Heading for romance

The content you write on a dating site can have life-changing effects. JM Kearns devotes one third of his book Why Mr Right Can't Find You to online dating. He's a fan: he found his wife online.

Kearns has some smart advice on how to write headlines. It's pretty much the same for any sort of content. He slates vague generic headlines as completely pointless:

Looking for someone like you
Seeking chemistry
Attractive, fun-loving woman
Just looking for a nice guy

Yep, you and a million other women, 50,000 of whom are in New Zealand. (I believe that's the number of excess women here in the 25-40 age group, all of them wonderful in their way.) He spots dead give-away headlines that semaphore victim, paranoid, or loser:

Liars need not apply
Sick of cheats
This is my first time
Don't judge this book by its cover

Among other things (like being positive and optimistic) Kearns says a good headline is specific and preferably unique, exactly the qualities wanted for every headline online. He gives a few good examples:

Love being outdoors
Witty Actress
Tree-hugging liberal seeks same
Chemist seeks lab assistant

Why Mr Right Can't Find You