Begin With Your Profile Picture

Despite the amount of selfies taken and the number of people on Instagram, a lot of dating profile photos are tragically bad. First impressions do count, especially when it comes to visual issues. Your profile picture is important and therefore you should spend some time investing in one properly. Winning pictures can be taken by friends or family members, and if they're good with a camera, all the better!

Helen Zhong, video game artist, shared an experience on Quora: her inbox "exploded" with messages after putting up a picture of herself in a bikini whilst cleaning the car. During a blizzard. Naturally the bikini was a big hook, but the novelty of doing such a thing during a wild storm was what got people asking questions and wanting to find out more.

Zhang states that having a decent quality camera is also a must. She says, "DSLR will allow you to take pictures with a shallow depth of field."

Travis Noddings, a data expert at Coffee Meets Bagel, also added his two cents when it came to the different types of photos you should put up. Selfies were naturally a big no, as were things like “duckface”. Pictures that gathered positive attention included smiling in pictures and posing with pets.

There were of course other tips from users on Quora:

• If at all possible, try to avoid wearing sunglasses.
• Always have a great big smile.
• Try not to be in a photo with a large group of people.

But What About Content?

A picture without content can be disheartening. Jordan Gray, a relationship expert, states that people have to take a bit of time in order to craft their profiles properly so that they really get their personality across. Other tips include doing more to show yourself rather than just making statements. Instead of saying, "I'm a funny guy," then just be funny in your profile. And of course, sometimes it may be a good idea to not go on for too long… After all, you do want to leave them wanting more!

If you would like further advice regarding online dating and how to pimp your profile don't forget to take a look at our online dating tips!