By Rex Ryan

Creating a personal ad for online dating services is not difficult, but how well you write your personal ads will often be the difference between success and failure in online dating.  All the rules that apply to advertising in business still apply, and those who define and attract their target audience will be the successful ones.  There are many critical items that will draw interest to your ad such as the headline, and how the ad appeals to the interest of the target audience.  There are also factors that will determine how well your ad matches with potential mates; including how well you describe your values and how honestly you portray yourself.  Writing a personal ad should involve some serious thought and soul searching, as well as some in your face marketing tactics.

Generally speaking, the most important part of any ad is the headline, and this can also be true for online personals.  If your headline fails to sell your target audience, they will not read further.  The first step in creating your online personal is to imagine your ideal mate.  Now consider what your ideal mate is looking for – not what you are looking for.  Headlines need to grab attention, but they also need to isolate the target audience, and get them to read further.  The best way to do this is to present a catchy title that shows your potential partner why they should be interested in you.

References to sex and cute entendres are best avoided in online personals.  While headlines do need to be eye-grabbing, they also need to isolate the type of partner you are looking for.  Using sex or overselling personal looks can attract far too many random people that don’t represent good mate candidates.  Research other headlines, and copy those that demonstrate the benefits you offer to your ideal mate.

Describing yourself is a critical piece of developing your personal ad.  Many people have very naďve impressions of how others see them.  Rather than relying on what you think of yourself, it is recommended that you ask others to describe you.  Ask friends, relatives, or even exes how they would describe you.  Don’t disregard their opinions just because they don’t match with your own.  If you discover that others describe you far differently than you see yourself, be prepared to accept that they are probably right.  Correctly describing yourself requires soul searching – not just to formulate who you think you are – but rather to understand how others perceive you, and how this is consistent with whom you think you are.  Perhaps the greatest mistake people make when describing themselves in online personals is failing to create a description that is consistent with the way they are perceived by others.

Describing what you’re looking for in a mate is another central point of creating a solid personal.  While you should rely on others’ advice to describe yourself, you have a lot more insight into what specifically you are looking for.  Try to paint a portrait so that somebody reading the ad will think, “Hey, that’s me”.  Most importantly, be sure to include information on the values and beliefs you are looking for in a mate.

The use of pictures can be very important in online personals.  Research by AOL suggests that online personals are 8 times more likely to be considered when a picture is present.  Using a picture is definitely advised, and ideally a recent, accurate picture should be used.  Many people are touchy about their looks, and the natural instinct is to put forward the most attractive picture.  It is best to reserve this urge.   Having a picture is very important, but an overtly flattering picture is likely to get things started off on the wrong foot as people will constantly be upset that you didn’t fulfill their expectations from the picture.  There is no way to hide physical appearance once you meet face to face.  It is far better for daters to be presently surprised by appearances than displeased.

Writing an online personal ad can be a rewarding experience of personal discovery and creative energy.  But accuracy, honesty and a sense of values are essential ingredients of successful ads.

Rex Ryan maintains the website:

http://www.bestpersonals.com

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