So you’ve signed up for a dating website and now you’re sitting there at the computer looking at everyone else’s profile. You could literally spend hours browsing through all the ads and looking at all the pictures. You might even see a profile you like and want to respond. But before you do anything, you should take a moment to collect yourself and make a profile of your own. This will be the important step in ensuring you have some degree of success on an online dating website. It doesn’t matter how good a personality you have, or how buff you are from working out, if you have a bad profile no one is going to want to meet you. Here are the key steps to writing a good online profile.
1. You’ve probably already done the first step as mentioned above which is to look at other people’s profiles and research the site. Basically, you want to see what you’re working with. So make sure to learn the rules of the site, and then take note of your competition. See what other people are doing so you can decide how fancy, or how simple, you want to make your profile. Also make sure to know what type of dating website you are working with.
2. Add some great pics. Your pictures don’t have to be model-like quality headshots, in fact that would be weird. But make sure your pics are clear, accurate, and current. You might be temtped to post a picture where the shadows and camera angle make you look like a famous celebrity, but if you don’t actually look like that in real life then you’re asking for trouble. People appreciate honesty and they don’t want to be surprised when they actually meet you. It has been proven that profiles with pictures are far more successful than ones without. So break out that pic folder and choose some quality photos that will attract your next date.
3. Fill out the profile completely. There are usually two parts to a personal ad: the basic info/details, and the more personal bio. When it comes to the basic info like education and height, make sure to fill out everything you’re comfortable with. Blank spaces or empty categories make it seem like you have something to hide, especially when that info isn’t all that invasive in the first place. For your personal bio, this is where your personality can shine through. Some people write one or two lines and that simply won’t work. If you have the ability to write and express yourself in an interesting way, then take this opportunity to stand out from the others.
4. Be clear about your expectations. When you fill out your profile, you should be giving some indication about your expectations. And be honest because your true intentions will come out eventually. So if you are only looking for friendship then make that clear. If you want something long term then tell people. Two people who are looking for completely different things may not be right for each other at the moment no matter how well their profiles match.
5. Keep yourself safe. This should be obvious by now, but make sure you never give out information like your phone number or address. Even if there are sections for that type of info, you should not fill them out. You might even want to start up a separate email account so that you can stay anonymous for initial correspondence. Don’t take the anonymity to lead you to believe it is less romantic or magical. You have to be practical when it comes to the internet because you are essentially dealing with a huge pool of strangers. In the end, a good online dating profile will keep you safe and secure.
6. Have a friend read your profile. If you have a good friend whose opinion you trust, then have them go over your profile. It might be embarrassing at first, but maybe you can pick a friend who has tried online dating themselves. You want your friend to check for things like spelling and grammar. And also have them see if your meaning and tone come through. If you have some funny parts to your ad, ask your friend to see if they read as intended. A lot of times little things that come with natural speech are lost in translation in the world of internet writing. So have a friend who knows you review your ad to see if you have accurately represented yourself.
Above all else you should be honest in your online dating profile. It can be tempting to build yourself up to tremendous proportions, but the truth will be quite obvious when you actually meet someone in person. A good online dating profile will be as accurate as possible so avoid this most common of online dating mistakes. So keep your facts straight and if anything, undersell yourself a bit and stay humble. You are basically putting up an advertising that describes something another person might be interested in. Imagine how upset they will be if they don’t get what’d advertised. And on the other hand, think about how pleased they would be if they got exactly what they wanted in the first place.
Related posts: