How to create a good dating profile

Getting to the first date is a struggle for a lot of daters new to using online services. Fortunately for you, our dating experts have researched ways for you to easily write good online dating profiles to fit your needs. 

If you want to get a helping hand with starting your journey toward igniting your love life, then look no further! Read on to get tips on the kind of profiles you can make, how you should approach profile creation, and what you should avoid. 

Templates for creating your online dating profile for dating sites

While we really think that it’s better to be original on online dating sites, we can understand that sometimes it’s hard to come up with something that will get you results. That’s why we’ve got some online dating profile examples just for you. 

These are the kind of profiles that would work best on a serious website for meeting someone. That means services like OkCupid, Match.com, and eHarmony. For dating app profiles, check out further down! 

Funny Profiles

There’s nothing that makes for better conversation starters than a funny profile. It can be wacky and leave a really lasting impression on potential matches. A good funny profile can also show others that you’re the kind of person who knows when to relax and have fun. 

Nobody wants to be around someone uptight, after all! 

Here’s a rough example you can follow, just tweak it to how you see fit: 

Of course, you are running a big gamble with something like a funny profile. For starters, there’s a chance that people won’t take you seriously at all. It can also fall flat and leave people with a bad first impression. As you know, there’s nothing worse than a bad comedian. 

It can be difficult to give an exact template for how you should approach a funny profile. A funny profile should be something that you use if you want to show that you are, in fact, a funny person. That means being able to think on your feet and being funny on your own. 

If you use a guide for that and someone finds out you aren’t actually all that funny, it can be kind of misleading. In this case, it would be better to go with a more direct approach. Of course, there’s also the cute approach.

Cute Profiles

Cute profiles are something that you have to be able to pull off naturally, as your own personal cuteness will really have to play a role here. It’s not something you can really fake, so don’t try it unless you know that you can play up a cute profile. 

On the other hand, a cute profile is something that a lot of singles find attractive. It’s something where they will want to see more of you if it goes off without a hitch. On top of a really cute profile picture though, being quirky can help to : 

About myself: Hi there! My name is ___ and if you were to ask my friends, they would tell you that I’m a little goofy. Even if that’s true, I’m usually the responsible one! I think that comes from taking care of my dog Biggles for so long, so I hope you like pups! 

I have to say that I’m really psyched to find someone who is just as excited about bargain hunting as I am. You know, going to Goodwill or something like that and rummaging for wacky clothes and offbeat antiques. Fair warning, I’m pretty experienced so you’ll have to keep up! 

Also, my ideal date is something where we can have a bit of fun and get to know each other. I would love to take a trip somewhere and maybe enjoy some fun sites. I should also say that I love to take pictures, so anywhere we can enjoy some photography would be a blast! 

Of course, we’ll have to bring Biggles!

Feel free to be as creative as possible when it comes to showing off your cute, quirky, and sweet side. You can also highlight work you might do that tells people what kind of person you are, like hobbies, interest, and more. 

To repeat, a cute profile really relies on its pictures to emphasize the points in the actual bio. Make sure that any pictures you use here emphasize that! 

Clever Profiles

If there is one kind of profile that is really going to stand out to online daters, it’s a clever, witty dating profile. This is where you can really shine with your creativity, and where spontaneous reactions aren’t vital to pass off a comedic profile. 

This is also a great way to go if you are someone who is over 50 and looking for a profile that doesn’t rely on being cute! 

This is really the sort of profile that you can make if you have time to come up with something that you think will really work. It can either be a direct approach or it can be a profile that makes a good joke while working to show off your best attributes. 

Here’s an example of what we mean: 

About myself: I’m currently looking to start dating seriously. I mean that, I may have taken it kind of lightly before but I promise that I want to commit to dating. That could mean you, if you want to go that extra mile with me. 

I don’t always know what to say to keep the ball rolling though, so I’m going to have to rely on you right here and now to drop me a line. I’m single, healthy, and active, so I’m also in good shape. I like to read and enjoy going out when I’m not doing some Netflix and chill. 

Now the ball is in your court. I want to hear about you: what makes you tick, what your interests are, and if you’re going to be willing to go that extra mile with me.

A good tip for your clever approach is to refer to the profile picture you use. If there’s a flaw or something, own it and draw attention to it. For example, if you happen to be in a wheelchair, you could write “Can’t stand waiting to meet you!” 

The sky’s the limit, and as long as you are open about yourself and willing to be candid about any flaws you might have, you’ll go a long way to making a clever profile. 

Catchy Profiles

Catchy profiles can be your best friend when you are out looking to date. We would recommend really emphasizing something that you’re passionate about, or maybe if you have an unusual passion. You should try to work in a little bit of clever wit if you can. 

After all, what better place to put something surprising out there than a dating profile? Give people that little known fact about yourself to really get their attention. There’s a good reason for this too! 

