Finding love online as a senior can and should be exciting! But there are several things you have to do in order to be able to realize the results you want. First, you have to make sure to choose the right senior dating site or app that you can trust.
Second, you have to make sure you’re putting your best foot forward and truly sharing what’s great about you with the other singles. How is this done? It’s done through your online dating profile.
Since no one likes talking about themselves, though, what are you supposed to write in your dating profile as a senior? What type of information are you supposed to share and what is best kept private?
Knowing how to write a great dating profile as a single over the age of 50 may be new to you, but it doesn’t have to be that hard.
In this guide, we’re going to share nine of the most important tips and tricks to create the best senior dating profile for you that gives you the most chances of finding the love you’re looking for.
1. Honesty reigns supreme for seniors.
Sometimes there’s a temptation to fudge the truth a little bit on your dating profile. Maybe there is something from your past you aren’t super proud of? Or, maybe there is something you think that if you say will get you more dates?
We’re begging you—resist this temptation. Telling the truth on your dating profile will ALWAYS give you the best results. If you tell a fib about something and someone else likes you because of that, you’re only setting yourself up for failure down the road.
2. Don’t overshare about your past.
As you’ve been alive for five or more decades already, you have a past. And unless you’re some superhero senior, parts of that past may include things that you’re not the proudest of. When you’re writing your dating profile, it’s okay to share some information about your past, but don’t go overboard. Remember that some things are probably best shared in private or after a few dates.
And this goes for positive parts of your past too! For example, there is nothing wrong with mentioning that you were previously happily married. But if you start to give several paragraphs about your past relationship, it can be a turnoff to people.
For the parts of your past you aren’t the happiest about, we aren’t saying not to share these with people you’re dating. All we are saying is that your online dating profile might not be the best place to share it.
3. Talk about your current interests and things you enjoy.
Too often, we see senior dating profiles that don’t share anything about their current interests or only talk about things they used to enjoy in the past. Take some space to talk about what you like now! What do you do with your spare time? What gets you excited to get out of bed in the morning? Even if it’s something as simple as a walk around the park or your neighborhood, that’s okay!
4. Be open about what you’re looking for.
In the world of senior dating, a lot of people are looking for a lot of different things. Relationship goals include people looking for everything from just someone to talk to all the way up to someone to marry. When you’re writing your dating profile as a senior, take the time to first decide what you’re looking for and then clearly share that on your profile.
Sometimes you’ll be able to do this with a dropdown selection and sometimes you’ll need to add it to your About Me section (or both). Just make sure you’re getting across what type of relationship you’re looking for.
5. Get help with your photos if you need it.
If you are a senior who is amazing with technology and photos, go ahead and skip this tip. If you aren’t though, we have some helpful advice. Reach out to someone you know who is good with this stuff to get some newer and photogenic photos of you for your dating profile.
Many people are visual and want to see who they are talking to. If you only have pictures from years ago or ones that are too blurry to see anything, that’s not going to help you to have much success. Do what you need to do in order to get some great photos uploaded to your profile.
6. Use profile writing resources for all ages.
Just because you’re over the age of 50 doesn’t mean that you can’t utilize other dating profile writing resources to your advantage. Many of the things that are helpful to other age brackets are also applicable for you!
One of the best resources out there is our guide on how to write a great dating profile. Almost everything in that guide will be applicable to senior singles as well. And if you want even more help, make sure to check out our collection of dating profile examples!
7. Err on the side of less vulnerability.
Many senior singles start their journey looking for love because they’re lonely or maybe because their spouse has passed away. If that’s you, kudos for having the courage to get back out there!
What we’d like to recommend, though, is to reserve the things that show your vulnerability from your dating profile. Yes, these are great things to share when you’re getting to know someone, but we don’t recommend adding them to your dating profile.
Why? Well, unfortunately, vulnerability invites people who don’t have your best interests at heart to reach out to you. While great dating sites and apps do a good job of weeding out fake accounts and scammers, they can’t get everyone. For that reason, you want to make sure you do your part to now invite those people to reach out to you.
8. Make sure you’re putting in effort equal to the results you want.
It can also be tempting when creating your online dating profile as a senior to just do the bare minimum. Sure, this often gets you to be able to see other matches faster, but it also lowers your chances of making a connection.
People want to see completed profiles. They want to see that you care enough to put in the effort. Do yourself a massive favor and put in the time and effort to create a robust and fully filled-out profile with a few nice pictures of you.
9. Don’t be scared to show some personality!
Your online dating profile is NOT a resume. It’s not something you’re sending in for a job interview. It is 100% okay and encouraged that you have a little fun with it!
No, you don’t have to tell jokes or fret over trying to make it more interesting. But if you see an opportunity to have a little fun and showcase your personality, go for it!