Guides

How to write your profile

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Write a headline, an about section and a clear statement of what you offer or want, with before-and-after examples and nothing that identifies you.

8 minute readUpdated 2026-09-30

By the end of this guide you will have a headline, an about section and a clear statement of what you offer or want, drafted and ready to paste into your profile. Each part says who you are and what you want, and none of it gives away who you are to a stranger.

Keep this page open beside your notes app. Work through it in order: the headline is easier to write once the about section exists, but most people start with it, so this guide does too.

What you are writing

A Dateable profile has three written parts plus a set of fields you pick from lists. Each part has one job.

Your profile counts as complete once it has a photo, three profile fields and an about section of at least 50 characters. Complete lets you browse, favourite and message. Applying and posting on the Board need verification, covered in how to get verified. A completeness meter shows how far along you are.

Your date of birth stays private. Other members see your age, never the date.

Before you write a word

1. Write down three things you did last weekend. Real details beat adjectives, and these become the raw material for your about section.
2. Write one sentence, for yourself only, about what you want from Dateable. A regular dinner companion, travel, mentoring, a relationship with clear terms: knowing it keeps every part of the profile pointing the same way.
3. Draft in your notes app, not the profile form. You can count characters, sleep on it, and you lose nothing if the page reloads.

Honesty is your edge here. In a Pew survey of US online daters, 71% said it is very common for people to lie to seem more desirable ¹. A profile that reads as plainly true stands out against that.

Step 1: the headline

The headline shows beside your photo in search. It has 80 characters to make someone curious enough to open your profile.

1. Name one specific thing you do or love. "Early swims" says more than "active", and it gives someone a first message to write.
2. Add who you want to meet or what you would like to do together. This filters in the right people before they read a word more.
3. Cut to 80 characters and read it aloud. If it sounds like every other profile, swap the general word for a specific one.

Before, on the generous side:

Successful, generous gentleman seeking a beautiful companion

After:

Early swims, long lunches, and a spare seat at the opera

Before, on the attractive side:

Just ask ;)

After:

Designer who reads menus like novels. Show me your favourite restaurant.

The "before" lines tell the reader nothing they could reply to. The "after" lines each hand over a conversation: swimming, opera, a restaurant. Every example in this guide is written for the guide; none describes a member.

Step 2: the about section

You have 1,000 characters, about 170 words. Three short paragraphs fit well and read easily on a phone.

1. Paragraph one: what your week looks like. Use your three weekend details. Readers picture a life, not a list of traits.
2. Paragraph two: what you are like company. Show it with one small true story or habit rather than claiming "funny" or "loyal".
3. Paragraph three: what a good first meeting looks like to you. It tells the reader how to start, and it sets a safe, public tone from the beginning.
4. Remove every identifying detail. Go line by line for the things in the safety note below. A stranger can piece together small details faster than you expect.
5. Cut every line that says what you do not want. A list of dislikes reads as bitter. Say what you want instead, and the wrong people filter themselves out.

Before and after: generous side

Before:

I'm a successful businessman who works hard and plays hard. I enjoy the finer things in life and know how to treat someone right. No drama, no games, no time wasters.

After:

I run a small company and keep my evenings free on purpose. Most weekends start with a long swim and end at a restaurant I have wanted to try for a month. I read history, cook badly and laugh easily. I like company with opinions. The best dinners I remember were arguments about books. A good first meeting for me: a drink somewhere quiet and busy enough, an hour, and no pressure to make it more.

Before and after: attractive side

Before:

Hi! I'm bubbly, outgoing and love to travel. Looking for a generous gentleman to spoil me. Message me to find out more!

After:

I work in design, run on Saturday mornings and keep a list of forty restaurants I want to eat at. I am learning Italian slowly. Friends call me the one who plans the trip. I am at my best with someone curious, who asks questions and remembers the answers. First meeting: coffee or a drink in daylight, somewhere busy, for an hour. If we like each other, dinner next.

Both "after" versions do the same three things: a real week, one trait shown rather than claimed, and a first meeting in public. Neither mentions money.

Step 3: what you offer, or what you are looking for

Depending on your side, this box is headed "What I offer" or "What I am looking for". It has 500 characters. Here you state your expectations, which is the point of Dateable: people say what they want at the start.

1. Start with time. How often you would like to meet and when you are free matters more to most readers than anything else in the box.
2. Name the kind of support or experience, not the amount. Dinners, events, travel, mentoring, help with study or a business: say which, and leave figures for a private conversation.
3. Say what you value in return. Reliability, discretion, good conversation. This is where both sides learn whether they fit.
4. Read it as the other side would. If a line would make you uneasy reading it from a stranger, rewrite it.

Before, generous side:

Generous allowance for the right girl. Monthly amount negotiable.

