It isn't necessary to be a gifted writer to create a meaningful advertisement but it is necessary to give some thought and consideration of how you want to present yourself to the online dating community. A well thought out description of your needs, wants and desires combined with some bubble and bounce will always work better than just a basic summary of who and what you are. The most important rule to remember when writing a dating ad is that ‘more is almost always better than less‘. Below is a recent advertisement written by one of our members. It is quite typical of the type of ads the service receives every day.

1. Hi, my name is Susan. I'm 35 years old, blonde, divorced with a 9 year old son. I like the beach, dining out, country drives, dancing and 70's music. I'd like to meet someone 30 to 40 years old who's ready to settle down and who has similar interests to me. No smokers please.

Pretty ordinary, isn't it? Susan had this ad online for two weeks before contacting us to complain that only 2 members had sent her a message and no one had responded to the 3 messages she had sent to other members. We suggested an ad re-write with a little more bubble and bounce. This was Susan's new ad:

2. Hi, my name is Susan. I'm 35 years young, mid blonde shoulder length hair, a divorcee with a 9 year old son who pretends he's 20 and a 6 year old Labrador who pretends he's 2. I love the beach and the sound of crashing waves, Chinese and Italian restaurants, long slow country drives, moving and shaking and just about everything of 70's music. I'd like to meet someone about my own age who's probably ready to settle down and likes to do the same sort of things. No smokers please.

Susan's second ad is certainly an improvement over the first. We contacted her 2 weeks later to see how many new messages she had received. 17 people had contacted her, she had contacted 6 and 5 of these had replied to her message. We asked Susan if she'd mind re-writing her ad again this time incorporating into it some of her needs, wants and desires. This is what she wrote:

3. Hi, my name is Susan. My friends call me Susy but never Sue. I'm almost 35 years young and have mid blonde shoulder length hair which I'm thinking of having cut. Been divorced for 3 years now and haven't tried online dating before so I really don‘t know what to expect. I have a nine year old son named Ryan who often acts as though he's twenty and a six year old Labrador called Dog who always acts as though he's two.

I'd like to meet a guy who is about my age with or without children of his own. Someone who is perhaps ready to settle down and commit himself to a serious relationship if all the vibes are right. I'm not looking for fun times, constant parties, bars or clubs, or anyone who smokes.

If this sounds like you please send me a message. I'll reply to everyone who contacts me with a photo in their ad, even if it's just to say hi. ~All the best, Susy.

At last count Susy had received 44 private messages. She contacted us a couple of weeks ago to explain that she was deleting her membership. Her last ad had worked out a little too well and it was becoming increasingly difficult to correspond or meet with everyone who was contacting her.

The first Susy is the same person as the third Susy. Only her ad had changed.

Is it time to change yours?