How to Write a Personal Ad
All people need companionship and friendship, and desire to be accepted the way they are. While some people find it easy to make friends and find life companions, other people may need to resort to personal ads to find just the right person to be your friend or partner. Here are some ways to help you write personals.
Places to Put Personals
There are many places where you can post personal ads:
Newspapers. Some newspapers offer classified advertising space for personal ads. While larger media outfits may charge large amounts for advertising space, smaller community papers have a smaller reach, but have a much more concentrated readership than national newspapers.
Magazines. Some magazines devote entire pages and sections for personals. While magazine rates may be more expensive than newspaper rates, magazine publishers direct and focus their target market on a specific audience, which may result in more positive responses.
Online. One advantage of online personal sites is that placement costs next to nothing. You may devote some space in a blog’s sidebar, for example, for your own personals. The most popular method for exchanging personals today is through social networking sites like Facebook, Hi5, and even Twitter. One problem presented by online personals is that it expands the possibilities of identity theft and fraud.
Writing Tips
Personals work by people exchanging details about themselves to find common interests. Personals may help people find friends, companions, or even romantic partners. To write an effective personal ad, follow these steps:
Be clear and concise. Ad space can be quite expensive, so you have to make your ad as pithy and concise as possible. Try to avoid using catchy hooks and long phrases. Focus on who you are and the characteristics of people you’re looking forward to meeting.
Be specific. Generic qualifications will lead you to generic people. Try to focus on some of your more unique traits so that you can get to associate and communicate with people with similar interests, or who are interested in you.
Use conventions. Some conventions like ASL (Age/Sex/Location) make it easier for you to write your personal ad, and people can find it easier to sort through information presented in the personal ads.
Personals are a quick and easy way to meet new people and form new relationships. With these tips, you can hopefully create new and lasting relationships with a well-written personal ad.