Is a Zillow premium listing for a rental worth the cost?

[Bob H.]

Zillow suggests that I spend $29.99 for a premium listing, promising that renters will see the listing more often because it appears higher in search results. I find this vague. I'd like to know what I'm getting for my money.

First, I tend to look for listings on a computer and focus on the map, not the search results alongside the map. I suppose, though, that most people search on phones and the search results are more important on those devices. But how much more viewing would I get for the Zillow fee? I once paid for a premium listing, a few years ago, and did not notice any difference, but how could I tell? To really know the result, I'd need to be advertising two identical properties -- one with a premium listing and another with a regular listing.

Does anyone have experience that clearly shows a result from using a premium listing?