Narrowing Your Appeal
- Saturday, February 18 2012 @ 08:48 am
- Contributed by: Jet
- Views: 1,211
We all want to appeal to as broad an audience as possible. Even if it’s a cliche, it’s hard to write an online profile without emphasizing the “balanced” nature of our personalities. Of course we can’t be placed in one box! We like to party, but we’re happy staying in too! It’s become a cliche because it’s true, for pretty much everyone. And why not appeal to those on both ends of the spectrum of your personality?
While, in general, this is not a bad strategy, it can cause problems if you actually have a “type” you desire to attract. For example, let’s say you like athletic sorts. Rather than mention your love of sports and the many seasonal activities you participate in, you give a vague statement about how you like to stay in shape. Then you spend most of the profile talking about your other hobbies, like knitting and going to movies.
Even though you may honestly possess all these interests, by giving everything equal time, you’re not focusing on what’s actually most important to you: athletics. In turn, the sort of people you may be trying to attract might not think you value it either, and decide you don’t have all that in common.
Now, this doesn’t mean you should paint a false picture of yourself; however, everyone has multiple layers and interests, and it’s up to you to discern what’s relevant to your readers. Additionally, you’re dealing with a limited attention span; the reader wants to be drawn in by a few paragraphs, not your life story. So which is more important: that you reflect a super-balanced, if generic, personality, or that you share your passion for what you love?
As you sit down to write your online profile, remember that mass appeal isn’t always the most important attribute. You want to stand out to the sort of personalities to whom you’re attracted; if that means emphasizing one aspect of your personality, so be it.
While, in general, this is not a bad strategy, it can cause problems if you actually have a “type” you desire to attract. For example, let’s say you like athletic sorts. Rather than mention your love of sports and the many seasonal activities you participate in, you give a vague statement about how you like to stay in shape. Then you spend most of the profile talking about your other hobbies, like knitting and going to movies.
Even though you may honestly possess all these interests, by giving everything equal time, you’re not focusing on what’s actually most important to you: athletics. In turn, the sort of people you may be trying to attract might not think you value it either, and decide you don’t have all that in common.
Now, this doesn’t mean you should paint a false picture of yourself; however, everyone has multiple layers and interests, and it’s up to you to discern what’s relevant to your readers. Additionally, you’re dealing with a limited attention span; the reader wants to be drawn in by a few paragraphs, not your life story. So which is more important: that you reflect a super-balanced, if generic, personality, or that you share your passion for what you love?
As you sit down to write your online profile, remember that mass appeal isn’t always the most important attribute. You want to stand out to the sort of personalities to whom you’re attracted; if that means emphasizing one aspect of your personality, so be it.
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