5 Common Dating Profile Mistakes You Should Avoid

Online dating platforms and apps make finding a romantic partner easier than ever. But creating an account doesn’t guarantee you’ll find the right match. To optimize your chances of finding love, you need to optimize your dating profile – so this article highlights the most common dating profile mistakes to avoid.

Are You Making These Profile Mistakes?

Using the Wrong Profile Photo

Pick a picture that’s both accurate and flattering – which is tough, seeing as research shows most people don’t actually know what they look like. But here are some rules that might help:

Don’t Use an Old Picture

A picture that’s over two years old should be a no-go. The change may have been gradual, so you might not realize how different you look today.

Don’t Use a Vague Picture

Choose an image that clearly shows your face and ideally your body too – and don’t forget sunglasses and hats can obscure your face!

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Don’t Use Group Pictures Without Indicating Yourself

Including pictures of yourself with friends in your dating profile shows potential matches that you value your friendships. Just make sure you indicate which member of the group you are. And if it’s a picture with an ex, make sure you cut them out.

Writing a Bland Description

Describing yourself on a dating profile is challenging. Some online dating services, such as eHarmony, help you find matches with online dating questions, so the way you describe yourself plays a major role in the impression you make on other users. But it’s tough to write a description that showcases your unique qualities.

For example, many people make the mistake of using clichés or listing interests that many others share. A generic “dude” on Tinder might say “I like watching football, movies, craft beer, and hanging with my friends.” There’s nothing wrong with those interests but they aren’t exactly unique.

This doesn’t mean you can’t list your interests at all; it just means you need to find a way to make your bio personal to you. How this manifests will depend on your personality. You might include a joke, or a quote that reflects your values, or an interesting fact about yourself. Oh, and proofread your bio. You don’t want to miss out on a match because of a typo!

Lying

This is an easy mistake to avoid but one many continue to make. You want to sound impressive on your dating profile, but you’re not setting yourself up for long-term success if you lie about your height, age or occupation. Dishonesty may help you get a date, but the moment your date realizes they were lied to, they’ll lose interest - so be honest from the start.

Being Negative or Confrontational

It’s important to establish standards and boundaries when dating online, and it’s fair to state your boundaries in your profile. However, avoid being too negative, aggressive, or confrontational when doing so.

Limiting Yourself

Some online dating services have a range of tools and resources to boost your matches, such as space to write a bio and questions to spark conversation. For many apps this is optional, so some users limit themselves by leaving it blank or just uploading one picture. This stops people from getting to know you which limits your connections – so make sure you share as much information as possible.

Et voila! Avoid these common mistakes and get more matches.