Meet Me...Don't Delete Me! (Your Personal Headline...)
By Bev Bacon
Not meeting in person sure puts a damper on coming up with clever ‘pick up’ lines. But, no worries, we now have a place for the same basic idea in our profile. I like to refer to it as the ‘headline’. Same difference if you ask me!
The headline is usually the very next thing one sees after glaring at the photos. You might think of it as being somewhat insignificant, but I’ve actually deleted ads based on this alone. Call me picky; call me shallow, but when I see a headline like “Lonely Desperate Gent Seeks Cinderella” it really doesn’t get me all hot and bothered, if you know what I mean. Seeing “Herpes Happens” didn’t make me run out and order my wedding dress that night, either!
Again, we are on these matchmaker sites to reel someone in to be our special companion. And since we can’t charm the viewers with our magnificent personalities when making our first impression, we have to do it the best we can on paper…er monitor. So coming up with a ‘charming’ headline is really important.
Usually there is only room for about five or six words, so you want to make each and every word count. And this one guy’s ad I saw did just that. His headline was “Rich, Well Endowed Doc”. Holy Mackerel, he takes home the Pulitzer Prize with that whopper! (Pardon the pun.) I bet he didn’t have much time to spend with patients after all the responses he received.
Did you ‘feel’ the impact that one had versus “Fathr of Seven Brite Children” or “Marriage Minded Maiden Seeks Millionaire”. Those last two doesn’t make us want to rush out and buy engagement rings now, does it? Now if you’re a…. well…. not so ‘well endowed poor brick layer’ using “Rich, Well Endowed Doc” would not be in your best interest! Kapeesh!
Be positive, be fun, and leave depressing words out all together. And be creative! If you want something career related, that’s perfect to play on. (Unless you work at the county morgue or something closely related. “Dying To Meet You” may not work in this situation!) I suggested to an electrician friend of mine to use the word ‘electrifying’ in his headline to ‘juice’ his profile up a bit instead of using “Nice Guy Seeks Great Gal. If you’re a numbers guy, try something like, “Accountant You Can Count On” instead of “Pocket Saver Pencil Pusher Seeks Lovely Lady”. Whatever you decide, have fun with it.
Then on the other hand, I’ve answered ads based solely on the headline. (Okay, I did peak at the photo.) One in particular was “Semi Famous Bachelor”. Now ladies, who wouldn’t answer an ad based on that! The rest of his profile was so-so, but my curiosity got the best of me. I had to find out what ‘semi famous’ meant. Did he get called for an audition for a show, but missed the bus and didn’t make it, but the guy they hired looked just like him? What? Well, after meeting him, I found out he was involved with the local philharmonic orchestra…as the accountant. Alrightythen, I guess that could qualify as being semi famous.
Well, the guy knew what worked to lure the ladies in. It obviously lured me in. I do notice guys will use professions in their titles, that is, if they make six figures to increase their chances of getting responses. Great bait. Why not?
As for us women out there in cyberspace, I have found that guys really hate when words like Goddess, Princess, or Biological Clock Ticking Rapidly are used in your headline. They sense pressure, fear, commitment, and high maintenance. Shy away from those deal breakers and go for something catchy like, “Happy Hiker Looking For Happy Camper”.
As the famous saying goes, just keep it simple, silly!
Internet dating expert and author, Bev (Jarvis) Bacon, grew up and spent the majority of her ‘dating’ life in Kettering, Ohio. After several years of online dating, she realized that a different strategy was needed dating ‘this way’. Through her own personal experience, she feels she’s made all the mistakes so YOU don’t have to! Her book, “Meet Me…Don’t Delete Me!” explains what you can do to improve your chances of NOT being deleted in the process. Bev currently lives in Los Angeles.
