Growing grass from seed is beating me

Most failures come down to seed not touching the soil, or the top drying out. Rake the soil loose, spread the seed, rake it in lightly so it's barely covered, then walk over it or roll it so it's pressed down. After that the top half inch has to stay damp until it sprouts, which usually means a light sprinkle once or twice a day, not one big soak. Once it's up, water less often but deeper. Timing matters too. For the usual cool season lawn grasses, early autumn beats spring by a mile.