Over the past decade, I’ve perused thousands of online dating profiles in my search for the perfect mate. Most of them were pretty boring. Many were frustrating. A very select few brought a smile to my face. Three I still remember – and talk about – today.
What made those three online dating service profiles stand out? Why did I only make an effort to initiate contact with those three, instead of any others?
(Of course, I answered smiles, winks, instant messages and emails from other suitors, but these three dating profiles were the only ones that I started the interaction with.)
There are two major reasons why I wouldn’t respond to someone contacting me. If you review your own online dating profile after reading this article and make a point of updating it accordingly, you’ll be sure to get some quality responses in no time.
“I’m the One Your Mother Warned You About” or, “I Might Be the One You’re Looking For“
There are certain catch phrases or tag words that many online dating service profiles use, and these are just two of them. Depending on the time of the year and any social, economic or political situations, some lines are more often used than others. To avoid seeming ‘just like everyone else’ on these online dating services, make sure to take a look at your competition, first.
Competition, you say?! Of course. There is lots of it online, and if you don’t do your research, you’ll never know what you are up against. Do a search for a person “like” you (age, sex, race, religion, etc.) More than likely, a couple of similarities will pop out immediately.
Avoid using any one-liners you find, no matter how compelling they sound.
Now if, by chance, what everyone else is saying about themselves really does explain who *you* are, explain this within your online dating service profile – but don’t use it as an opening line. First impressions are crucial here.
Not Having a Clear, Accurate, Interesting, Eye-Catching Picture (or No Picture at All!)
One of the most memorable online dating profiles, for me, housed a picture of a man wrestling a blow-up alligator. Another favorite showed a gentleman on a plane that looked like it was about to crash, with an opening line that said, “No, You DON’T Know What Excitement Is!“.
It’s been years since I noticed either of these pictures on an online dating service, but I still remember them as clear as day.
It isn’t always easy to find a picture of yourself that is unusual or different. Ask friends or family members if they have any of you they can scan and send to you. It doesn’t even need to be recent – but if this is the case state this clearly, and have more recent pictures posted elsewhere. The more unusual, memorable and interesting the picture, the better response to your online dating profile you’ll get.
I didn’t have any pictures of myself that fit the bill when I started using online dating services, but I did have one shot that made me look a lot like a very famous person. I used that picture as my initial attention-getter, and posted other, more accurate pictures as well. Although I did grow tired of the, “Hey! You look so-and-so!” emails, I did receive a tremendous amount of responses.
