There are thousands of online dating sites on the internet, and I have joined many of them myself, but I have had better results with free online dating services where the only investment is my imagination.
There are many other advantages to free online dating sites. For one thing, you can target your audience in individual cities, or even neighborhoods, and getting your ads online can be done in less than 10 minutes!
Take Craig’s List, for example. It is a bulletin board service that allows free posting in hundreds of cities around the world. And because Craigs List has virtually no limit to the number of words in your ads, you can really get creative and write up a storm, literally wowing your audience line by line.
That is exactly what I have done myself. I have been meeting women online for over 15 years and have placed hundreds of ads around the world. But I always come back to Bulletin Board ads for their convenience, flexibility, and almost immediate gratification.
Here are some observations, and online dating tips, when using free internet dating strategies like mine.
My advice to women
Ladies, there are also thousands of “professionals” using free online dating services. Therefore, you’ll want to distinguish your ads from those with more commercial interests. My advice to you is to include enough detail in your ads so that guys don’t mistake you for real.
Some of the clear signs of a “professional” type of ad are that they are usually quite short (five sentences, for example) and often sound too “formula” like. For example:
Good stuff.. – 22
“I moved to this new neighborhood recently…I was so bored. I want to meet new guys. I’m sick of affairs. I’m sick of getting my heart broken. My ex-boyfriend was a jerk and I just want to meet a nice guy. I’m crossing my fingers this new online experience works. I’m a loving person and just want to meet ‘Mr Right’ if there’s such a thing.”
The first thing you’ll notice about the ad above is the grammatical errors. This in itself is not necessarily a red flag, but when combined with the lack of detail and originality – without any reference to anything linking the author to this city – what begins to crystallize is the possibility that whoever sent this ad is not necessarily looking for a relationship!
So my first suggestion is to ditch the stereotypical five-sentence online personal ad and instead write more from the heart, including details that clearly communicate that you’re a real person.
When writing ads to meet men, provide enough detail to show a man that you have a variety of interests, but don’t write picky, listing dozens of qualifications you must have before you can drop him a line. That practice, which I’ve seen quite often, is a real turnoff for guys. You don’t want to give men the impression that you’re interviewing for a job, unless you don’t mind if a lot of the higher caliber men just click on your ad and search for warmer weather on the page.
My advice to men
Hey guys, listen up! Everyone knows that men want sex, so what else is new? But there’s no reason to broadcast this in your ads! Keep the language “poetic” if you understand my bias here. Women are generally not as direct as men, especially when writing or responding to ads. But this does not make women frigid. Talk in metaphors; use colorful imaginative language. Or better yet, make only a fleeting reference to sex in your ads, and do so in a sentence that goes along with something more emotional as well.
Here is an example of what NOT to do:
guys just want to have fun – 27
“So I thought I’d see if there are any fun loving girls out there who are up for meeting a nice, clean, drama free guy… looking to meet up once in a while for a nice passionate session…”
This guy gets straight to the point, doesn’t he?
When it comes to online dating, don’t let your hormones get the better of you! Women want to love just like we do, but they’re usually not so cheeky about it, that’s all.
Instead, write about your interests outside of the bedroom. Charm your readers with your achievements… mention the books you like to read… or include something funny. Women love it when a guy can make her laugh! So if you can be that guy, you’ll get more points than the previous writer, any day.
my advice to everyone
An imaginative and original advertisement is the fastest path to success with online dating. Some of my wackier ads have given me the best results (meaning the most responses). Create a unique “persona” for yourself in each ad and you’ll not only make your readers laugh, but you’ll also get some really appreciated feedback. Isn’t that what syndicated comics do? And think about how many people are reading them, week after week!