Get your online dating profile noticed

With thousands of users competing for attention in the fast paced world of online dating, your profile has to stand apart from the crowd. In order to maximize your chances of meeting someone, you need to make a great first impression - and generate enough interest to make that potential match come to you. But how do you do it?

There are a few key factors that will help differentiate you from the thousands of others vying for clicks. Much of an online dater's success will come from capitalizing upon the elements that first appear in a seeker's search results (see #1 and #2 below), as well as clearly articulating the most appealing parts of their lifestyle and personality (see #3 and #4). So, once you've learned How to Write an Online Dating Profile, make it easier for your ideal match to find it by following these five simple steps.

1. Come up with a dynamic username and tagline

Even if you don't have the best profile picture to draw upon, you'll still have hope of your profile being viewed if you capitalize on the username and tagline, two of most underused elements in the world of online dating.

To clarify, the username is your unique identifier and serves as the pseudonym that every single user sees. The tagline functions as your personal headline and introduces you to other singles surfing the web.

Most people put minimal effort into these features of the profile and, instead, favor writing a more thoughtfully constructed personal description. But when it comes to surfing through hundreds of other profiles, these can spell the difference between a skip over and a second look!

If someone cruising available singles doesn't bother clicking on your profile to read the rest of what you've got to say, the effort you spent on the personal description will have been in vain. With that said, be creative with the tagline and come up with a username that doesn't make you look like a schmuck!

2. Choose a great profile picture

If you're leaning towards not posting a profile photo, think again. The chances of your profile actually getting read significantly decline when you leave one out, and often times people who are scoping out potential matches will simply filter out profiles that don't include them.

A carefully selected profile picture (the one that gets seen amongst all others in a search query) will definitely get you noticed. The value of your photo choice usually outweighs that of your username and tagline, and plays a huge part in making a first impression. Capitalize on the exposure and tempt users to get to know you better by showing a simple, up to date head shot. And who could forget the most important picture tip? Smile!

3. Promote the positive

Considering the fast paced nature of scoping singles on the net, online dating is not the forum to save the best for last! You've only got a brief window to command someone's attention online, so start with your best traits and keep them coming. Mention what's most relevant about your personality and always keep it positive.

Online dating is not the forum to be modest, wishy-washy, or self-deprecating. Though a profile is meant to be a snapshot of who you are, don't even think about mentioning the things you think are faults (you'd be surprised how many people do); stick to getting the date and leaving it up to them to decide the rest.

4. Use good writing structure

Many of the common “Online Dating Faux Pas” (more on this in a later article) made by prospective daters can easily be corrected, and one that can have a huge impact on your success is how you write and structure a profile. Granted, you're not writing a college essay, but you are trying to make an impact on someone without actually meeting them in person – so, of course your writing's going to matter!

Here are a few key rules to follow…

DO:

• edit before you post anything; write your entire profile in a word processing program and follow that by having a friend or two read it over;
• separate your ideas with proper punctuation;
• include spaces between lines so that it's easier for the reader to follow.

DON'T:

• overdo emoticons, colloquialisms and instant messaging acronyms;
• capitalize everything unless you want to come across as though you're yelling;
• be overly verbose - this has the tendency of making readers lose interest; save it for the date instead.

As a final note, use language that makes the reader feel like you're addressing just them, rather than the masses. For example, rather than saying, "If 'you girls' want to know more, just ask", try “If you would like…”.

5. The less generic, the better

There's nothing that fades into the background faster than an overly general dating profile. Some people keep their write ups generic thinking that they'll appeal to more people, when in fact a run of the mill description leaves no lasting impression - and does little in the way of inspiring others to contact you.

If you're keeping the profile indistinct because you're having issues coming up with ways to describe yourself, then for the time being, put your focus on communicating the type of person you want to meet, the activities you'd enjoy doing on a date, and what you value in a relationship.

Final thoughts

A great match between two people ultimately depends on chemistry. But when you use such an impersonal method as an online dating site to meet them, you have to draw upon other ways to catch their interest and create that spark. If you get to the next step of messaging one another, and all goes well, the good news is that you've laid down a great foundation for the first date.

In addition to our already mentioned articles on “How to Write an Online Dating Profile” and (upcoming) “Dating Profile Faux Pas”, also keep a future eye out for Profile Photo “Do’s” and “Don’ts” for more great information and ideas.