How to Write Personal Ads for Craigslist

Personal ads online have revolutionized the way that singles meet and connect. Craigslist provides a free personal ads service for people from all over the world and many local areas. In order to capture the attention of other like-minded individuals, you must write a catchy personal ad for yourself that describes exactly what you want (and don't want) and accurately describes you as well.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Computer with Internet access

Get Started

1. Define your criteria further based on your selection. Most ads will then require that you specify your gender and the gender of the person you are looking for, as well as the number of people you are seeking to connect with.

2. Go to the Craigslist home page (see Resources below) and select "Post to Classifieds."

3. Choose the "Personal/Romance" sub-category link.

4. Select from the given list of choices, including "Missed Connection," "Rant & Rave," "Strictly Platonic (Friends Only)," "Dating, Romance, Long Term Relationship (LTR)," "Sex With no Strings Attached (NSA)" and "Erotic Services."

Create an Interesting Ad That Suits Your Personality

5. Make up an intriguing title that expresses what you want and says a little bit about you (i.e., Outgoing and Fun Single Mom Looking for a Career-Oriented Man for LTR).

6. Fill in the description box with an accurate description of yourself, your interests and the qualities you find attractive potential partner.

7. Include a recent picture of yourself by clicking "Add/Edit Images" and choosing the files you want from your computer by selecting "Browse."

8. Write your email address in the appropriate box. Your email address will be anonymized so that buyers don't see your real email address, but a series of numbers and letters instead that forward email to your account.

Tips & Warnings

• Pay attention to all the disclaimers before you write personal ads on Craigslist. In brief, you must be 18 years old, you may not impersonate anyone or list fake contact information. If you violate any of the terms of use, you can be held liable and charged up to $1,000 per offense.
• If you feel as though you are being harassed by a certain Craigslist user, report the violation immediately to the Craigslist abuse department (see Resources below).
• Protect your safety--never post your phone number, real email address or Web site information in a personal ad.