Getting Her to Notice Your Craigslist Personal Ad

So you're trying to find your match on Craigslist, but you're beginning to wonder if ladies even look at the personal ads? Maybe you need a new approach. These tips will help you up your Craigslist game.

Using the personals section: Always use the right category. If you're seeking a relationship with a woman, use the Men seeking Women section only. If you are tempted to post in strictly platonic with an advertisement that stated "looking for friends now, maybe more later",  just don't.  This looks like an attempt to trick a woman into a friendship to later spring a relationship on her. Trickery is not attractive.

Choosing a title:  This is probably the most important part of creating your listing. You need to make the ladies want to open this otherwise it goes nowhere. So how do you get their attention?

• Humor: Marilyn Monroe once said, "If you can make a girl laugh, you can make her do anything." Though anything may be a bit much, a humorous title will increase your chances of getting viewed. Be careful with the kind of humor you use, however. You probably don't want to appear offensive or immature.

• Fun: A title that makes references to the kinds of things you'd do on a date will attract ladies. It also shows that you are capable of making plans for dates that don't necessarily involve hooking up or constantly asking her, "What do you want to do?" Try "Great local band having a show tonight. Anyone want to join?" instead of "Hi, I'm a guy looking for a girl."

• Witty, catchy, unique: It's good to stand out. Sounding nerdy, intelligent, or just different can be very attractive. Just don't come off as boring, arrogant or scary. Think Mental Floss over Encyclopedia Britannica or Donnie Darko over Buffalo Bill (Silence of the Lambs). "Hungry Math Major Seeks Girl Who Can Make a Good 3.14159" will stand out more than "20-year-old math major looking for a relationship."

When writing your title, please remember to use proper spelling, grammar and punctuation. Yes, the Internet is not an English test, but, although you're trying to stand out in the crowd, you don't want the reason you're standing out to be because you look stupid. If you aren't sure how to properly write something, try typing up your title and listing in Word first so you could take advantage of its grammar and spelling check.

The Body of Your Listing: Okay, this is where you whine and beg and throw your entire life and flaws out there in hope that some woman will take pity on you and save you from yourself, right? Wrong. Keep the same tips for writing your title in mind when writing the body of your listing. Here are some no-no's:

• Don't be boring: Try to play on your unique and interesting characteristics rather than telling the world (and the ladies) how you're sitting around at home with nothing to do. Mention secretly rocking out to Maiden when you get home from the office or your taste for jazz music and willingness to hit up some of the local blues bars with the right partner.
• Desperation is not attractive: Don't mention how you'll take woman with a pulse because you'd rather not die alone. No one wants to be around a person who depresses them and desperation is pretty depressing.
• Confidence is good; arrogance is bad: If you're good looking and you know it, clap your hands, but don't brag about it in your Craigslist ad. You should consider yourself "fit and attractive" instead of "amazingly sexy and hit on all the time." A guy who appears to be in love with himself probably doesn't have what it takes to love someone else.
• Be nice: Don't blame others for your problems; don't complain about about your ex; don't write "no fat chicks." If you act like this before you even meet her, what is she to expect once you get comfortable with each other?
• Be specific with your interests: Generally saying you enjoy movies, books, music and television isn't the best approach. Try specifying. "I like to relax listening to Beethoven, sipping on some prickly pear lemonade and reading The New York Times."
• Don't list your bedroom skills or interests in your listing! You may think being good in bed will make women want to date you, but actually that's something they'd want to discover on their own after getting to know you. Besides, many guys think they are amazing in the sack, and girls hear it so much, their immune.
• Don't make your ad too long. No one wants to read a book when breezing through Craigslist.

To pic or not to pic: It's true that the ads with the "pic" icon get more views, but they probably don't get more responses. Many people just look at the pictures to see what the people who post look like.

Still, the question remains: "should I post a picture?" If you feel comfortable doing that, and you feel it adds something to your listing, go for it. If you do not, however, your interesting title will work well on its own.

Should you decide to post a picture, avoid posting just a shot of your bare chest or, even worse, your genitals. Physical attraction is important, but pictures like these have very obvious sexual implications and no woman wants to be pressured to have sex before she even emails the man.

Things to not do:

• Don't post a huge list of requirements. Even if she meets them all, she will probably find you finicky and decide against responding.
• Don't give out personal information in your post.
• Be realistic. Don't expect models, rich widows or pop stars to respond to your Craigslist listing.

Good luck out there, guys!