This is a topic I am very passionate about and something I’d really like all online daters to understand. People often approach me saying “I need help with my online dating profile” and the first thing I tell them is…
Your online dating profile is a personal brand.
How others perceive you will result in how they will react to you.
How you are perceived is also going to garner curiosity. Curiosity starts conversations. The goal of your profile is to start conversations. The goal of that conversation is to get offline, to go out on dates.
Think about it this way, would you create a LinkedIn profile without thought and intention? Would you say, “hey, prospective employer, want to know more about me? Just ask.”
Would you use a selfie of yourself in a bathroom mirror as your profile picture? How about shirtless, knocking back shots of tequila?
My guess is that if you want a job with your dream employer, you are going to be clean-cut, respectable, meticulous, engaging, honest, as well as sincere. If it helps, dating isn’t entirely unlike looking for a job. There are a lot of similarities.
If you care about dating and meeting the right person for you, you should care about your profile.
Carelessness is the biggest mistake I see people make on their online dating profiles. So often, people neglect showcasing who they are and what they are all about. No impression IS an impression.
The approach to personal branding is not unlike how a company or corporation designs and builds its brand. Apple, Nike, Boeing, Budweiser are all well-known brands, and those brands make us feel something. They make us think something about them. We associate thought around a story and, in turn, decide a choice based on that story.
I always tell people: It’s not just what you write on your dating profile but how people perceive it. You should take into consideration what others see between the lines. That’s part of the strategy.
If you are upbeat, energetic, and active, are potential dates going to see you that way? If you are serious about meeting your perfect match, are you making sure people know that? Or, if the opposite is true for both of those statements, will potential matches see that instead?
To be fair, one slight difference between an online dating brand and a corporate brand is reputation. Product brands are recognized and have social proof. A person looking at your profile has no background information. They can’t see your five-star ratings (although, wouldn’t that be nice!) However, I think that makes it even more essential to be polished from the get-go. You are self-packaging.
Every brand had to start somewhere.
Your online dating profile is your start to human connection. You want to go out with people who resonate with you. They should also be open to believing they might have a connection to you. You want people who are looking at your profile to be able to envision their life meshing with your life and vice versa.
With hundreds of potential connections, no one is going to bother with you if you don’t bother with yourself. That is why personal branding is so important.
Wondering who my clients are? In this post, I share a bit about the folks who hire me. I also demonstrate how they all come from various walks of life and how everyone is interesting and unique in their own way.
Click here to read more.
The next time you find yourself thinking, “I need help with my dating profile” or want to try a different approach, check out the Packages and Pricing Page and start dating with a great online dating profile.
Rather write your own dating profile but would like guidance? Download my DIY toolkit. Includes do’s & don’ts, before & after samples, and a template to follow.
