Online Dating Profile: Anatomy Of A Great Opening Paragraph

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            “I’m smart, funny, confident and outgoing.  I’m looking for someone who likes to have a good time, laugh, hang out, and travel.  Most of the sports I enjoy are outdoors.  I like to hike, ski, go camping and rollerblade in the park.”

Why is this bad?  Because there are at least 100,000 profiles on every dating site that start almost exactly the same way.  They all turn into a blur and vanish from the reader’s memory as soon as they move on.  Besides being a list of adjectives and hobbies (which is boring) there is no spark, no connection, no uniqueness to this paragraph at all.

What makes a good opener?

So, what makes a good opening paragraph?  Here’s one of my favorites.

Headline:

"I used to play guitar for KISS"

Profile:

"Yes, I used to play guitar for KISS… Sure, it was in my parent’s back yard, my guitar was a broom and my best friend played some upturned trash cans for a drum set… but man did we rock the neighborhood. I never did make it into KISS or any other band, but I’m still in love with the guitar… and my best friend became a garbage man!
Now a little more about me…"

This WILL get someone to keep reading your profile!  It’s unique, funny, filled with images, and is something a lot of people can relate to from their childhood.  Unfortunately, you can’t just copy this one, as you have to create something congruent with who you are, in order to portray an accurate version of yourself. 

While it is important to open your paragraph with something that is absolutely unique to you, but displays strong value to the reader, the real key is to make a CONNECTION.  Combine both uniqueness of your topic and a healthy dose of your personality, and make the reader feel like they aren’t just skimming a profile, but having a face to face conversation about your life! 

The profile itself

Now go look at your online dating profile.  Ask yourself… is there anything really exciting and unusual about my opening paragraph?  Is this something someone would get really excited about reading?  If in doubt, ask some friends of the opposite sex.  If the answer isn’t an enthusiastic 100% two thumbs up… it’s time to hit the keyboard for a rewrite.

Happy dating!

What FOUR CRITICAL TOPICS must you write about in the rest of your profile in order to make sure your reader emails you? 

Find them at: Online Casanova 

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