← Back to blog

A public booking page: how to stop losing students in DMs

You know the scene: someone messages you on Instagram — "how much is a lesson, and when are you free?" You reply that evening, and they've already forgotten why they asked. Or you reply right away, and the back-and-forth starts: "6pm work?", "no, taken, how about 7?", "is that your timezone or mine?" By the time it's settled, two days have passed, and half of those conversations just fade out halfway through.

A public booking page doesn't fix this by writing better replies — it removes the back-and-forth from the process entirely.

Why this actually matters

When someone is looking for a tutor, they usually message more than one. Whoever replies fastest and with the least friction gets the trial booking — even if you're objectively the stronger teacher. Personal DMs don't lose because the reply is bad; they lose because of how many steps stand between "interested" and "booked."

A booking page removes every one of those steps but one — pick an open slot, click a button.

24/7 takes bookings while you're asleep, teaching, or just away from your phone
0 DMs needed before someone sees your price and open times
1 click and the request is already a card in your prospects list

There's a less obvious effect, too: a dedicated page with a photo, a description, and clear pricing reads as a service, not a private arrangement. It's the same reason even barbershops and dental clinics moved to online booking long ago — not because they couldn't function without it, but because it earns trust at first glance.

Booking page vs. DMs: an honest comparison

Criterion Public booking page Negotiating over DM/call
When someone can book Anytime — the page is never "offline" Only while you're online and able to reply
Messages required Often zero Usually 4–6: greeting, price question, time negotiation, confirmation
Risk of double-booking Only shows slots that are genuinely open on your schedule Easy to mix up when arrangements are scattered across chats
What the person sees right away Photo, price, levels, experience, next open slot Only whatever you happened to type in that moment
Where the request ends up Straight into "Prospects" with their contact details Buried in a chat thread — you have to remember it yourself
How it looks from the outside Like a real service — a dedicated page with a clear flow Like a personal favor, with no structure
What happens if you don't reply right away Nothing — they already picked a time that works They wait, or go find another tutor

DMs aren't worse by default — they just don't scale. With one student a week, the difference is barely noticeable. With a steady stream of inquiries, every extra message is one more moment where someone might simply change their mind.

Try it on your own account — setting up a booking page in Lektobox takes about 10 minutes, and the free plan doesn't limit it.

Sign up for Lektobox

How to build your own booking page: step by step

1. Sign up and create a course for the trial lesson

After you sign up, go to "Courses" → "Add course". You need a course so there's something to actually book someone into — even a plain title like "Conversational English" is enough; you can fill in the curriculum later.

2. Create a page under "Enrollment"

In the side menu, open "Enrollment" → "Profiles" → "Add page". Give it a name (e.g. "English lessons with Anna") and pick the course you just created for the trial lesson.

3. Fill in the profile

Add a photo, a short bio, the subjects and levels you teach, your years of experience, and the trial lesson's length and price.

Lektobox's public booking page editor: photo, bio, subjects, levels, trial lesson price, with a live card preview on the right
Everything is edited on one screen, with a live preview of the card on the right.

4. Add your weekly availability

Further down the same page, pick the days and hours you're actually free to run trial lessons. This schedule is exactly what a visitor sees — double-booking isn't possible, since it's checked against your real session schedule.

5. Publish and share the link

Click "Publish" → "Copy link". Here's what the result looks like from a visitor's side:

A public booking page as a prospective student sees it: the teacher's photo and bio, trial lesson price, and a calendar with open dates and times
A visitor immediately sees price, experience, and open times — and books it themselves, no messages required.

The whole point of this link is that it can go literally anywhere people might discover you. It never expires, stays the same, and leads straight to booking with no extra step in between. A few places worth adding it:

  • Instagram/TikTok bio — instead of "message me", a direct link to booking.
  • Your Telegram channel or group description, or a pinned message, if you run one.
  • Email signature — on every message, cold outreach and regular alike.
  • WhatsApp/Viber status.
  • Your own website, or a Linktree/Taplink-style page, if you have one.
  • Your profile on tutor marketplaces (Preply, italki, etc.) — as a "book directly" option alongside their own system.
  • A QR code on a business card or handout for in-person lessons.
  • Replies to anyone who already messaged you — instead of retyping the price and open times every time, just send the link.
  • Posts in relevant groups ("looking for an English tutor") — wherever that's within the group's rules.

6. Handle requests from one place

Every new booking request automatically lands in "Prospects" — with contact details and a status. Once the trial lesson has happened and someone's ready to continue, one click turns the request into a full student with a schedule and billing.

Lektobox's prospects list: names, emails, and a 'New' status for each request from the booking form
No request gets lost in a chat thread anymore — they're all in one list, with a status.

From here the page runs itself: taking bookings while you teach, sleep, or are simply offline, always showing exactly the times that are actually open.

Ready to stop juggling five tools?

Bring your course, your live lessons and your student payments into one place. Create your account and try it today.

Talk to us instead