where you post and where shared Wi-Fi is available to residents and visitors.

4)      Vary the Time of Day That You Post – Posting essentially the same ad from the same account at the same time every day may lead Craigslist to believe that your post is automated or spam. Try to post at different times each day and use this to your advantage by posting during high traffic times and actually gaining more exposure for your ad. Mondays have the highest traffic for weekdays, so try posting on Sunday evening or first thing Monday morning to get your ad seen. During the week people are going to browse on their time off (during lunch or once they are home from work), so post around noon time or right before you head home yourself! Weekends consistently have the highest traffic rates and are a good time to post your best variety of ads.

Once your account has been ghosted it can be hard to start fresh. You may need to start a new account or even request a new IP address from your internet provider since Craigslist can block ads from your whole connection. Be sure to take these precautions when posting and you will steer clear of any problems! 

Have you been able to avoid this "ghosting" epidemic? 

Debbie's Team