Creating your first online dating profile can be a tricky task for a newbie. You may wonder what you should and shouldn’t say about yourself and what kind of photos you should use. Don’t worry, I’ve done all the research for you! So, keep reading for a crash course on everything you need to know about the do’s and don’ts of internet dating profiles.
So, basically what you want to know is what you should put in your dating profile and what you shouldn’t in order for it to be the most effective and produce the results you want. My first answer is simple, be sure that anything you include in your profile is a good representation of the real you.
In order for online dating to actually work and for you to find people you will really connect with, you need to be true to yourself on your profile. In addition, please do not lie on your profile. You wouldn’t want to be catfished just as someone else wouldn’t want to so be courteous. This is obviously not something I can do for you, but it is the most important part.
What I am going to do in the rest of this article is give you some guidance and tips on how best to go about this in the easiest way possible as well as some finishing touches and details you might want to keep in mind to help you along the way. Let’s get started.
Picking Your Photos
Even though looks aren’t everything, first impressions are. Your profile photos are going to be the first thing a potential match sees when they come across your profile!
On that note, pick photos that you feel confident in and you think accurately display you. Another helpful tip is to try to choose a variety of different photos. How boring would it be if someone’s photos were all just slightly different version of each other?
Don’t be that person!
Add some interest to your profile with a well-chosen assortment of pictures that you feel encapsulates you. A good place to start would be to choose one simple photo preferably of just you.
Try to make sure this photo is up to date and an accurate depiction of what you look like.
Next, have a little fun with it!
Add some photos of you doing things you love or having fun. You want the pictures you choose to tell a little bit about yourself on top of just what you look like.
One last thing to remember for all these photos is to try and choose pictures that you are the main focus of. This is a profile to display you! You don’t want people to have to guess which one you are in the pictures you posted.
What information should you include?
So, now that you’ve got your profile photos all ready to go, it’s time to focus on what kind of information you want to put out there.
First things first, do not include anything that isn’t true. What’s the point of starting a connection with someone when you’ve started with a lie.
Second thing is, don’t put too much information out there for just everyone to see. You have to leave something for people to ask about! Also, who wants to spend more than a few minutes reading information about someone they don’t even know yet when there are a million others they could be scrolling through. So, make the information you do give out simple and to the point but also something to catch their attention. You don’t want what you have to say to sound just like everyone else!
To get you started here are a few things you might want to consider including.
- Basic information including occupation and age
- Something unique about yourself
- Your hobbies, something you’re passionate about and the things you love.
Be specific with what you want
If you are doing online dating to look for the love of your life, that’s awesome! If you’re making an online dating profile to just meet people and not find anything serious, that’s great too! You just have to say it.
Make things easy on yourself as well as others and just include a brief mention of what you are looking to get out of online dating. This will save you from wasting your own time or someone else’s by starting off on the same page.
Trust me, you will be happy you did this in the long run.
Show it, don’t just say it!
Say you think you’re funny or that you love to travel. Something you can do is instead of just saying those things, show it! In order to show that you love traveling you can include a photo from a trip or talk about an experience or story that happened while traveling that really means a lot to you.
On the other hand, if you think you’re funny don’t just say it, show your sense of humor with a joke or a witty saying. I promise, going about it this way will come off as much more appealing and genuine than if you were just to list those qualities about yourself!
Adding a Hook
A fun and interesting way to draw people into your account and get them to match with or message you more is adding a hook. This can be anything from a quirky saying or quote for them to ask you about, or even the most direct route, a question.
Talk about something you like then ask them a question related to it. For example, if you are an avid reader talk about your favorite book then ask theirs! You can even up your game by including a lyric from a song you love or a lyric from that favorite book of yours.
Doing this gives someone who is interested an easy in to talk to you. This can help you not only to reel in the new messages but also help to find people who have similar interest as you such as someone else who enjoys reading or maybe even the same book!
Avoid monotonous clichés
One definite thing you want to stray from is saying cliché things that every other person puts in their dating profile as well. Trust me 99% of people probably like long walks on the beach and sunsets. So, this is not something you need to include!
Instead, differentiate yourself and put something you like that may be unique and not just what you think sounds good.
How should you format your bio?
There are a couple of ways you can go about organizing the information on your dating profile depending on what you like and the kind of person you are. If you don’t consider yourself the greatest writer, lists can be a simple but effective way to keep your bio looking organized while still getting the facts that you want out there.
On the other hand, if you do like to write, do it!
The other formatting option is short but informational paragraphs about yourself, dividing the paragraphs by the information you’re giving. If you do choose this route, an important thing to remember is whatever you write should be well-crafted and easy to read.
Finishing Touches
Now that you think you have everything you want to say in your profile, there are a few more things you can do as finishing touches.
One good idea to consider doing is getting a second opinion to look over your profile. I would recommend a close friend who you know will be honest. Your friends really do know you best. Also, having someone else look at it from a different perspective might give you a little insight on what another person might think when they come across your profile. Another great thing is they might come across mistake you might have missed.
You should try your best to make your profile have as little grammatical and spelling errors as possible. This shows that you took your time and who wants to spend time reading something that you obviously didn’t care about.
In addition, you can always feel free to get a third or even a fourth opinion if you still aren’t getting the results you’re after. It could be anything from a photo that accidentally portrayed the wrong message or a few important spelling mistakes.
You never know what you or even your second opinion might have overlooked that could be a simple fix.
Conclusion
So, even though creating a dating profile may seem like an intimidating task if you stick to these guidelines and keep my tips in mind you’ll be on your way to having a stellar profile in no time!
Finally, always refer back to my opening advice, make sure that anything you put on your profile is truly something that displays the real you, and you will have a profile that will help you not only meet people but also people you might be compatible with. Check out our article dating profile headlines how to write a great one.