Writing a Dating Profile

Composing a well written profile is an art in its own right. Unlike the 25 words or less in magazines and newspapers, modern profiles are detailed an in-depth, and can tell you so much about a potential partner.

1. Complete Your Personal ad Profile Fully and Accurately
There is nothing worse for a browsing member than spending their quality time, opening your profile, only to find your profile is full of "ask me" statements. So... be informative, be complete, be thorough, be of interest, but be honest and stick to the truth. It's all too easy to add things that at this stage are not checkable. However, you may get caught out later and ruin a fantastic friendship or romance.

2. Avoid Being Negative
Try to avoid being negative in your profile. Emphasise your best characteristics. Admitting that you are a loner who has no friends will not usually win you new friends, but emphasising that you are a true individual with unique, genuine properties is more likely to gain admiration.

3. Spelling and Grammar
Poor and sloppy use of English will give a bad perception of you, so make sure that you check your profile for spelling and grammatical mistakes afterwards.

4. You're a Single Parent, so be Honest About Your Children!
Your children are a major part of your life and they come as a package. There are plenty of single parents who are wishing to date and there are also single people who would love a ready-made family - children are assets, not baggage!

5. A Picture Speaks a Thousand Words
Adding a photograph or two will greatly increase your chances - members with photos in their personal ads are likely to get up to 9 times more replies than those without any image attached to their profile. You don't have to look like a Vogue model. A holiday photo, where you're happy and smiling can be very effective. People are often more interested in someone who looks friendly and approachable.

6. Don't Restrict Your Chances
As a single parent, it's likely you've had a bad time with a previous partner, but making a list of specific criteria in a future partner, usually has the effect of making people look elsewhere as well as severely restricting your own search. By all means say what attracts you, but keep this general and approach your search with an open mind - love comes in all sorts of different shaped packages.

7. Be Honest About Your Passions
If you really feel passionate about something, say so - don't try to hide the things that are important to you. If you love partying, say so; if your religion is important to you, be honest about this too.

8. Be Yourself!
Don't try to be someone else or try to second-guess what people might find attractive. Just be yourself and then you're more likely to be perceived as someone who is genuine - you're also more likely to attract someone that admires you for what you are.

9. Be Truthful About Whether You are Willing to Travel
Do not pretend that you are willing to travel half way around the country to meet someone if you're not - it's not fair on anyone, including you. If you are really only looking for someone in your town or close to home, then stick with that and make it clear.

10. Stay Current
Regularly update your profile - even small changes can keep you on the front page of the searches.

11. Be Fun
Adding fun and humour to your profile can bring results, but again, be yourself, rather than an alter ego that isn't really you. It's important that your profile matches your personality.

12. Be Polite
Never be aggressive or rude in your profile, or any communication with a potential partner. You may have a dry sense of humour, but sarcastic or cutting remarks don't tend to come over very well in when written down.

13. Stay Away From Taboo Subjects
Unless you're seeking potential conflict, it's best to avoid taboo subjects, or opinions on topics that are likely to incite strong views.

14. Love is Spiritual, not Material
Don't talk about money or possessions at this time. Most people like or love someone for what they are, rather than what they have. We assume that you do not want to find someone who simply wants you for money.

Three Great Reasons to Join!
1. Single With Kids dating is FREE to join and gives access to the largest database of single parents in the UK.
2. Our free membership allows you to conduct a simple search, post a profile and photos, and receive messages.
3. Our dating site is easy to use. Support is just a phone call away if you experience problems.