I’ve had a lot of experience with writing and viewing online dating profiles. I’ve managed to narrow down what does and doesn’t work and want to share these gems with you.
However firstly, when it comes to online dating you need to have a very relaxed attitude. You are going to talk to weirdos, wankers, nice guys and naughty guys. It’s likely the very first person you meet isn’t going to be your last.
Don’t be deterred, there are some lovely fellas to be found online, you just need to weed out the jerks to get to them.
Your Profile Photo
If you don’t want to display a photo on your profile that’s fine, but you need to be willing to swap photos at some stage and you should state that somewhere on your profile.
There are several dating websites that allow you to upload photos but not show them to people unless you ‘unlock’ them, but it indicates to people who view your profile that you do have photos, which is a good way to go.
Make sure it’s a good photo that is a true representation of yourself. Try to avoid self taken ‘duck photos’ and stick with ones other people might have taken of you. Go through your Facebook photos and pick out your top 5. If you’re worried about your photos, ask a friend which ones you should choose.
‘About Me’
One simple and solid tip – avoid anything negative. Don’t tell people what you AREN’T, tell them what you ARE. Try to use a bit of humour and keep it fresh. If you’re stuck for ideas do a search on other profiles and see what they’ve written. You want to stand out from the crowd in a positive way.
Add quirky facts about yourself, the more fun, bubbly and quirky you are in your profile the more likely you are to get people contacting you.
‘Looking For’
This is an opportunity to say what you’re looking for. The most common words used are someone ‘funny’, ‘laid back’ and ‘spontaneous’. Every single profile has at least one of these words, try not to use them if you can help it. Be simple, you don’t want people who view your profile to think they don’t fit into a bunch of categories you’ve set.
If you’re not looking for a one night stand definitely put that in. It’s not secret a lot of people use online dating as a way to scope out casual sex so it doesn’t hurt to clearly state you’re not looking for that.
Overall your profile needs to have a decent amount of information, 50 – 100 words per section is good. If in doubt always get someone else to read over your profile and give you an honest opinion of the personality you’re putting forward.
Have you used online dating? What are your tips?
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