Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Dating - profile pictures

Following on from Sunday's post about writing a killer dating profile (here) we look today at supplementing this with a cool profile pic.

Now believe it or not profiles with photos get 8 to 15 more views and responces than those with out.
This is especially true for guys who seem to have a reluctance to show the world they're on a dating site.
Try it for your self - pick a free dating website andgo look at the blokes searching for women...more than half have no picture. What does this say about them? Are they just shy? Nervous about online dating? Hoping the wife doesn't spot them? ...or actually are they the elephant man? Seriously no one will want to meet up and go on a date when they have no clue what you look like and with the availability of digital cameras these days there are no excuses!

As a side note the other reason for doing this little bit of research is that it shows you who your competition is...after all love is war, and in war intel is key.

With pictures you have a split second to make an impression, to raise someone's curiosity to want to know more and then check out your killer profile. But as with your personal bio it pays to spend some time planning what photo's you're going to use on your profile.

Again this goes back to the concept of promoting 'you' as a brand and keeping in mind what you are trying to achieve. So the following types of photo are out:-

  • that funny snap of your drunk in a nightclub a few weeks back 
  • that carefully cropped shot of you and your ex...cutting her out of the picture
  • the picture of you 7 years ago on a beach when you looked tanned and trim, before the beer belly and hair loss
  • the one of that celebrity that people are always saying you look like.  

Bin them and don't let them anywhere near your profile.

Ok back to that little bit of research you did on other people's profiles.
Have a look at their photo's...fairly similar shots? Keep in mind that you have to stand out from this crowd (in a good way).

What pictures should I use?

When we wrote the personal bio there were 3 or 4 key interests that we tried to focussed on. These are the things that made you interesting, unique...worth finding out more about. Now when selecting photo's they should complement these activities if possible (tying into the brand that you're trying to establish). If you love surfing - find a picture of you on the beach; if you play bass in a band - get a cool shot of you with your guitar.

The pictures you post should be good quality and you should be clearly seen. Three-quarter length shots or shoulders and head shots work best.

But I don't have any good photo's?
Was Hannibal stopped by the Himalayas? No, he found a way over them!
Ideally I'd suggest going to get a few pictures done by a professional - there are some cheap packages around. Yes it feels weird but ultimately you're paying for their expertise and the results are usually very good.
Good lighting, the right angle and timing the shot makes all the difference.

Alternatively ask a friend to take a load of shots with you. Get them to take a fair number of pictures (20 or so), perhaps on different settings, because not all of them may work well, and because you then have a good selection to choose from. Again think about those interests and choose your backdrop carefully!

Always keep asking yourself what you would want to see if you were a member of the target audience (usually the opposite sex), looking at your profile for the first time, and be critical.

Final touches

If you are good with photo editing it might be an idea to touch them up slightly, just don't go overboard. If it's good enough for celebrities then why not.

Add a border to your picture of the same colour as the hyperlinks on the target site.
This makes the picture stand out when being displayed next to everyone elses and the colour builds the association that the picture is something to be clicked.

Hope that helps.

G

44 comments:

  1. The border one is very, very clever. Psychology, hell yeah!

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  2. Great work! I love the blog style!

    $upporting BRO!!

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  3. Great tips! I've never done any online dating so I wouldn't really know BUT...
    The thing about the pictures. It's like on eBay too. When something doesn't have a picture, makes me less inclined to buy and I'll choose something else that does have a picture. Even if it is like £1 more expensive. xP

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  4. Great tips, that is if I ever get into online dating!

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  5. if ur looking for girls show pics of urself having fun with dogs. trust me.

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  6. and then the 8/10 in the photo turns out to be a 2/10 in real life i bet

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  7. Photoshop...the thing that ruined images of beauty for the entire internet, and gave little boys all the fap material they'd need for a lifetime.

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  8. If I was still in the market, I'd follow these tips to the T! Thanks!

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  9. i'll keep the border thing in mind if i ever resort to a dating site :D

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  10. The best photos are the natural ones, not the posed ones....and those where the subject is smiling or looking like he/she is having fun (though not TOO much fun...lol). Great post!

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  11. Some of these tips are also true for sites such as Couchsurfing (couchsurfing.org) where you have to sell yourself as a host or guest in someone's home. If you have good pictures and make yourself sound interesting then you might get a lot of people who want to meet you.

    Great job, a well written and informative piece of work :) Not that I'm in the market, I think It's too late! I'm sold, heh.

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  12. The picture is probably the most important thing.

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  13. This post had me laughing out loud in the funny parts! I really enjoyed it.

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  14. Looks are everything, even online.

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  15. I defiantly know where to come to get dating advice! Followed!

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  16. Thanks for the awesome tips, they are reeally helpful!

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  17. nice, any advices on the REAL part, when you meet someone?

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  18. Another great post! keep up the good blogging!

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  19. I'd never use any online dating service site, but if I did I still wouldn't use a picture. I'm too paranoid of a person. The day after I put it up I'd be looking around to make sure people weren't following me. I do that anyway, but it'd be worse.

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  20. I wish I had this article in the late 90s.

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  21. I love this kind of post:-)
    Great job! and you're so tender with your girlfriend:-):-)
    Really:-) it's not so common to find guy who let his gf shopping:-)
    Anna :-)
    P.s. give me your opinion on today's post please:-)!
    www.followpix.blogspot.com

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  22. very interesting bro, opened my mind up alot ;D

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  23. will keep in mind next time im surfing dating sites

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  24. I need a decent author photo at some point.

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  25. I have never used a dating website, but this seems like solid advice. I don't think I would be interested in dating someone if I didn't know what they looked like. Call me shallow...

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  26. thanks for voting g!!:-)

    www.followpix.blogspot.com

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  27. Hello lovely :)!

    thanks so much for your comment :)!

    Wish you a great and sunny weekend :)

    with love
    Mariza
    http://mar-iza.blogspot.com

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  28. new post dear:-)

    www.followpix.blogspot.com

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  29. looks sweet man, gotta check it out myself ;D

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