After:

Time first: I keep one or two evenings a week for someone I like. I plan and pay for dinners, events and the occasional weekend away. Once we know each other, I am glad to support someone's study, business or goals. I value discretion and expect the same.

Before, attractive side:

Looking for someone to help with my bills and debts.

After:

Someone reliable who plans ahead and keeps their word. A regular dinner, an event or two a month, and honest talk about what each of us wants. I value mentoring as much as generosity: I am building a small business and love advice from people who have done it. Discretion both ways.

Step 4: profile fields and interests

1. Fill in city, side and looking for first. These decide who sees you in search, and "looking for" is its own field, so any gender can sit on either side.
2. Choose your side carefully. Generous or attractive is set when you join and can be changed only once.
3. Add at least three profile fields. Height, body type, hair, eyes, smoking, drinking, education and occupation are all optional one by one, but three are needed for a complete profile.
4. Pick interests you could talk about for ten minutes. Tags give people a first message. A tag you cannot talk about wastes that.

On the generous side you can add an income band and a net worth band. Both are optional.

Step 5: check it before you publish

1. Read every part aloud. Anything you would not say across a table, cut.
2. Search your text for identifying details. Surname, workplace, suburb, school, gym, team names, handles. Remove each one.
3. Delete contact details. A phone number, email or social handle takes a conversation off the site before you know who you are talking to. Share them later, when you choose.
4. Check the three parts agree. A headline about quiet dinners and an about section full of nightclubs confuses the reader.
5. Ask one trusted friend to read it. They will spot the cliché you cannot see and the detail that gives you away.
6. Match your photos to your words. Choose them with how to choose your photos. Every photo is reviewed before anyone else sees it.

For more on keeping your details close, read how to protect your privacy.

Step 6: keep it current

1. Update the about section when your life changes. A new routine or a new city makes an old profile quietly untrue.
2. Rewrite the headline if messages are not the kind you want. The headline shapes who opens your profile more than any other line.
3. Plan around verification before changing your first photo. Changing your first photo means verifying again, so do both at once.

More ideas and worked lines are in the profiles section of the blog.

Questions people ask

What should I write in my sugar baby profile?

Write what your week looks like, one habit that shows what you are like company, and what a good first meeting looks like: public, short, no pressure. In the offer or looking-for box, say how often you would like to meet and what you value, such as mentoring or reliability. Leave out amounts, debts, contact details and anything that identifies you.

What should a sugar daddy put in a profile?

Show a life, not a bank balance. Describe how you spend your free time, how often you are available, and the kind of generosity you offer: dinners, events, travel, support for someone's goals. Skip dollar figures. On Dateable you can add income and net worth bands if you want, and both are optional. Discretion and reliability read better than wealth.

Should I put an allowance amount in my profile?

No. A figure in a profile attracts people responding to the number rather than to you, and scams aimed at sugar daters often open with offers about money. Say what kind of support you give or want, then talk about amounts in private once you have met and like each other. Our guide on talking about an allowance covers how.

How long should a dating profile bio be?

On Dateable the about section needs at least 50 characters to count toward a complete profile and holds up to 1,000, about 170 words. Three short paragraphs work well: your week, what you are like company, and a good first meeting. That is long enough to show a real person and short enough to read on a phone.

What should I never put in a dating profile?

Your surname, home address, workplace, date of birth, family names, the places you go regularly, and any phone number, email or social handle. Also leave out money amounts, mentions of debts, and anything sexual. Small personal details help scammers get into accounts and help strangers find you. Share them later, with someone you have met and trust.

How do I write a good dating profile headline?

Name one specific thing you do or love, then add who you want to meet or what you would like to do together. Keep it under 80 characters. "Early swims, long lunches, and a spare seat at the opera" works because it hands the reader something to reply to. "Just ask" and "no time wasters" give them nothing.

Can I change my profile after it is published?

Yes. Edit your headline, about section, fields and interests whenever you like from your profile. Your side, generous or attractive, can be changed only once, so check it before you publish. Changing your first photo means verifying again, since verification compares your selfie with your profile photos.

Sources

1. Anderson, M., Vogels, E. A., & Turner, E. (Pew Research Center) (2020). The Virtues and Downsides of Online Dating.
2. Sexual Assault Resource Centre, North Metropolitan Health Service (Government of Western Australia) (2021). Safe online dating.
3. New Zealand Police (2026). Safety advice.
4. Get Cyber Safe (Government of Canada) (2023). Spot the signs of a catfish on dating platforms.
5. Wolbers, H., & Dowling, C. (Australian Institute of Criminology) (2024). Routine online activities and vulnerability to dating app facilitated sexual violence.
6. WA ScamNet (Government of Western Australia, Consumer Protection) (2026). Sugar baby scam.