In my own match.com profile, I opened with a scene of my typical shopping trip to Publix supermarket, which ended with me riding my cart across the parking lot. No matter what people thought about my age or maturity level for doing so, it’s one of those little pleasures that makes me unbearably happy.
The image of a near-30-year-old woman riding her cart full of groceries was a total hit. When men wrote me, they almost always mentioned how that image stuck in their heads. Some admitted that my profile stood out above the others for some reason they couldn’t quite put their fingers on.
There was something about Shopping Cart Girl.
This begs the question…
What about your dating profile is memorable?
Being on the dating scene for a while means you’ve read a lot of profiles. A lot.
Even if the typical woman isn’t going to write a first contact email (or in some cases, even wink), you’d better believe she’s flipped through a lot of profiles looking for that elusive Mr. Right.
And after a while, they all start to look the same. This guy’s a little shorter, that guy’s got a bit more hair, this one’s a perpetual student, that one’s a banker. But really, they’re all the same guy. The guy with friends who don’t understand why he’s still single. The guy who likes a night out on the town or one watching DVDs on the couch. The guy who likes his job, but mostly for the paycheck.
Sound like you? Yeah, sounds like everyone.
When faced with a list of near-clones, how does a girl decide which one gets to be the potential sperm donor?
Easy. She doesn’t.
Tell a great story that desperately needs a new character
I’m the girl who rides her shopping cart across the parking lot, even if people look at me funny. I’m looking for a guy who groks that. Oh, and one who will gladly burn dinner with me while attempting to cook things with the food we just bought.
What’s your story?
- Are you the guy who has a garden full of delicious tomatoes but can’t grow basil to save his life? How are you ever going to make homemade spaghetti sauce?
- Or maybe the guy who can’t have a pet because of his allergic roommate, so volunteers at the animal shelter to get his fix?
- Perhaps you’re the guy who loves the very “unmanly” sport of softball and spends his afternoons coaching at a local high school?
- Did a toddler once reach out for your bald head and say, “ooooh, shiny!” and now you’re looking for a woman who appreciates its fleshy luminescence?
See where I’m going here?
What’s your unique and interesting calling card? It doesn’t have to be something that happens all the time. I certainly had days when I was too preoccupied to ride my shopping cart to my car. It can be a one-time occurrence (like the bald head story), that just totally made you laugh.
Mind the gap
I feel I have to mention this for some people. “Some people” may not include you.
There is a line between “funny/catchy/unique story” and “OMG, WTF IS WRONG WITH THIS GUY?”
As always, beware of coming on too strong with sexual innuendo unless you’re on a site that caters to short-term and casual relationships. Serial killer jokes are also a sure way to send the girls running (away). When in doubt, run your idea by some of your female friends. If they okay it, run it by a few not-so-close female friends. If it still passes the test, then put it up on your profile.
Wondering if your profile is memorable?
We’d love to review your current profile and give you pointers on how to make it more memorable and effective. We’ll tear it apart from top to bottom and give you real, constructive feedback that you can use to take it to the next level. Check out the Plastic d20 Package for more information.
Happy dating, geek friends!
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“When faced with a list of near-clones, how does a girl decide which one gets to be the potential sperm donor? Easy. She doesn’t.”
I love this article. It’s amazing what those little stories can do, especially since dating profiles tend to read like shopping lists. ‘And he HAS to play guitar…’ The first time I saw a profile that showed me a real person, via a little story, I was captivated. I’d love to see more people do the same.
I think what’s really great about your story is that it makes it so visual and easy to imagine that you’re having a fun time. I think anytime a story can get people to visualize you as this particular person then it makes things interesting.
I think with all the different profiles out there, having a silly but not creepy story is important. After all, we all like a person with a sense of humour.
Keep up the great posts…I enjoy reading them during my lunch break.
I think for the majority of dating sites profiles aren’t as important as profile pictures, as they’re the first thing you see when browsing. Obviously there are exceptions to this (for example okcupid.com does a great job of putting your profile contents front and center), but by the time you actually GET to a profile your looking for reasons NOT to message the person.
Having said that, having evidence of a personality and a sense of humor will definitely get you a long way.
I think the one benefit you get from having an interesting profile, which you didn’t mention, is that it makes starting a conversation that much easier as you have something to talk about. It also means when someone does message you then you can weed out the people who didn’t have the creativity to think of something interesting to say in the first place.
I think a girl chooses a guy with the most figures and I mean riches! Though most girls won’t say such thing but deep inside that would be girls’ deciding feature. Looks can be deceiving but money isn’t. But I am not saying all girls are like that.