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Creating your online personal
ad
by Steve Nakamoto
Here's my handy recipe for creating
a great personal ad (for a woman).
There are five main ingredients to a
successful personal ad that attracts
a lot of good quality love prospects:
- a few great photos
- an intriguing screen name
- a male-friendly bio
- a clear statement of what you
want
- a clever closing invitation.
A FEW GREAT
PHOTOS
An ancient Chinese proverb reads, "A picture is worth a thousand words." Nothing is more important in creating a great personal ad than making sure you have a few great photos of yourself. Here are a few tips on making sure you've got this base properly covered:
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Some online sites allow more than one photo and one angle. Take several photos (I took 50 myself) in order to get the select few. Have other people especially male friends pick out the one that they like best.
- Photos should be professionally done but not overdone glamour shots.
- Photos are small so your pictures should not be full body shots, but shoulders and above. (not just the face)
- Be professionally styled…..hair and make-up.
- Wear your most complimentary color.
- Don't have other people or your pets in your picture.
- Have an "about to break into a big grin" smile.
- Put some energy into your eyes.
- Be in dress casual rather than formal or business attire.
- Make sure that the background is not distracting.
- Scanned photos are okay as long as the quality of the scanning is outstanding.
AN INTRIGUING SCREEN NAME
In order to protect your privacy, online dating ads let you create a short headline above your photo that describes something about you. To help you make the most of this undervalued featured, here are some key points to remember about creating a good screen name:
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Look at what others cleverly use and put your own twist to it.
- Highlight your most alluring feature like "BabyBlueEyes" or "BeachBlonde"
- Avoid bland names like "susie2001" or "NiceGirl" or "HBCatLover"
- Avoid being too direct like "MarryMe" or "WifeMaterial"
A MALE-FRIENDLY BIO
In the field of communications, a fundamental principle is "the meaning of your communication is the response you get." A savvy Internet dater can interpret this to mean that it doesn't matter how sophisticated your ad reads, what matters is if quality men respond. With that in mind, here are some ideas on making your ad more male-friendly:
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Avoid sounding too romantic or girlie
- Avoid being negative or sarcastic
- Be brief, sweet, and fun.
- Let them know what people like about you.
- If you're a "hottie" say so. It's not bragging if it's true.
- Avoid shrinking your audience by listing common non-male interests like cats, sunsets, shopping, candlelights, theater, etc.
A CLEAR STATEMENT OF WHAT YOU WANT
The Bible says, "Ask and ye shall receive." In the world of Internet dating, make sure that you ask intelligently or else you may get more of what you don't want instead of what you do want. Here are some pointers on how to do a better job in this area:
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Ask for honesty.
- Ask for a chance to get to know each other.
- Ask for a good match.
- Ask for kindness.
- Don't ask for your fantasy.
A CLEVER CLOSING INVITATION
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Tease them with a challenge to call, email, or contact.
- Let them know that they won't be disappointed.
Example:
PACIFIC BLUE EYES
I am not your typical Orange County woman.
I'll take a healthy bicycle ride over limousine or a morning coffee at Starbuck's over brunch at the Ritz-Carlton (usually!). I tell people that I like to listen to jazz music, but my heart still longs for good rock 'n roll. Men have said that I'm "a little bit feisty", "fun to be with", and "sweet but not sour", and "a real hottie" (They said it, I didn't!). But most importantly to me, my close friends tell me I'm someone they can always count on to do the right thing.
For an honest gentleman with a kind heart looking for that special love match, I just may be "the one" you've been waiting for.
If you're willing to get to know each other a little bit better, please contact me right away….you'll be glad you did! |
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