What should you say in the first email?

When you are online dating, the first email message is one of your most important selling tools (aside from your profile of course). It can persuade someone who might have overlooked your profile to reconsider. Do you know how to effectively engage someone over email?

Consider the following when first communicating with your online matches:

• Spell words fully and correctly. An email isn't a text message, so people are less forgiving when they see poor grammar and spelling. Instead of trying to be cute and saying "how r u?", try something more substantial. You don't have a 72-character limit on email, so give it a go!

• Be specific. Instead of sending a generic compliment or question, read her profile and ask about something related. For instance, if she says she likes to travel, ask her about her favorite trip and tell her (briefly) about a great travel experience you've had. This will show her that you paid attention and are genuinely interested.

• Don't mass email. I've said this before, but it's so important. If you are sending the same email to multiple people, it's pretty obvious to the reader. Don't expect many responses unless you take the time to personalize each one.

• Don't just compliment appearance. If he/she is good looking, he's heard it before and you want to stand out from the crowd. Instead of writing a general compliment about how beautiful she is, go specific and ask her about an activity or hobby she mentions in her profile.

• Be brief. There is no reason to write a novel for a first email, since you are really only introducing yourself and trying to engage him in conversation. Keep it to a few sentences, and again focus on your match's profile.

Most importantly, if matches aren't responding to your emails, it's important to review to see where changes could be made. If you keep sending the same types of emails and receive no response, try something different! Communication is key when it comes to dating, and improving your emailing skills goes a long way in making you a great candidate.