Making Your Scrap Stand Out From the Heap
- Tuesday, July 02 2013 @ 07:35 am
- Contributed by: Jet
- Views: 1,093
Online dating has many advantages over more traditional ways of meeting people, but there is one area that is a little lacking: undivided attention. If the typical dating scene is two people sitting at a table together, online dating can be more like one person sitting at a table while fifty people walk by and drop off their phone number. Once a conversation gets going it’s the familiar one-on-one scenario, but when you send that first-contact email, you might just be one scrap of paper in a sizable heap.
On the one hand, this can make first-contact emails easier; there’s nothing to worry about, everyone sends them, and if a response is a little delayed, well, they might just be wading through the heap. Still, we don’t really want to be just another scrap, either.
Everyone wants to stand out, but how can you do that without being over the top? Well, the first step is to remember that nothing at all will happen if you don’t send an email. Being “forward” may not generally be in your nature, but this is truly one example of “nothing ventured, nothing gained.” And once you work up your courage, keep that feeling with you while you write your email; confidence often brings out the best in us.
Next, stay away from generic filler, like “hey,” especially in a subject line. In keeping with the scrap of paper analogy, an interesting subject line is the equivalent of making your scrap of paper neon-colored - it will grab the eye immediately.
In the body of the email, you want to be polite and friendly. Imagine you’re a famous celebrity, and a fan is coming up to say hi. What would you like to hear? Well, maybe something along the lines of, “Just wanted to say I really enjoyed your work in your latest film, particularly this key detail.” A warm smile, a handshake, and they’re out of there. Compare that to a fan who jeopardizes your time, gets too close or inappropriate, mumbles incoherently, or fawns so much that you get uncomfortable.
The same applies to first-contact emails, only this time you’re not the celebrity. You want that warm smile, relevant piece of information (like a comment that pertains to their profile) and quick handshake, and you want to avoid the part where someone stands too close.
Believe it or not, those simple elements - friendliness, appropriateness, an interesting and relevant tidbit or two - when combined with spell-check are more than enough to make your first-contact email stand out from the heap of papers on the table. It really can be as simple as that. So what are you waiting for? Write a scrap that stands out!
On the one hand, this can make first-contact emails easier; there’s nothing to worry about, everyone sends them, and if a response is a little delayed, well, they might just be wading through the heap. Still, we don’t really want to be just another scrap, either.
Everyone wants to stand out, but how can you do that without being over the top? Well, the first step is to remember that nothing at all will happen if you don’t send an email. Being “forward” may not generally be in your nature, but this is truly one example of “nothing ventured, nothing gained.” And once you work up your courage, keep that feeling with you while you write your email; confidence often brings out the best in us.
Next, stay away from generic filler, like “hey,” especially in a subject line. In keeping with the scrap of paper analogy, an interesting subject line is the equivalent of making your scrap of paper neon-colored - it will grab the eye immediately.
In the body of the email, you want to be polite and friendly. Imagine you’re a famous celebrity, and a fan is coming up to say hi. What would you like to hear? Well, maybe something along the lines of, “Just wanted to say I really enjoyed your work in your latest film, particularly this key detail.” A warm smile, a handshake, and they’re out of there. Compare that to a fan who jeopardizes your time, gets too close or inappropriate, mumbles incoherently, or fawns so much that you get uncomfortable.
The same applies to first-contact emails, only this time you’re not the celebrity. You want that warm smile, relevant piece of information (like a comment that pertains to their profile) and quick handshake, and you want to avoid the part where someone stands too close.
Believe it or not, those simple elements - friendliness, appropriateness, an interesting and relevant tidbit or two - when combined with spell-check are more than enough to make your first-contact email stand out from the heap of papers on the table. It really can be as simple as that. So what are you waiting for? Write a scrap that stands out!
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