How to write profile headlines
A profile headline is, perhaps unsurprisingly, a headline for your dating profile. They're growing less common, but some sites still use them. On these sites, your headline and your profile picture will be among the first things a girl sees, especially in lists and search results, where not much else will be visible.
Even so, you should be careful not to overemphasize the significance of the profile headline. Sure, it can be an attention grabber, but your profile picture will be much more important when it comes to creating attraction. In fact, one of the most common mistakes when it comes to profile headlines is trying too hard to make yourself seem interesting or appealing, and ending up creating a bad impression instead! Here are some classic examples.
"Nine out of ten girls don't know this, but..."
This headline is just way too obvious. Girls aren't stupid; they understand perfectly fine what you're trying to do. It's cheap and it's unsophisticated; it makes your profile seem like an annoying internet ad. "Interesting" and "desperately screaming for attention" are two different things.
"How about a trip to Barbados?"
Translation: I know I'm not very attractive, so I'm trying to sweeten the deal. Or alternatively: I'm looking for a prostitute! Nothing says "sad and pathetic" quite like offering people money to hang out with you.
"How loud does a fish cost on Mars?"
Some people recommend using totally wacky headlines, and sure enough, they will get you attention. The problem is that, once again, what you're doing is desperately obvious. For the most part, it will also make you seem like a weird guy to boot. By all means, a less weird and more funny product of the same strategy (something like "Beware the Monkey apocalypse!") could work, but only if the rest of your profile and your real life persona match it in terms of cookieness. Also, the older you get, the harder something like this will be to pull off.
Resorting to clichés is another common headline mistake:
"Looking for that special someone"
"Are you out there?"
"I'm Romeo. Are you my Juliet?"
"Do you like to have fun?"
"Hello, beautiful!"
Stay away from anything resembling what you'd expect to read in a newspaper personal ad or a boy band song title; in fact, if something seems like an obvious choice it's probably too obvious.
Anyway, that was a lot of no-no's. What are the... um, yes-yes'es?
When creating your profile, you want it to convey a coherent and attractive personality. All its elements, including the headline, should fit together and pull in the same direction. In my book, I give you a step-by-step method for how to create the ultimate profile.
About the author:
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My name is Sondre and I'm an obsessive guy. I've spent the better part of a decade studying how attraction is kindled by text and images, and through interviews and experiments I have figured out how to create a profile that appeals to exactly the kind of women you want to meet. Through impressiveprofile.com I have helped regular guys get extraordinary results, and now it's finally your turn!