Using online personal ads to find love is becoming more and more common. What started as a fad has now crossed over and become a full-on method for meeting singles and millions of people are taking advantage of the platform in order to try their hand at the dating game. But while the system is easy enough to use, there are still some rules of etiquette you should be aware of before jumping in with both feet.
In this article, we’ll touch briefly on email (contact) etiquette and what you should and shouldn’t do when attempting to reach out to a person.
The reasons for sending someone an email as opposed to a predefined flirt can be numerous. For starters, emails are far more personal and allow you to speak directly to the person instead of simply letting the person know you’re digging their dating profile. Now, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with the flirt method, but many of us would rather say what we want to say directly to the person instead of allowing a wink to do the talking for us.
If you’re sending an email via the personal ads, your first mail is going to decide whether or not there’s going to be a second mail, more often than not, so follow a few simple guidelines for your best chances of success.
The email needs to be relatively short while remaining upbeat – positive feelings and positive words only.
For example, you can leave any sad-sack story out of your mail: “Hi, I’m just getting out of a really bad relationship, blah, blah, blah…”
Nobody wants to hear that kind of stuff. Instead, keep everything working on a positive note when you’re surfing the personal ads and decide to send an email.
Make a formal introduction with your name and a greeting, and don’t forget to tell this person why you’re writing them. Did their smile catch your eye? Are you impressed that this person likes the same books as you? Say it; be short and sweet and tell this person what led you to write this mail.
Succinctness is always what you’re aiming for with an initial mail, so remember to keep brevity in mind when you’re writing. After all, if you say everything you want to say now, then what’s left to say when this person answers?
Think of your online dating email as an intro-slash-convo starter and nothing more. Make a good impression and be polite.