Yes, there is such a thing as a “system” to writing a great profile. Throwing words up randomly won’t cut it, nor will rambling on and on in an effort to fill up space. What will work? Well, here are five tips to help you out:

1) Stay positive.
We’ve all got baggage, no need to drag it out as your first introduction to someone. Think of your profile as if you were meeting someone for the first time in person, picture yourself saying the words you write, it will help you from sounding too stiff and keep your tone conversational. And most importantly, don’t complain about the lack of great men/women, your ex, or why you’re “trying” this out even tho you “don’t really need to.” 

2) Show your uniqueness.
If you’ve got a quirky or unusual hobby, go ahead and mention it, but keep it in perspective. Remember that all of us have odd hobbies that don’t seem so odd – and even make us endearing to those that love us – but if someone doesn’t know you yet, bombarding them with information they don’t care about (yet) will bore them. In other words, it’s great if you’ve got the biggest collection of Star Wars memorabilia in the entire state, and you should mention it to see what kind of response you get, but then move it along so your date can continue to learn what else makes you tick.

3) Emphasize the points you might have in common.
Having an unusual hobby is great but remember to mention more “popular” things like movies, reading, and everyone’s favorite: food. These are the things that you’ll likely do with a date and those that most people will want to share.

4) Update and keep it current.
You don’t need to rewrite your entire profile each week, but go ahead and change a few key items like the last movie you saw or book you read. Doing this will also continually move you up to the top of the search list for new online daters new to the system.

5) Be descriptive.
It’s one thing to say you play sports to keep active, another thing entirely to say you like running around with the guys breaking a sweat while chasing a soccer ball up and down the field. Write a profile that describes the things you like to do so a potential date can picture being with you and all the fun you’ll have together.