You know the saying “a picture’s worth a 1,000 words”? Nowhere is it truer than in the online dating world. Your profile picture communicates more than just your attractiveness; it also lets the viewer know your style, personality and hobbies. Given that it holds so much sway, it should be chosen with extreme care. Throwing something up without giving it a little thought will leave you either dateless or dating people who are not your type. Check out our tips below to ensure a stellar shot that’ll score you serious date points.
1: Pick something relatively current—Try to keep profile pictures to the past few years. This is for your own good—putting up a much younger, thinner version of yourself merely guarantees that your date will be disappointed upon meeting you in person.
2: Pick something clear and in focus—This may seem obvious, but we see a ton of blurry profile pics. What’s the point in even putting something up if other online daters can’t make it out? Furthermore, a shoddy shot makes you look lazy.
3: Keep it kid friendly—Unless you’re looking for purely physical relationships, avoid suggestive poses. If you think this is a good tactic to get attention, we can assure you it will likely draw the wrong kind of attention. If your plan is to act provocative to get dates and then convince him or her otherwise upon meeting, keep in mind that first impressions are hard to kick.
4: Do not take the photo yourself—99.9% of the time, pictures you take by stretching your arm out in front of you come out terrible, with some aspect of your face or body distorted. Ask someone to take the shot for you—if you’re uncomfortable telling them it’s for an online dating site, just say your mother was complaining that she doesn’t have any pictures of you for the fridge.
5: If you’re doing something you love, make sure you really love it—If you put a picture of yourself playing the guitar, you are signaling that music is a major part of your life. If you simply think it looks cool to pose with a guitar, this will ultimately backfire when online daters who are genuinely passionate start asking you questions.
6: Think about who you want to attract—If you’re looking for a conservative partner, pictures in which you’re drinking and smoking may not be the best choice. A funny face is fine if you want to draw people with a sense of humor, but know that it may turn others off.
7: Ask for help in choosing—Have a friend or even co-worker of the opposite sex? Ask them what photo of you they like best. Or, ask friends and family to send any photos they have that they think you look great in.
8: Pick something interesting—There are tons of fish in the dating site sea. In order to get attention, you need to throw out some eye-catching bait. We’re not saying to do something ridiculous, just try to find a photo taken at an atypical angle or one that shows you doing something unique.
9: Use pictures taken by a real camera—We’ve tested the iPhone, Droid and every other Smartphone out there, and have concluded that any halfway decent regular camera will yield a better shot.
10: Put several photos up in addition to your profile pic—A good way to avoid pigeonholing yourself is to offer the viewer some variety so that they get a well-rounded taste of who you are.
Keep in mind that you can change your profile photo as many times as you want. So, if your pic isn’t garnering the attention you’d hoped for, try something new and see how it goes. Jot down notes on which type of shots worked best for you and then be sure to take similar ones in the future. Sure, it’s a lot of thought for one little picture, but just an hour of your time now could land you several hours of dates down the road.
Photo via Mikkoy
