How To Write Personal Ads

Writing a personal ad requires some degree of creativity. You need to come up with the most appropriate words and put them together in such a way that you would like your intentions, as well as your no-no's, to be understood by the reader. Most importantly, they should be composed in such a way that the individual you are targeting will be come interested and actually respond to it.

First, clearly "define" who you are and your motive why you are putting up a personal ad. These two main infos are the first things that will get a reader to move on to the rest of your ads, or not. Are you single, divorced, gay or straight? Looking for a boyfriend or a girlfriend, or a husband or wife? Here, you can be more creative and at best, humorous, but always truthful. "A single gal looking for long-term romance, has culinary school background (cooks a mean spicy tuna casserole with lots of surprise ingredients, but only when you're a good boy)" could stir up a nice guy's attention - and appetite.

Second, pinpoint exactly the type of person you want to meet. A non-smoking, non-drinking single guy with a stable job? (Good luck!) You can be more specific too. White, over 6 ft in height, a Catholic. Some advertisers need to be specific for personal reasons, while others are flexible and want to leave the field open for more choices and possibilities. Just remember that this "want" section would determine the kind of persons who would be likely to respond to your ad, and how many they would be.

Third, don't forget to define your expectations, as well as what your respondents may expect from you. These often comes along the lines like, "enjoys traveling," "loves a good night rolling the dice," "loves kids and pets." Be honest and candid at the same time, so that when things (hopefully worked out between you and your respondent, nobody will feel shortchanged.

Finally, read aloud your personal ad, and have a feel of how it will be taken by a reader. If possible, have someone read it out aloud for you. Unlike writing and reading silently what you have in mind, reading aloud your own ad gives you a feel of how other people will react to it. If something sounds funny or unclear, revise the part until you get the exact "tone" of the ad that you want posted to the public.