How to Improve Your Online Dating Profile

Are you new to the world of online dating? Have you been using the same profile for a while and want to make it more enticing?

Either way, a few tips and tricks can help you stand out in the crowd and land a great date.

Write a brilliant bio

For a lot of people, writing a biography that is as authentic as possible is the most difficult part of creating a dating profile. Trying to be interesting—and honest—in a casually witty way isn’t always easy. However, it’s important to try.

As much as we’d like to believe that our most flattering profile pictures can speak for themselves, many daters need a little more substance to inform their decisions. Dating site Zoosk reported that a completed bio can boost incoming messages by 28 percent.

The best advice is to keep it short. People want something clever and with some substance, but a long intro about yourself may come across as conceited or simply annoying. Stay positive; negativity and insecurity turn people off. Avoid clichés, too.

You could include a tidbit that will make it easy to start a conversation, such as “Guess my coffee order.” Yes, it sounds cute, but it makes you seem approachable and open, and it’s easier for an admirer to send you a message without having to think up their own opener.

Add extra details—name your favorite city in the world rather than simply write “likes to travel”—to help you stand out and invite conversation.

Imagine someone asked you for the five personal aspects of which you’re most proud. There’s no need to boast or make them more exciting than, “I bake a great apple pie.” All you’re trying to do is project a little bit about yourself, while giving potential dates something to start talking to you about. (Who doesn’t like home-baked apple pie?)

Hold that pose...

The photos you select are a vital element of your profile. They’ll likely be the first element someone will look at—even before your name, age, bio or any other info—so this is your opportunity to make a favorable first impression.

I recommend using your favorite photo of yourself, one where you’re genuinely happy, enjoying life, smiling a natural smile. Your primary photo should be of you alone and one in which you dazzle. You should be holding yourself confidently, wearing something you love and, in your opinion, looking like your best self.

And if you have a photo that can do all of the above and was taken in a great location or features you in a cool activity, that’s as good as it gets.

The rest of your photos can be a mixture: a few solo snaps, some closeups, some long shots. One or two images can include several friends, though try to avoid large group shots, and it should always be obvious which person is you. Such images will present you as a social person, and since these are candid rather than posed solo shots, the viewer knows you’re not vain about your looks.

Also try to include your favorite activities or hobbies in the photos. For example, if your dog is your best pal, be sure to include a great pic of the two of you. If you’re a runner, skier, hiker or other-er, let’s see some great outdoors shots. (In fact, men who post outside sporty photos get 19 percent more messages.)

Some rules work regardless of gender. Wear an athletic jersey and you could get 32 percent more messages. Add some action shots and at least one full-length shot, if not more, so people feel like they’re seeing the real you: They boost incoming messages by a whopping 203 percent.

Avoid anything overtly staged, and definitely don’t include photos that are more than a few years old. Remember, you’re going for something authentic, and that means you want to represent your (totally great) everyday life.

Some people prefer selfies; others don’t. Data indicate that women with selfies get 4 percent more messages, but since that number is relatively small, make your own decision.

If you’re uncomfortable looking at pictures of yourself and figuring out which ones to use, get advice from friends.

Speaking of buddies, do you have one who’s an amazing photographer? See if they’ve taken a great photo of you in the past couple of years, or ask if they’d mind shooting a few candids of you, maybe doing one of your favorite activities.

Finally, make sure you verify your photos if the site/app allows that. Doing so can double incoming messages.

Fun facts and fill in the blanks

A lot of the popular dating apps let you provide fun factoids. They can be revealing and cute or induce eye rolls.

Avoid repeating what everybody else on the app says in response to a prompt. Be genuine and creative. Here, too, friends may be better at coming up with an entertaining response that encapsulates you.

If the site/app lets you pick which prompt to complete, choose one that allows you to give a unique answer, rather than giving a lackluster answer to the first question you see. Are you crazy about salsa dancing? Maybe that’s where someone “would find you after work” or how they “know we’ll get along.”

Avoid common missteps

As we mentioned earlier, make sure it’s clear which person you are in all of your pics, and definitely avoid using shots in which you don’t look your best. You’re the one who needs to shine, so maybe omit the photo with your glamorous model friend.

Don’t leave sections of your bio blank. A lack of content or too few pictures might be the reason someone skips over you. It may seem obvious, but don’t put anything dishonest in your profile. Zoosk’s polling shows that people don’t like misleading pics, incorrect ages or anything that’s just plain untrue in biographies. If you’re not a Hollywood actress who gave it all up to become a brain surgeon, don’t say you are. If you find someone and end up spending a lot of time with them, they’ll eventually find out the truth anyway.

Incorporate these tips, and your profile will be the perfect snapshot of your best self. And you’ll increase your chances of attracting a great match.