You see, even if being really specific about yourself in your profile turns away potential dates, the flipside is that the people who do respond to, say, your PSN trophy collection, will be far more compatible with you than your typical dater. Here’s an example: 

About myself: As someone who is an avid fan of Warhammer, you should know that I like to really let my artistic side shine through in the miniatures that I paint. I do prefer the Empire when it comes to playing table-top, even though they can be a little dull. 

Better than Tau though! 

I’m also someone who enjoys getting together with friends and new people to play dungeons and dragons. We do a weekly campaign session and I would love to ask you to come along, if you’d be interested in giving it a whirl! 

On top of that, I’m a big reader of fantasy books and I really like to cook a lot of different dishes. Mostly, I try to do a lot of Japanese cuisine, but I’m also really big into Middle-eastern and Arabic dishes as well!

Really, don’t feel like you need to hide any sort of quirky or nerdy things about yourself. Do the opposite. Focus on  these things about yourself and try to attract the kind of people who actually mesh with you as a person. 

The absolute No-Go’s for dating profiles

Now, we want to discuss some no-go’s for your bio. These are things that come up as red flags to other users that they shouldn’t message you, so really keep these points in the back of your mind: 

• Don’t fixate on just yourself in the profile as this can come off as being self-absorbed. Also, don’t fixate on the potential dater either! That seems creepy and controlling from the get-go. 
• Whatever you do, don’t be boring. Try not to rely  on adjectives to describe yourself too much or use clichés as a crutch. 
• Remember to proofread your writing! This is the first impression someone will have of you when they look at your profile and at you, so try to avoid any errors! 
• Avoid being negative. This is absolutely not the place to vent your frustrations with your love life, the service you are using, past relationships, troubles you have, or anything like that. Negativity might get you sympathy, but it won’t get someone interested in you.

With that in mind, let’s look at some things you CAN do to make your profile a little easier to write and to help it stand out some more. 

The golden rule to dating on the go

Tinder is excellent if you are looking for a one night stand, but it can work if you want to try and start a long-term relationship. Bumble and hinge are better for that though. In any case, you need to sell yourself! Think of yourself as a product here. 

What primary keywords define who you are? Are you an athlete? Creative? Passionate? On top of that, what is the person who will want to date you (the consumer) getting out of you? Fun times? Quiet romantic evenings? Partying and more? 

Think of a bio as an advertisement and you’ll see dating in a whole new light. Being concise with this kind of approach really encourages fast decision making with finding a match, and there’s nothing wrong with that. 

Swiping to find a match is the new norm, and many dating apps have adopted it as their way of helping you to find matches. Fortunately for you, you don’t have to worry about new styles each time, as the best tinder bios work on all of them. 

But what if you want something more serious? In the following, we’ve split up some advice on how you can best focus your bio on either a service like Tinder, or something like Bumble or hinge. 

When it comes to tinder and other hookup apps

If you are looking into an app that is even at all like Tinder, odds are you want someone to swipe right on you for fun rather than commitment. That’s why it is important to get to the point.

Although applicable for creating any bio, our number one dating profile tip works especially well with hookup apps: focus on three points about yourself. Be clear and concise with these ideas. 

Seriously, this is a practical tip for either websites with lengthier bios, or with mobile apps that use shorter ones. It helps you focus on the big things about yourself. 

The reason for this is that you can anchor a lot of information into your profile with just three points. Additionally, the rule of threes applies very often to things in western society, and people like it when information comes in sets of three: 

About myself: Enjoy making music, amateur woodcarver, and working my way up the corporate ladder.

So list three interesting things about yourself as you can see above, such as your interests, hobbies, and goals to both fill people in on the most important parts about who you are, and to give them ample opportunity to spark a conversation with you.

If you are using a more casual service you can just leave the bio at that. This is generally a good basic place to start. With a more serious dating website you can take these three points as anchors for fleshing out more information. 

You can also think of movie quotes that might catch someone’s attention. These are usually good for at least breaking the ice, and 

About myself: Here’s looking at you kid.

It isn’t as informative, but you can still stand out with something as simple as this. Of course, you won’t necessarily find a perfect match doing this, but it can work. Alternatively, you could tell them to ask you a question about something that interests you: 

About myself: Ask me about my favorite ingredients.

This can also grab someone’s focus, and it gives them a point to ask you something about yourself that you enjoy or find interesting. We prefer this to the movie quote approach, but our favorite is still the three point approach. 

Something like bumble or hinge

Unlike a bio you might use for a tinder profile, bumble bios should go that extra mile to show that you really are interested in something other than sex. There’s some flexibility with Bumble, of course, but Hinge is pretty clear on its aim of creating lasting, meaningful relationships. 

