How to Write a Great Online Dating Profile

Your online dating profile is your first chance to let readers know what makes you tick and what you look for in a partner. Make it nothing less than wonderful.

Instructions

1. Post an engaging headline. This means using nothing generic or boring. "Let's Have Fun!" is a headline that tells the reader nothing about you and ranks right up there with everyone else's opening line. Find something unusual or different about you and incorporate that into your headline.

2. Grab them with the first line of your essay or they will not continue reading. This means opening with something different. Don't restate what's in the rest of your profile, such as, "I am a single mother with blond hair..." Pick something that truly defines you such as, "Have you ever gone skydiving?" or "My desserts will leave you begging for more."

3. Keep your essay at about 300 words in length. If you go much further than that, you're not leaving enough mystery in there. Less than that means you may not be saying enough.

4. Keep your essay positive. Don't mention former relationships or anything negative, such as "I hate cheaters." This will not attract dates but will make you look bitter.

5. Talk about what you DO want rather than what you DON'T. For example, rather than say, "I'm not looking for someone without a college degree," try, "I tend to be attracted to educated types." This says the same thing but sounds gentler.

6. Be realistic in your short-answer responses. For example, if you are a 50 year-old man who's looking for women 20 to 30, you're not going to attract many women.

7. Keep your essay specific and detailed. This means leaving out trite sayings such as "walks on the beach" or "candlelit dinners." Be more creative than that. Profiles that say, "I want to meet someone with a good personality," beg the question, "No kidding, who doesn't?"

8. Be as flexible and open-minded as possible without compromising your desires. For example, if you'd like to meet someone local but you put down a parameter of within 10 miles of your zip code, you're not going to attract as many people as you would with a range of 25 or 50 miles.