4 common mistakes people make when choosing their dating profile pics

The 4 common mistakes people make when choosing their dating profile pictures

Having been a dedicated online dater for many years, I have literally seen everything when it comes to people’s dating profile photos. According to my friend Will, 99% of guys and 68% of women, decide to contact someone based on their photos alone. This stat is probably not totally accurate but I doubt it’s far off. So guess what guys? It’s crucial to make a bit of an effort to get this right.

With that in mind, here is my list of the top 4 common pitfalls to avoid when choosing your online dating profile pictures:

1. Looking like a serial killer

You might be surprised at how popular this is but unfortunately, this is very common. This is mainly something for guys to look out for as women don’t tend to make this rookie mistake. What makes someone look like a serial killer? The entire photo is made up of a close up of their head and they aren’t smiling. So, it’s easy to rectify – take a photo which includes things other than just your head and you’re probably going to improve your chances at least 50%.

2. Choosing photos taken 15 years ago

Ok, men and women are both guilty of this one. If you’re anything like me, it’s easy to forget that 1998 was 15 years ago and so you don’t feel like you’re doing anything wrong when you choose a photo taken in the last millennium but no, it’s wrong. If everyone avoided this, first dates would be so much more pleasant.

3. Using ‘selfies’

You know the photos I mean – the person is standing facing the bathroom mirror holding their phone in an awkward pose, usually on an angle and you can see their piles cream on the shelf behind their head. I want to say “How old are you? 12?”, but I won’t. Two big reasons to avoid this (apart from the piles cream obviously), firstly this is how teens connect with each other on Instagram and secondly, it makes people think you have no mates.