The First 10 Days On a Dating Site Matter the Most

By John Bird (Guest Writer)

Signing up to a dating site could be one of the most exciting decisions you ever make. It automatically gives you the limitless potential of the unknown. From the moment you become an official member of a dating site, you have no idea who you’re going to meet, what you are going to say or where it will all lead.

But before that exciting potential can be released, there are a few things that you need to take care of. First on your list will be your profile.

Most people consider writing a profile or answering general questions on their likes or dislikes a real pain in the proverbial. However, when you sign up to a dating site, you must forget those fears. Your profile is basically your sales kit and it sells you. It should be approached in the same way that you’d approach any sales pitch.

This all sounds very clinical perhaps but in the long run, it’s really going to affect your chances of success so it’s worth giving it a little effort. If you are feeling a little shy about blowing your own trumpet, take a pen and paper and scribble down a few thoughts. Think about the kind of people you want to meet or the kind of relationship you want. If you’re a girl looking for something serious, there’s no point in saying, ‘I’m a fun girl that’s looking for a bit of adventure.’

The best rule of thumb when it comes to writing a winning profile is to try and keep it as honest and down-to-earth as possible. Whatever you do, don’t write, ‘I hate writing these things but I’ll try….’ That is simply a waste of space and is guaranteed to have people flicking past you.

Next on your list of things to do is define your search. Dating sites are literally jam packed with all kinds of interesting people from all walks of life. Unless you are using a site like Christian Café or Jdate (specifically for Jewish dating), there are no criteria. That’s the great thing about dating sites. You get to decide the criteria and the dating site makes every effort to give it to you. Give this some thought and aim for what you want.

Also you must decide whether or not you want to use photos. It’s true that profiles with photos get more results, so it’s advisable to use one. Don’t pick any old photo. Get a haircut, a facial, whatever and take a nice photo that you like looking at.

Finally, take your time browsing through the site. All good dating sites give lots of ‘icebreaker’ options like a wink or a tick. Play around with this and get a handle on how the site works. Send out a few feelers and see what kind of a response you get. By the time the ten days are up, no doubt you’ll be fielding offers left, right and centre.

This post was written by Lior who works for an Online dating comparison site