How to Write a Good Online Dating Profile

Choose a catchy, but simple screen name. Your screen name, also known as your handle, should be concise and easy to remember. Don't be just another "Sexygirl26" or "workingstud35," as intentional seductive names will often attract unwanted or aggressive suitors. Make your username meaningful. Let it say something unique about you. Try including things you like to do, what you are looking for, or some activity you participate in.

• Try mashing up two of your hobbies or passions together, like SurferRock or Chew-Bocceball, for a unique and easy name.
• Stay away from numbers -- they only make you look unoriginal. If someone else beat you to it, find a new username.

Write a good, attention-grabbing headline. Most dating sites usually provide a box for a 100-character headline. This is perhaps the second most important aspect of your online dating profile, after your picture. It is what makes prospects decide whether or not to read the rest of your profile. Treat this the same way as your screen name. It should be meaningful and give a hint of who you are or what you want (of course, without revealing too much personal information).

• Good headlines arouse interest to read more. You might talk about your wildest hobby, compare yourself to an off-beat character or person, or ask a question.
• While essential, try not to worry about this too much or cram everything in. It is almost always better to pick one interesting trait and use this to entice people.
• Think about the kind of person you want to attract when picking facts. Provide a fact, question, or joke that fits this type of person.

Highlight specific things that make you who you are. What makes you unique? Don't be afraid to mention an interest that may, on the surface, seem insignificant, unpopular or even boring. The fact that you're an avid fan of classic black and white films might not appeal to everyone, but it just might be the interest that makes someone special take notice. This will help create more "fodder" for your dating profile.

• Stay away from bland generalities like "I'm fun," or "I like hanging out with friends." Brainstorm the specific things that make you fun, or what you love to do with friends.

Include short lists or paragraphs of must-haves, good-to-haves and no-nos. Must haves are things that you can't do without. These could be passions or hobbies as well as other interests. Remember the movie "Must Love Dogs"? The title is based on a must have that was posted on a popular dating site. Good-to-have means things your potential mate might have that you like, but could do without. You could consider including specific interests and hobbies you’d like to enjoy with someone special, the goals and dreams you’re hoping to have in common with your potential match and so on. No-nos are things you can't stand or will not tolerate.

• Don't worry about things that are essential to any relationship, like "trust" or "kindness." This goes without saying. Save this space for uniquer things like "family man" or "loves to camp."
• Try not to make this sound like a job application by talking about how these things matter to you. A bullet point list of essential qualities quickly feels like a hiring opportunity, not a dating opportunity.
• Keep the "no-nos" section very, very short, only adding things if they are absolute deal-breakers. Don't turn people off by appearing negative or judgemental.

Be open and honest about your intentions when online dating. This seems mystifying, as you can never know what other people will get from your words. And you don't want to accidentally scare someone off. However, the best way to ensure you and your matches are on the same page is to just be honest. This may scare a date or two off, but it will only push away the people who aren't compatible with your needs anyway! For example:

• Looking for Commitment: Be upfront -- "looking for someone to share ____ with," or "must share a love of Sunday brunches." Talking about long-term hobbies or things that wouldn't come up in a one-night-stand implies you're looking for more than just a quick fling.
• Looking for a Hook-up: Keep everything shorter, and stick to the exciting, loose hobbies, like your quest to find the best martini in Dallas or love of travel." Things like "I love to meet new people and try new things" will send an honest, but not aggressive, message.

Keep your bio or about me section to three short paragraphs or less. No one wants to read an essay, and you don't want them to. You just want to pique their interest, saving the rest for actual dates and conversations. When in doubt if something is worth keeping or not, cut it. By focusing only on the points that feel essential, you trim your profile down to it's most important -- and intriguing -- elements.

• While short, try to keep between 2-300 words as a baseline.
• Aim for a roughly 70-30 balance of "me" talk and "you" talk. Split your profile into the best things about you, with a little time on what you're looking for in a date. Science has shown that this ratio is common in popular profiles.

Return to your profile the next day to polish and copyedit. Save your profile for at least a day, and then come back and edit. Correct any grammatical and spelling errors, as these are proven to be date-kryptonite. You can add anything you think might make the profile better or remove anything that seems needless. You may need to edit it further to fit a particular dating site.

• Browse through some other profiles while you edit. What intrigues you? Which people would you want to meet, of either gender, as friends?
• Are you on a group-specific site, like JDate or BlackPeopleMeet? If so, how can you tailor your account to fit the type of people that regularly visit.
• Ask a trusted friend to look over the profile when you're done. Would they decide to message you based on your profile?

Cut all of the above steps in half for mobile dating apps like Tinder or Bumble where speed is key. On mobile dating apps, you need to get right to the point. Oftentimes, the pictures are most important, followed by one very brief, on the nose bios -- 2-3 sentences at most. the only exception here is pictures -- where more is often better, as it can tell your "story" quickly. The essentials include:

• Your most interesting fact or hobby -- anything conversation worthy
• Your intentions, briefly, for being on the app ("looking to have some fun" vs. "need someone who can passionately debate the latest Hollywood releases").
• A wide range of pictures, covering 1-2 hobbies, a close up of your face, and a full body shot.

Look into the camera. Making eye contact with the camera means your admirers can make eye-contact (more or less) with you. This builds trust between people and shows you off with candor and beauty. Looking away from the camera, statistically, leads to fewer matches. Make sure the shot shows your whole head and you're giving the camera your full attention.

Smile, and show your teeth when you do. A big, open-lipped smile is considered, in real life, one of the most successful flirting techniques humans have. The same science backs up smiling with your teeth open in your profile pictures. These sorts of full smiles show off your genuine happiness and make your whole profile radiate.

• Note that you don't have to be smiling in every shot (especially if you have an action shot), but you should be smiling in your main profile picture.

Make yourself the only person in your primary profile picture, and your face and body are clearly visible. Everyone hates when they find a potential match, but can't tell which person in the picture they matched with. You want your profile picture to be as unambiguous as possible.

• It is okay to have groups of friends in other pictures -- even recommended! Just make sure they know which one is you before they get to that picture.
• Don't take selfies, especially in the mirror. Get a nice, high-quality picture so that people don't have to wonder if they see the "real" you.

Throw in a photo of you "in action" doing something you love. Are you big into yoga? Snap a yoga pic in your favorite pose. If you're an outdoorsman, pull up the most awesome shot of you out in nature. Try to tell your own story through 1-2 extra pictures. If someone didn't read a word of what you wrote, would they still get a good idea of who you are just through pictures?

• It is always a good idea to have at least one full body shot and one close-up facial shot. While standing around may look awkward, the action shot is a good place to show off your whole body.
• Some studies even show that action photos, if interesting enough, don't necessarily need to include your face. It does help, however.

Add a shot of you with a small group of friends to show that you are friendly and social. The shot of everyone drunk at the bar isn't a great choice, even if it was a ton of fun. But a shot of you on vacation with a few friends, or collected in a nice picture, shows that you have a happy, stable social network. While it shouldn't ever be the first picture, it is good to include.

• Avoid close shots with the opposite sex, especially if they can be accidentally interpreted as romantic. Remember -- they don't know that woman is your sister!

Only use well-lit, bright, and "summer-y" shots. There are always exceptions (like that awesome skiing pic, or you and your band on stage), but, generally, brighter photos have more success. Using bright colors and lighting lends a happy, summer-like feel to your personality and profile, and everyone wants to smile.

• When in doubt between two equally good pictures, one in the sun and one in the snow, go with the summer shot every time.