After you join an online dating site, you need to set up your profile. Setting up your profile may seem easy, but it takes a bit of effort if you want to have any luck.
There are a lot of common mistakes people make when setting up online dating profiles. These mistakes can completely derail your online dating efforts, so avoid them at all costs.
Not Being Honest
You don’t have to share everything, such as your income or the fact you were in rehab three years ago. However, you need to be truthful with everything you do share.
It’s very common for people to lie about their age. The average user says they are about five years younger than they actually are. People also often put pictures that make themselves look thinner or more attractive.
This is totally self-defeating. People are going to find out when they finally meet you. Why not be honest from the beginning?
There are plenty of people out there that will accept you, so don’t feel the need to be something you’re not.
Not Describing Mutual Interests
All singles want to date somebody that shares their interests. Think about the interests that people your age are most likely to share. If you enjoy dancing, going to indie concerts, kayaking or attending church functions, you should mention them in your profile. These are great ideas for future dates and can be the basis for small talk.
Then there are some interests that just don’t belong on your dating profile. You probably don’t want to mention your ever-growing bottlecap collection. There’s nothing wrong with having it, but it’s something you want to bring up casually during an actual date instead.
Not Being Clear About What You’re Looking for
Are you looking for a long-term relationship or a one night stand? Both of these are fine, as long as you are clear on your profile.
Too many people send mixed messages with their online dating profiles. When I was using online dating sites, I saw lots of women list casual sex in their “looking for” category, but mentioned they don’t want it in their main profile. Whatever you’re looking for, be clear and be consistent.
Not Setting Clear Preferences
Almost all online dating sites allow you to set preferences. You can specify if you’re looking for someone in a specific age group, somebody that has a college degree, someone within a certain distance and a number of other criteria. You will save a lot of headaches if you list them, but 80% of people don’t.
Set your preferences carefully. It will help filter out matches that aren’t compatible. If you are too strict with your preferences, you may not get many matches, so you may need to broaden them a little bit. It takes a little bit of experimenting, but it really helps make sure you match with the right people.
Not Posting Recent Pictures
Ideally, you should take 3 to 5 pictures of yourself to post on your profile. Your pictures need to be recent. People want to know what you look like right now, not what you look like five years ago.
You want to have a clear, close shot of your face. Ask someone else to take a picture, rather than using a selfie. Most selfies are taken at weird angles and don’t give the best likeness.
You may also want to show pictures of you engaged in one of your favorite activities. It helps you seem more lively and shows your personality a little more.