Simple Steps to Successful Profiles

If you'd rather have a colonoscopy than write a dating profile, read on.  You've come to the right place.

Creating successful profiles for online dating sites is a totally hackable skill.  Really.  I promise you--you can do it, even if you failed Mrs. Schnibbly's 11th-grade English class because of your horrible term paper that you waited until midnight the night before to write.

There's no getting around it: you need a great dating profile to attract any attention on most dating sites.  To write a good one profile, you need to do two main things:

1) Break it down into small pieces. 
2) "Test-market" for feedback.

What strengths do successful profiles share?

Compelling Headline:  The best profile headlines yell "Look at me, world!"--while at the same time offering some genuine bit of information about you.  Whether through wit or a touch of mystery, successful profiles start out with headlines that just call out to be clicked on.

You can find excellent examples of some of the best profile headlines by checking out the resource, Instand Dating Idea Book.

Attractive, Candid Photo: Successful dating profile photos have two qualities in common: 

First, the picture is flattering, showing your face clearly and naturally.  Nothing grainy or unfocused--and, on the other extreme, nothing airbrushed and artificial. 

Secondly, the picture is candid.  Playing the guitar, smiling from a mountaintop with your backpack on, riding a horse, setting up your camera for a great landscape shot.  Candid shots work!  They show you as an interesting, well balanced person who is busy enjoying life.

Attention-Getting User Name:  The best profile headlines and pictures are followed up by a catchy user name.  Successful profiles have memorable, highly individual user names.  Avoid place names, family roles, and sexual come-on's:  this is about you: not where you're from, who your kids are, or how lonely you might be feeling at the moment.  What is your passion?  Can you crystallize that in the form of a two-word user name?

For examples, see the Squidoo article, "Learn to Write Successful Profiles."

A Lively Description:  Sketch a picture of yourself with your words.  Don't just give a string of adjectives about yourself  No one is likely to care when you describe yourself as a creative, spontaneous person.  (Doesn't just about everyone on dating sites claim to have these qualitiies?) 

And now a warning:  the most successful profiles avoid scaring readers with too much information.  The goal is to attract the kind of person who might want to get to know you better.  There is no room here for lengthy anecdotes about your dog or self-pitying tales about your ex.

Writing the description is the trickiest part--and this is why successful profiles take some time and thought to create.  Check out an idea for test-marketing profiles on Squidoo. 




If you want some additional help and guidance with these four basic elements of writing successful profiles, I recommend an excellent, low-cost resource you can buy for ideas, templates, and samples of profiles:  the  Dating Profile Idea book.