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Advice to increase your click rate.
By alisadbowman and Julie Spira
Last updated on Oct 27, 2023
Whether you're using the internet to find love or to find new activities and buddies to do them with, it's of chief importance that your profile sings the virtues of the real, uninhibited you.
This is the advice you need for presenting your best self online. Here's how it's done.
Here are 5 simple steps to an irresistible online profile, according to YourTango experts:
1. Make your profile about you.
Many people make the mistake of creating a generic profile that they think sounds and looks good. But generic isn't what most people look for in a love interest or a friend. You must have the courage to be your unique self publicly. That means you list a few descriptors of what you are good at, what you love, and even where you are weak. For instance, I'm a terrible speller. At times, I’m addicted to caffeine. I have been known to eat M&Ms at 10 a.m. I have also been known to stay up til 3 a.m. to finish a novel. Those few sentences told you a lot about me. Think about what makes you uniquely you, and let it shine.
— Alisa Bowman, Relationship Coach
2. Avoid profile photo mistakes.
Don't use stock images and think no one will realize the photos aren’t really of them.
Don't post a photo of their dog or kid instead of a photo of themselves.
Don't post a photo taken from a distance or with their head turned so people can’t see what they look like.
All of those cause people to wonder, "Why don’t they want me to know what they look like?" I also think it's a mistake to pose in what might seem like a creative way. Don't stick out your tongue. Don't contort your face. Don't intentionally look mean or menacing.
— Alisa Bowman, Relationship Coach
3. Don’t go it alone.
It's time to put the social into your social networking sites. Grab a friend and have them take 100 new digital photos with your new look in 3 outfits with different backgrounds. It's time to let your personality shine, so spice it up with a variety of close-ups, full shots, a mysterious pouty look, and one where you're jumping for joy. Take it one step further and create a video so your friends or potential lovers can hear your voice and see the expression on your face.
— Julie Spira, Dating Coach
4. Go glam and get out the vote.
It's time to engage help from your network of friends, so upload 10 of your favorite new photos and create an album on Facebook. Ask your friends to vote and help you select your new primary profile photo. You'll be the star of your beauty contest. There will be so much buzz surrounding your new look that people will wonder, "Who's that girl?"
— Julie Spira, Dating Coach
5. Keep it fresh.
Once your social network has helped you select your primary photo, upload it on twitpic.com to your Twitter profile to keep the same look and feel. Go one step further. Pick the top 5 shots and revamp your online dating profile if you have an active account. Changing your photos on your dating profile will help your profile's rank rise to the top and be more visible in searches. It's a minor tweak with ultimate benefits.
— Julie Spira, Dating Coach
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