Tips for writing a good profile

When it comes to online dating, writing your own profile can often be the hardest part. That small box where you have to ‘sell’ yourself in 100-150 words seems so daunting. For most of us, talking highly of ourselves is not the easiest of tasks as we tend to be more forthcoming in pointing out our flaws as opposed to our good points. But with so many people going online to find love the competition is pretty strong, which means your profile has to be the best.

So what makes a profile good and what makes a profile bad? Well here are a few simple pointers to help take the stress out of putting fingers to keypad and to help make your profile stand out from the rest.

Do spell check - You don’t have to be Shakespeare to write a good profile. Two words; spell check. In this day and age, when we have spell check at our fingertips, there really is no excuse for bad spelling and sloppy grammar. A badly written profile says you couldn’t be bothered and if you can’t be bothered to even write your profile what hope is there?

Dnt use txt spk - roughly translated as - avoid talking like a teenager with a mobile phone. I’m not sure whether people use it to try and be ‘cool’ or maybe it’s to save time? Either way, it’s not attractive and gives off the impression that you don’t really care. So out with the slang and in with the Queens proper English please.

Do upload a picture - A photo is probably the most important part of your online dating profile and can increase your chances of being contacted by up to 15 times! People want to see what you look like, not because they are shallow, but because they want to see who they are talking to. First and foremost, make sure your chosen photo is recent. There’s no point in having a picture if it doesn’t look like you. The key to a successful photo is a clear, forward facing head shot.

Don’t be cliché - Spend a few minutes on any dating site and you will see most profiles include the all too familiar line ‘I’m just as happy partying the night away as I am curled up on the sofa with a good DVD and a bottle of wine’. I think it is fair to say that we all like a good night out as much as a night in every now and again. So avoid writing anything which you think could apply to most people and tell them something they don’t already know.

Do dare to be different - Be witty, be funny, be completely and utterly random (ok not too random you don’t want to come across as weird), just don’t be boring! Listing off qualities such as loyal, honest and bubbly, won’t get you noticed it will get you looked over. So think confidence, think creativity and most importantly think outside the box.

Don’t go on, and on, and on - You're writing your profile, not an autobiography. There’s nothing worse than clicking on a profile only to be faced with a mammoth essay to digest (yes, apparently someone people CAN talk about themselves). You don't want to scare anyone off at this stage and besides, you want to keep some things back so you have things to talk about on the date. The best profiles are short enough to read without getting bored, yet detailed enough to generate enough intrigue.

Lastly… imagine what kind of profile would make you want to contact someone. Read your profile back and ask yourself, is this the sort of profile that would make you want to contact someone.

So get creative thinking caps on singletons and start making your profile work for you. Remember, online all you have are your words, so why not make each one count.