Online dating may be about finding love. However, to be successful, you have to beat your competition (I know, I know…I’m such a romantic). To do so, you have to everything from making your online dating profile photos stand out to making your online dating “About Me” section better than anyone else’s.
Even after that, there’s still one big hurdle to overcome – your first email. It has two objectives: it has to be read and it has to elicit a reply. Here’s how to make that happen:
1) Start with a strong headline. That means, go beyond “hi”.
As an online dating profile writer, I can honestly tell you that I’ve yet to work with a boring person. We all are interesting. It’s just a matter of uncovering some of the traits and anecdotes that make us so. Yet, despite this, countless people start their communications sounding as though they have absolutely nothing to say.
Imagine going up to a potential love interest at a party and just saying hi – nothing else, just hi. If you wouldn’t do that in real life then don’t do it online. Rules of engagement apply there too.
What makes up a strong headline for an online dating email?
Following the principles of marketing, a good line should have some of the following qualities: personal, flattering (by referencing an aspect of that person’s profile in your subject line, you have “flattering” covered), sincere, short, light-hearted, disarming and unique (which can be difficult to do, but achievable).
Easier said that done? Yes. But here’s an example of how I do it.
Ad technique for online dating emails.
The most important technique used in advertising is making sure that we focus on the customer. This same principle applies to online dating. In fact, it’s imperative that you make your “pitch” be about how interesting the other person is to you and not about how interesting you think you should be to them.
In addition, your pitch has to be unique.
Read the person’s profile. Pick some of the interests that you share. From those interests, pick the most interesting one. For instance: Hiking, cycling, collecting 80’s memorabilia. Of those three, 80’s memorabilia can be a lot of fun.
Here’s a headline example from it: I’d wear a mullet for a woman like you.
That’s a pretty fun headline and it shows that you’ve read the person’s profile. It’s also ego-flattering.
2) Follow up with a concise and single-focused email. Make sure your first few sentences flow from the headline and then end with a simple question that’s easy for your love interest to answer. Don’t write a long email and don’t ask too many questions. Keep it simple and set up for a quick, easy reply.
In short, resist the urge to overdo it.
Question for you.
What’s your biggest pet peeve when it comes to sending or receiving online dating emails? Feel free to add your comment below.
How to achieve online dating success.
To really achieve gold in online dating, hire me to help you with your presentation. Whether it’s a phone consultation or a complete rewrite, I can help you make your presentation better than ever. Better yet, because I ask a lot of questions – and the right ones – I’m able to do so using your answers, anecdotes and expressions so that it’s true to you.
Have a look these examples of great online dating profiles I’ve written so that you can see for yourself. Better yet, get started on improving your dating profile here.
