5 Biggest Online Dating Profile Mistakes

What’s the worst thing you can do in your online dating profile? There are a few big no-no’s that will hurt your chances of finding true love.

Profile Mistake #1: Listing Things About Yourself Without Any Detail

Hey, not everyone is a professional writer, so if you’re guilty of listing things in your profile it’s understandable. But if you change this one thing today, you are more likely to attract someone to you tomorrow. Here’s an example of the mistake most online daters make, along with the fix:

Mistake: “I’d like to go to France one day, and love to travel.”

When you read this, do you get a sense of this dater’s personality? Not really. They like to travel and want to go to France. How about this instead:

Fix: “Architecture and culture intrigue me. That’s why I’d like to visit Paris one day. What could be better than walking along the same streets Napoleon, Hemmingway, and Colette all strolled down as well?”

Do you see how, in the “fix” there is more detail? You understand why this person wants to go to France, and the result is that they are instantly more attractive because they shared some details.

Profile Mistake #2: What Your Friends Say

Never tell other online daters that your friends think you’re cool, that you should be married already, or that you are “trustworthy.” Not only do these descriptions mean absolutely zero in the online dating world, you might just bore someone to the point where they drop your profile and move on to the next.

Profile Mistake #3: Using Relationship Language Instead of Date Language

The whole purpose of online dating is to meet someone special and start a relationship. But there are some key steps in between there, and the main one is dating. Remember dating?

You don’t want to scare someone off in your profile by using language you would use to describe a relationship. Here are some words that great in relationships, but should be avoided in an online profile. Haul these out when your online date gets to know you better:

• back rubs
• lingerie
• high heels
• sex
• sensual

Profile Mistake #4: An Online Dating Profile That Is Too Long

You want to give someone an idea of your personality, not make them read a War and Peace sized novel. Keep your essay to a few short paragraphs so they will be intrigued enough to want to find out more.

Profile Mistake #5: Not Asking for the Close

Never just wander off at the end of your profile. Start strong and finish strong. At the end of your profile, ask for the date. Something as simple as “Why not send me an email to get the conversation going” should do the trick.