12 Online Dating Profile Tips That Really Work

12 Online Dating Profile Tips That Really Work

Online dating profile tips

Gone are the days of hoping fate will bring you and your soulmate together at a bar or through a friend of a friend. Instead, online dating allows us to have access to hundreds of potential matches. One in three couples find love online – so by signing up to an online dating site, you’re in with a great chance of finding someone perfect.

There are millions of people actively online dating every day. Many of the sites even use algorithms to connect you with singles you’re likely to be compatible with. But don’t let that fool you into assuming that finding someone will be effortless

Step number one is to craft an eye-catching profile. Writing about yourself might feel awkward at first, and it’s natural to want to avoid bragging or sounding conceited. But the love of your life could be looking at hundreds of profiles per week, so it’s important to make yourself stand out. In the online dating world, your profile is your first impression. And everyone knows first impressions count. Use our 12 tips to make your profile the best it can be:

1. Think Of Your Profile Like A CV

Just like your CV, your online dating profile is all about selling yourself. The techniques that have helped you find a job in the past might just help you find someone to love! Just like your CV, your dating profile must be clear, concise, and honest, all while putting across the best version of you. Your professional experience, voluntary work, education, and core values are all things that your future partner will want to know.

If being someone’s partner was a job – what makes you the most qualified for the role? Remember, your online dating profile is all about showcasing what you have to offer!

2. Be Clear About What You’re Looking For

Are you looking for a life-time partner or to have a bit of fun and meet new people? Do you want to get married and have children someday? Or have you decided that that’s not for you? Is it vital to you that a potential partner shares your religious or political views?

These core things are important to have in mind before you start online dating, and you might want to mention them in your profile. This will filter out people who aren’t on the same page and prevent you from wasting time getting to know somebody who isn’t the right fit.

3. Don’t Fill Your Profile With A List Of Requirements

Online dating profile tips

Even though we just told you to be clear on what you want from a potential partner, that doesn’t mean filling your profile with a list of specific requirements. Yes, you might be certain you want a 5’9 Italian airline pilot with blue eyes who loves skiing – but you could put off someone amazing if they read your requirements and don’t meet them.

You haven’t met your perfect partner yet – so you don’t know for sure exactly who they will be! Instead, keep open-minded and focus on finding someone you click with, not someone you’ve dreamed up.

4. Look At Other Profiles For Inspiration

Look at other people’s profiles and make a note of what works and what doesn’t. When you come across a profile that sparks your interest, note what aspects of that profile attracted you. If it’s their profile photo that caught your eye – what about it was so outstanding?

It’s just as useful to get inspiration from what doesn’t work in other people’s profiles. Does something someone’s written make them come across and conceited or unkind? Has someone added an awkward comment that renders them a definite no-go? Learn from their mistakes when crafting your profile.

5. Be Honest

It may feel innocent to tell a white lie to secure a date, but it’s vitally important to be honest on your profile. If things go as you hope and you find your ideal partner, you don’t want to have to have an awkward conversation later on when you’re forced to admit the truth. Healthy and happy relationships are built on trust, so starting yours off with dishonesty is a recipe for disaster.

This goes for your photos too. Use recent photos – you might have looked amazing on holiday 15 years ago, but your photos should be an accurate representation of what you look like now.

Your goal is to find someone who likes you for you, and the only way to achieve this is to be authentic.

6. Be Specific And Avoid Clichés

It’s common to see statements like ‘I’m adventurous’ or ‘I’m a people person’ on dating profiles, but these won’t mean much to the person viewing your profile. Anyone can say that they’re ‘fun-loving’ (who doesn’t love fun?!) but cliches are boring and won’t help them get a picture of who you are.

Instead, be more specific and give examples to showcase your characteristics. Instead of saying ‘I’m outdoorsy’ tell them you’re outdoorsy by saying something like ‘I go rock climbing at the weekends and love to go hiking in the woods with my dog….’

7. Make It Easy For People To Start A Conversation With You

Online dating profile tips

Striking up a conversation online can be difficult, so make it easy for someone to find something to start with! Including specific interests in your profile to give your potential date something to kick off the conversation with and help you avoid awkward small talk.

A great method is to add a question to your profile and invite people to answer it in your private messages. If travel is something you want to have in common with your significant other, you could put ‘tell me about your dream travel destination.’ Or if music is your thing, invite them to tell you about the best gig they’ve been to.

8. Check Your Spelling And Grammar

It’s not just what you write, it’s how you write it. A study of online daters showed that bad spelling and grammar on your dating profile can really affect how you’re perceived. Spelling mistakes can come across as sloppiness, and your innocent grammatical errors could suggest that you’re uneducated.

Having a well-written profile tells potential dates that you’ve taken some time to write it thoughtfully, and that you’re taking online dating seriously. If you’re unconfident in this area, there are plenty of free apps to help you proofread. Or ask a savvy friend to give it the once over.

9. Avoid Using Group Photos

Skipping through somebody’s group photos trying to figure out which one they are is annoying, time-consuming and something that many people won’t bother with. Group photos don’t showcase you and a person with too many can come across as unconfident.

And, if you have too many photos with the same group, you could get talking to someone who thinks they’re talking to your best friend! Remember – creating a good online dating profile is all about clarity.

10. Stay Positive & Enthusiastic About Dating

It’s important not to be a downer. Saying things like ‘ I don’t think I’m going to meet anyone on here but will give it a go anyway’ or ‘things never usually work out and I’m chronically unlucky in love’ won’t earn you any sympathy. Instead, a negative attitude will scare people off and make them think you’re hard work. If you write about how dating never works out for you – your potential dates may jump to the conclusion that you must be the problem.

Avoid any reference to your past failed relationships. Talking about your ex is an age-old dating tip and for good reason. It suggests that you’re not over it and aren’t ready for something new.

11. Choose Your Profile Photos Carefully

Profile photos

Choosing good photos is one of the most important parts of your profile and plays a key role in making your profile stand out. It might seem easier to take out your camera phone and snap a quick selfie, but that would be the waste of a great opportunity to show potential dates your best self! You want your photos to be well-lit and flattering while being accurate to what you look like (so no editing or heavy filters!)

Photos are also a great way to show off your personality. If you’re an animal lover, snap a cute photo of you with your dog. Into watersports? Show them how fun and adventurous you are with a photo of you smiling in a wetsuit.

12. Ask A Friend To Double Check Your Profile

Once you’ve used all our tips to put together your best profile, ask a friend to check it for you. Ask them if they can spot any obvious mistakes or if you’ve missed any important information. But more importantly, they can tell you if you’re putting across a true and honest version of yourself.