Make A Good 'Online Dating' First Impression

By drodriguez Sep 07, 2011

Online dating has become very popular among men and women who just don’t have the time to hit the singles bars every weekend or sit and wait for Mr. or Ms. Right to come along. Mashable recently published a chart showing 40 million people in the U.S. alone take part in online dating services which are responsible for pulling in more than a billion dollars in revenue each year.

If you are one of the many that have taken the plunge into the online dating world, you are probably familiar with how frustrating writing that first message to a potential partner can be.

It’s hard enough to make a good first impression on someone when meeting them face-to-face, but to accomplish this by writing a few short lines in an email can be next to impossible.

Fortunately for us, CNN’s Andrea Bartz and Brenna Ehrlich offer a few tips on how to stand out from the rest of the online dating pool and impress with that first online dating exchange.

Not surprisingly, it is recommended that you start off by complimenting the recipient and writing something that shows you have taken the time to read through their profile. By drawing attention to one of their interests or career successes you can make them feel special or unique. After all isn’t that how we all want to feel?

Another tactic suggested is to change up your tone to fit in with their style. If they seem like a funny sarcastic person, go that route too. But be sure you have a good handle on your written-word sarcasm, because some of us are painfully aware of how sarcasm can sometimes fail to translate in an email.

If you want to add a little mystery to a dating world where everyone knows the town you were born in and what high school you went to before the first date, then keep that first note short and sweet. The article suggests that no more than 3 or 4 sentences will suffice.

What do you think of some of the tips for writing that first online dating message?

Tell us about your experiences in the online dating world!