Personal ads can be a very simple and straight forward method to meeting other like minded singles. Of course, you want to be sure that you write the most effective personal ad possible as you're paying for the service so you might as well make the most of it. Many people don't have a lot of success with personal ads and it's not because they are not attractive or a good date option, it's just because they don't know how to market themselves well.

Make sure that your personal ad is complete. Don't forget any important information such as age, location, and what you are looking for. Many people don't complete the personal ad and this leads to difficulty in getting quality responses for obvious reasons. The more complete your personal ad or profile the more responses you will get.

If possible, be sure to include a current photograph of yourself. Many people will only search for ads or profiles that contain pictures so you will get a lot more exposure if you include a picture of yourself. Be sure that the picture is indicative of who you really are and not who you were 10 years ago or who you would like to be.

Be friendly and stay away from negativity. Negativity is a turn off for most people so you can voice your opinions or what you are looking for, but do so in the most positive way possible. Also make sure that you just come across as a very approachable and friendly person as this is attractive to most people and will endear you to a lot more potential dates.

Don't make lists! Many people think that making a list of what the right person will bring to the table will go far, but this is actually something that turns most people off. You can describe the person you are looking for, but don't create a numbered list of must haves for a potential date because even if someone fits the bill this strategy will turn them off and have them looking elsewhere for a date.

Be honest about how open you are to long distance relationships. You should be up front about the fact that you only want to date people who are local if this is the way you feel or that you are willing to date people from around the world and perhaps travel there. This will save you and other people precious time and money.

Make sure when you create your personal ad or profile that you go into it with patience. If you try to rush the process you are going to find that it is a lot less fulfilling experience. Let nature take its course and don't rush it, if you are patient you will likely find that a lot more comes from the process than you would have ever imagined would.