Guys don’t approach women at bars or clubs as often as they do online. And that’s why making a good-looking dating profile for men is more important than getting the right outfit and more important for women than getting their makeup on point.
In this article, you will learn how to dress up your social media profile. Among other things, you will discover eight tips that will improve your chances of securing dates and top mistakes that can ruin your odds of success.
By the end of this post, you’ll have all the information you need to optimize your online dating profile.
Tips For Making A Dating Profile
Before we get into the specific tips for dating profiles, you must understand that you have to put your best foot forward, grab attention, and cut the conversation curve so you don’t waste time.
As long as your profile serves these purposes without misleading anyone, your dating profile is on the right track. The following tips will further improve its odds of success.
Know The Kind Of Partner You Want
Before you decide to make a dating profile, you should be clear regarding the type of person you want to attract. This will inform the kind of images you select as well as what you write in your bio. Only dating profiles are marketing pages for individuals.
Just like companies cannot afford to be random with their marketing, individuals cannot afford to be random with their dating profiles. If you dislike materialistic partners, then you should not show off your wealth.
If you want to be admired for your personality, you should put more effort into your profile’s bio instead of the images. Some dating platforms are more visual than others. And that brings us to the next tip.
Choose A Dating Platform That Fits Your Goals And Strengths
As mentioned earlier, some dating apps are more visual. Others emphasize interests. No type of app is universally superior. But you have to choose the one that works for you. The two things you need to consider are your goals and your strengths.
If you look great, then you’ll have more success on a visual platform. But if you want to meet someone who is not shallow, you might need to go on an app that also emphasizes your interests.
Be Genuine About Your Interests
Dating profiles often allow you to include 15 or more interests. The capacity can make people think that they have to add 15 interests, which results in interests being added for the sake of adding interests.
Instead of filling up your dating profile for the sake of it, add two to three active interests that you are most passionate about.
Don’t add interests that look cool. Just the ones that genuinely speak to you. It can be something seemingly mundane, like staying at home and watching a specific TV show. Or it could be something as out there as bungee jumping every week.
When you add two to three choices, the person who takes an interest in your profile doesn’t get paralyzed by a dozen potential conversation-starters.
Use Humor
Not taking yourself too seriously will exponentially increase your likability on a dating app. That’s why you should use humor in your bio. If you want to take it further, you can include a few silly photos in your image gallery.
People who like you might be too intimidated to start a conversation with you. But if they know you aren’t a snob, they will feel more welcome to start a conversation. The more inviting your profile is, the more successful it will be.
Add A Conversation Starter In Your Bio
You might have seen trucks with “How am I driving?” signs that feature a contact number for feedback. Those numbers don’t stop ringing because people know what they have to say when they dial the digits.
In contrast, labels like “For feedback, please call XYZ” don’t get as much attention. Why? Because people don’t feel certain about the exact thing they have to say. Humans seek security.
And if your dating profile includes an actual conversation starter like, “Ask me about my first tattoo,” people feel encouraged to strike up a conversation. They aren’t afraid of how their wit will be judged based on their first text.
It is very easy to overshare online because you don’t see people’s reactions in real-time. It also feels like mentioning your pet peeves and deepest desires upfront can reduce the filtering burden. But doing so can give non-serious parties and scammers all the ammunition they need to waste your time. People aren’t aware of their red flags.
If you point out your pet peeves, they might just hide them. Similarly, if you describe your ideal man or woman in your profile, they might just pretend to be that person.
Show, Don’t Tell
Words are cheap, especially when it comes to online dating. You’re much better off showcasing your best traits instead of mentioning them. For instance, if you want to appear social, you can simply use pictures you’ve taken with friends.
If you want to show that you are an adventurous person, it is better to include photos of yourself on an adventure instead of writing “adventurous” in your bio.
Include A Broad Range Of Photos/Clips
Finally, you need to include a broad range of pictures on your dating profile. It shows that the profile is real, though you can use the native verification feature of certain apps to indicate this. More importantly, multiple images convey more clearly how you look in real life.
Some dating apps allow you to add video clips, which can further help in this regard. There is attraction in the nuances of movement, and if your charm is in how you carry yourself, still photography might not do justice to your attractiveness.
Dating Profile Mistakes To Avoid
Now that you know what you can do to optimize your dating profile and improve your odds of success, let’s go over what you might be accidentally doing to undercut your success. In this section, we will go over common dating profile mistakes that can lower your chances of securing a date.
Having A Very Formal Bio
No matter how fun you look in your photos, if your bio reads like a Charles Dickens novel, you’re not going to get approached as often.
Formal bios can look intimidating at best and pretentious at worst. And both of those can reduce the odds of someone you might like liking you back. As mentioned earlier, a bio written in a conversational tone is far more effective.
Using Very Few Photos
You might overthink your selfies and photos when creating a dating profile and pick the best of the best. The problem with being too picky is that you’re left with very few pictures.
And if you use anywhere between 1 and 3 photos on a dating app, your profile might be seen as a fake one. It helps to have five photos, even if some of them aren’t 10/10 takes. In fact, photos that aren’t perfect can work in your favor.
Using Unbelievably Great Photos
As mentioned earlier, you need to have a wide range of photos. But that doesn’t mean you have to book a photography session.
Perfect or near-perfect photos can be viewed as fake profiles or too intimidating by the opposite sex. It is better to have at least one untouched photo on your profile, so it doesn’t seem too good to be true.
Including No Bio (Or An Unoriginal One)
When you make a dating profile in a hurry, you might not have the time to think of a unique bio. That’s when you can go the copy-paste route, adding a quote to your bio, or the blank route, adding nothing to it. Both are big mistakes as they signal a lack of personality.
It is unfair to let “no time to write a bio” be seen as “no personality to write about.” That’s why you should set some time aside to write a dating profile bio that accurately reflects you.
If you’re confused about what to write in your bio, get a friend’s help. But make sure you don’t fake anything in your bio or leave it empty.
Making Fun Of The Opposite Sex
It is self-evidently counterintuitive to make fun of the other sex when you’re looking for a heterosexual relationship. Still, many men and women make this mistake. “The girls on this app are…” or “The guys here just…” are red flags to most casual browsers.
It helps not to go on a dating platform with preconceived notions about what the men or women on the app are like. Everyone is an individual, and it is best to judge them as such.
And even if you genuinely believe that most men or most women on an app are a certain way, mentioning that in your bio won’t help you.
Conclusion
The more thought you put into your dating profile, the better results you will get. You must start by being clear about the kind of matches you want.
Once you know which app is the likeliest to have the type of men or women you’re into, you can upload multiple pictures to it, showcase your personality, and pen a bio in a conversational tone. And while you’re at it, include a conversation starter in your profile.
