When people have so many choices, they have a lot of trouble making a decision. Dr. Barry Schwartz, the author of The Paradox of Choice, writes: “Choice overload can make you question the decisions you make . . . set you up for unrealistically high expectations, and it can make you blame yourself for any . . . failures.” It should be no surprise then that creating an online dating profile can be daunting, to say the least.
You want your profile to stand out and yet it’s not always easy to rise above the crowd and avoid sounding like you’re either conceited or (worse) desperate. Still, in this fast-paced, busy, social media-dependent era in which we live, you really have to acknowledge the possibilities when at least one in three couples presently finds love online? So here four top tips for making your dating profile stand out so you can actually meet that great potential partner:
1. Be Honest About Yourself And What You’re Looking For But Don’t Include A Checklist
“Be honest about both yourself and what you’re looking for in a potential partner,” said Kisstle. When it comes to online dating, lying will eventually lead to problems. Honesty is the best policy.
It’s true. If you are on a website that is more geared toward having one-night stands, and that’s generally not your thing, then make that fact clear in your profile. By the same token, though, be positive. Andy Trees, Ph.D. and author of A Scientific Guide to Successful Dating, reports that people “tend to look for flaws”, so there’s no need to share what you perceive to be your flaws. If they truly are flaws, others will spot them without your “help”.
Focusing on sharing yourself in your profile. What makes you different than the others? Use your profile to promote your good points as opposed to listing all your “Don’t Message Me If..” criteria. Avoid turning your profile into a sterile checklist that could alienate others.
2. Don’t Hide Your Face
Show your face–especially in your main picture. Some dating websites not only require a face picture, but if there is even one complaint that members are unable to see your eyes they actually penalize you. It’s not about being sexy; it’s about presenting yourself in an honest, open fashion. Besides, informal surveys have indicated that sometimes it gives people the impression that you have something to hide when you hide your face in a profile picture.
3. Include One Full Body Shot
We live in an age where people are very visually-oriented. Online we view galleries but only scan headlines. So as politically incorrect as some might think this; it’s based on the realities of our world today.
Online sources confirm that full body shots are effective when it comes to online dating. A full body shot reportedly improves your acceptance rate by between 20 and 30 percent. At least one full-length picture–even with friends or family–is important.
4. Use Pictures That Are Current And Make You Appear Approachable
If your picture is more than one-year-old, you shouldn’t use it. One of the top complaints registered with online dating sites is said to be that a person may have looked like that once but they sure do not look like that anymore. In the long run, it is much better to look better in person than in your profile picture.
You should also look like you’re approachable. How do you do that? We’re so glad you asked.
It’s easy. You simply select pictures that show you smiling–teeth showing–as opposed to some distorted, duck-faced selfie that might make your face look thinner or more serious photographs. Online experiments with one woman using professional, more serious photographs in one profile and fun, informal, party pics with friends in another resulted in the fun, girl-next-door profile being much more successful in getting responses from men.
You want your online dating profile to stand out among all the others? You want your online profile to get more responses? Try the above suggestions and let us know what happens, too! Good luck and good hunting!
