DateableWhat to check before you post a Board invitation
Go through this checklist before you post a Board invitation: title, kind, place and time, duration, offer and description.
Before you press post on a Board invitation, you run through a simple checklist. It takes five minutes and stops you from having to edit it after the first person applies. Here are the checks.
What your title says
Your title tells people the occasion in a phrase. Not the number of people, not your name, just the thing itself. "Dinner in the city on Friday" works. "Looking for generous souls" does not.
A reader scrolling the Board needs to know straight away whether this is a dinner, a weekend trip, a concert, a museum visit or something else. If your title does not make that clear in four words, rewrite it.
The kind is right
When you set the kind, you are telling people what side they are on. A kind mismatch makes the wrong people apply. If you are generous and you set kind to "attractive", you will only get applications from people looking for attractive members. Make sure your kind matches who you are.
The board works because both people know what they are walking into. You are generous. They are attractive. Both sides understand the expectations. Do not try to obscure who you are or what you are offering. Honesty gets you better applications and saves everyone time.
City and day are set
Put the city where it belongs in your description. Say the day of the week, not "soon" or "next week". Do not leave your reader guessing whether this is in Sydney or Melbourne, or whether you mean Friday the 26th or Friday the 3rd.
Lunch at North Sydney on Friday 4 October
Duration is clear
Tell people how long you expect this to run. A lunch is an hour, maybe two. A day trip is four or five hours. A weekend is Thursday night through Sunday. Do not say "open-ended" unless you really mean you have no idea when it will end. If someone applies, they need to know whether they are committing to an evening or a weekend.
Details say something real
The details field is your chance to sell the invitation. Use at least 50 characters (that is longer than it sounds). Say what you will be doing, where, what makes it different from any other lunch or dinner. What restaurant? What kind of restaurant? Will there be a dress code? Are you staying overnight? Is this your birthday? Are you planning a trip to the art gallery?
Bad details: "Would love to meet someone nice." Good details: "Three-course dinner at Quay, 7pm. I'm thinking about a trip to Japan next month and would like travel company."
Your offer is plain or empty
The offer field tells people what you are bringing to this. If you are generous, say what you offer: dinner, a weekend away, experiences, mentoring. Say it in words, not hints. If you are attractive and you offer nothing beyond your company, leave it empty. Do not use the offer field to say "I'm easy-going" or "No weirdos". That is what a profile paragraph does.
If you are generous, be specific about the offer. "Dinner" is good. "Nice dinner at a restaurant of your choice in the city" is better. It tells people what to expect. If you are paying for a trip or an experience, say so. Honesty about what you offer stops people from applying who are looking for something else.
You say who you want
The "looking for" field is about company, not a shopping list. Do not write "6 feet tall, six figures, no tattoos". You can write "someone who is sharp and funny and reads" or "someone from outside the city who likes adventure" or "a woman who knows what she wants". Describe the kind of person you will enjoy, not the kind who will impress your friends.
What makes good company? Someone who asks questions. Someone who listens. Someone whose sense of humour matches yours. Someone who can hold a conversation without their phone. Write about the kind of person you will actually have a good time with. That attracts people who have thought about who they are too.
Close date leaves time
If your invitation is for Friday and you close applications on Wednesday, people do not have time to think or plan. If it is for next month, close applications five days before the date at least. This gives you time to choose, to message whoever you pick, and to confirm they are still in.
If someone applies the day of the invitation and your close date has passed, that's on them. But if you close too close to the date, you might not have a date at all.
You have no contact details in the listing
Do not put your phone number, email, Instagram handle or any other contact detail in your Board invitation. The whole point of the Board is that people apply inside Dateable and you choose who gets to message you. If someone tries to find you on social media or asks you to move to WhatsApp before you have even met, that is a warning sign.
Your first meeting is public
The thing you describe in your invitation is a first meeting, and it happens in public. A bar, a restaurant, a museum. Not someone's house, not yours. Not a car. If your invitation says "come to my place", edit it. If someone suggests moving it to their place when they apply, that is a reason to say no.
Read the guides on posting an invitation and the rules of the Board before you go live. When you are ready, post it. Then wait, and choose well.
