How Long Should Messages to Online Matches Be?

Initial messages to an online match should be somewhat short, but they should be long enough to be meaningful and make you stand out. You need to:

• Introduce yourself.
• Endear yourself with a complimentary reason for your attraction to her.
• Ask a question about a person, place or activity that might connect you.
• Close the sale with a request and reason for her to respond.

Many sites allow you to send “winks” or prefabricated icebreakers, which most women totally disregard. It’s like a junk mail coupon for 1 cent off a box of crackers. Nobody cares and it gets trashed with the rest of the spam. A simple “Hey” or “What’s up?” will suffer the same fate.

If you send something too long and detailed, it will seem like an impersonal form letter that you send to all the girls, and it will not get you very far with most of them. They all have a full mailbox every day.

The key is to make it as unique, personal and concise as possible. This means that you have to make sure she can tell it was written especially for her.

Refer to something in her photo or profile that proves you have spent some time considering her attributes and have found something special about her that appeals to you, intrigues you, or makes you laugh.

“Eyes” and “smiles” are too generic. “Big green eyes that match your scarf” or “a sexy smile with one cute dimple on the left side” can only refer to her.

Three or four sentences is perfect, but make each one count.