As such, a good hinge or bumble profile should expand on the idea above about including three interesting hobbies or things about yourself. You should still use these as the focal point of your bio, but absolutely expand on them. Here’s an example: 

About myself: I really enjoy making music using different kinds of instruments, from guitars to keyboards. I’ve recorded a few things that sound pretty good and have gotten some traction as well. I am also an amateur woodcarver, and have tried to work that hobby into both designing instruments (or at least modifying them as I can) and for around the house. It’s a really practical skill that looks great and gives me a lot of benefits at home. During my day job, I’m working my way up the corporate ladder with business development for a company. I’m not sure I’ll stay with it, but the experience has been pretty rewarding so far!

That means providing more detail and information. Of course, you shouldn’t give everything away either. You want to leave some room in your bio for your potential love interest to ask you questions. 

That said, with a more serious platform, we think it is best if you don’t lean in too hard on either movie quotes or “ask me about XYZ”. Better to be real and honest from the get-go. That said, feel free to spice it up with some comedy, something catchy, or even a dash of cuteness. 

Getting into the right mindset for a great profile 

It isn’t easy to get into a proper mindset for dating profile writing. Sometimes you can just feel stumped or overwhelmed with possibilities, and you put too much pressure on it. Sure, it’s a big thing for online dating, but you first need to relax and remember to be honest and be yourself. 

This is about pitching you as a person to others. You don’t want to promise one thing to another person and then offer up something else, same as you wouldn’t want to meet someone who you thought would be one thing but is entirely something else! 

That’s false advertisement, if we continue with our analogy. 

Fortunately for you, you’re the expert on you. No matter who mundane you may think some of your biggest selling points are, these are still the things about yourself that make you you. Be proud of who you are and what your interests are, and that will encourage matches most. 

Nevertheless, here’s a step-by-step on how you can generally approach each part of writing a profile. 

Opening Lines

You shouldn’t get too wrapped up in the opening line of your bio, but remember that it is important. A lot of people focus on this part after looking at someone’s profile pic, and so it should at the very least get their attention. 

The best way to do this is to either start by immediately introducing yourself. This can either be your name, your profession, or something interesting about you that you feel defines yourself. 

Alternatively, you can use a call to action to get their attention, maybe by asking them to do something and then giving them a way to respond. “Ask me about my parrot, swipe right and send me a message.” 

Introduce Yourself

As with your opening, take a moment to really paint a picture for the other person. What are you like? What do you like to do? Do you have any favorite foods, hobbies, or interests? What about things you want to try? 

Really try to capture the essence of who you are and put it out there in a way where they will be able to get a clear idea at a glance. It’s important to be honest here as well, as a lot of the matching process boils down to how you fill out these kinds of sections on your bio. 

If you aren’t sure about what to write, a good approach can be to ask a friend or family member to describe you in a positive way. If you would rather do it yourself, take a look around your home and make notes of your hobbies and how they make you feel. 

You can take these notes and put them into a bullet-point list to organize your thoughts. Then, just work them into your bio. 

Picture your dream partner

Whether you are using free dating or a paid service, you will inevitably have to describe the kind of partner you would like to have. It’s important here to be honest, otherwise you run the risk of matching with people you don’t really want to. 

Think about characteristics that you would like your partner to have: are they tall or short? What about weight? Age? Do you want to date a specific ethnicity or are you flexible? What about their hobbies and profession? Do you want kids? 

You don’t have to get all the answers for these upfront, but giving at least a general idea on the type of person you want to date will help filter out unwanted matches. 

Wrapping up your hard work

As you know, your bio is the prime real estate for meeting people and putting out everything about yourself to entice people. It should give them enough to satisfy their initial question of whether or not to message you while also leaving them enough room to ask questions. 

Try to round off your profile with something funny or interesting. The bigger the hook the better your odds of landing someone that is interested in dating you. You don’t want to sound robotic after all, so it’s good to let some light-hearted humor in, and preferably toward the end.

This leaves the other person looking at your bio with a more positive, lasting impression. That’s vital for making more connections online. 

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How to pick the right picture for your dating profile

We’ve mentioned this a few times, but one of the best pieces of online dating advice that we can give is to get the best profile photos possible. A great pic will do a lot for selling you on a dating platform, and it gives a lot of context to the way you will write your bio. 

Case in point, if you are an amateur painter and want to make a funny profile about that, you should include some sort of picture of you that shows you painting. At the same time, even if it is funny, it should clearly show you and put you in the best light possible. 

This kind of context gives people something to go off of when they read through your bio. Additionally, if your picture doesn’t relate to what you write at all, it can create a disconnect and put people off. 

No matter if you are doing something clever or funny, avoid that kind of confusion! 

As for the actual profile picture, you should either ask your best friend or someone close to really get a good photo, or consider going to a professional photographer. There are many services that can help you get exactly what you want, and one picture can go a long way. 

Profile writing can take some time, and so can finding the right picture. Take your time and make sure you are happy with both. You can always update either later on if you feel like it could be better!