Let's face it - online dating is taking the world by storm. You can hardly look anywhere without seeing an advertisement for sites like Match.com and eHarmony.
But if you're paying a month for these sites, you are probably missing out on one of the single best online dating sites around. And best of all, it's free!
Ads
I am, of course, talking about Craig's List.
Craig's List was started by Craig Newmark in 1995 to better help people connect through events around San Francisco. Since that time, this simple site has exploded into a national community.
Craig's List is, at it's heart, a classified ad site. It allows people to find places to live, find work, buy and sell stuff, and even find dates - just like the classified ads in the back of your local newspaper.
Anyone who's ever visited Craig's List may be skeptical about fining quality women on such a "low rent" looking website. But if you're judging a book by its cover, you're really missing out.
Here are the advantages to using Craig's List for dating purposes:
1. Large Userbase
Craig's List gets literally millions of visits a day. This means that your chances of meeting a great woman on this site is greatly increased.
2. Local Targeting
Craig's List is divided into sections for local areas. This means you can actually meet women who are local to your area quickly and easily.
3. It's Free!
Most dating sites require a monthly subscription. But Craig's List is a free site, which means that more women use it than your typical dating website. This means more chances for you to meet the right girl!
4. Dedicated Community
Craig's List is more than a service site, it actually has people who visit the site daily, multiple times. It has message boards, and is updated constantly. They also have members who moderate the website. All this contributes to a vibrant community that you can become a part of - something most dating sites lack.
So now that you know why Craig's List is a great site to meet women on, let's talk about how you can go about using Craig's List to find dates.
Step 1: Create a new email address
One thing you're going to want to do before you start using Craig's List to find love is create a "dummy" email address. This will help you keep from getting spammed from the site, since lots of disreputable people use Craig's List to harvest email addresses, so it's a good idea to have a "throw away" email address that you use just for Craig's List.
Step 2: Create an account on Craig's List
Creating an account is free. Just sign up using the email address you created. This will allow you to repost your ads very easily, something which will come in handy later.
Step 3: Write An Ad
Next, you're going to want to craft an ad to post on Craig's List, explaining the type of girl you're looking for.
Step 4: Create Up To 5-10 Ad Variations
Craig's List has strict guidelines on posting duplicate content. They don't want their site spammed by ads, so you'll want to re-write your ad at least 5-10 times, so you are able to post it often.
Step 5: Post Your Ads
Once you have all your ad variations ready to go, post your ad. You're going to want to post your ad at least twice a day, once around noon, and once around 5 or 6 o'clock. This will increase the likelihood of your ad being seen.
Step 6: Repost Your Ads
Every 3 days, you'll be allowed to repost the same ad you posted before. Just log into your account and look at all your posts, then select the ones you'd like to repost.
Step 7: Keep Reposting Your Ad
You will want to repost your ad often, since this is the key to success with having women on Craig's List respond to you.
Step 8: Browse Ads From Women
In addition to posting your ad, you'll also want to browse ads that girls have posted on Craig's List.
Step 9: Email Women you're Interested In
Once you find an ad you're interested in, be sure to email her. Use the Craig's List email address you created though, don't use your personal email.
Now that you know the general process of meeting women on Craig's List, let's talk about two important factors - where to post, and how to craft a great ad.
First off, you have two choices of categories to post in on Craig's List. The first is "Men Seeking Women," and the next is "Causal Encounters."
The "Men Seeking Women" section is where women browse looking for guys that seem interesting. This is a section for finding dates. The "Casual Encounters" section is for more physical interactions, such as casual sex, one night stands, etc.
Figure out which section is more for you, and post there. You can of course post in both sections if you like, but I've found it's best to focus your efforts on one section only.
Now let's talk about crafting a winning ad.
The first thing you want to do is create a great headline. Your headline is what's going to get people to click on your ad. Usually, you want to have some type of benefit in the headline to entice women to check you out.
For instance, a headline like "Looking For A Great Girl I Can Wine, Dine, And Romance" showcases a big benefit to the girl. Every girl likes to be romanced, so why shouldn't they check out your ad?
Another great tip is to include a picture in your ad. Ads with pictures get clicked on more than ads without pictures. If you're wary about putting your image on Craig's List, just find a generic picture of a romantic restaurant or something like that to include in your ad. Any picture will do, just so Craig's List can list your ad as having a picture in it in the results listing.
Use humor in your ad when you can. Showcasing a fun, funny attitude will make you stand out from the others and get you more responses. You always want to try and communicate your fun personality to girls, and this is especially true online.
Talk about yourself in the ad. Don't just give details like hair color, body size, height, etc. Also include things you're passionate about, things you like doing, and your idea of what a great date will be.
Then, talk about the type of girl you're looking for. Be specific! The more specific you are, the more chance you have of getting a girl you like!
Always tell the girl that she must send you a picture, or at least a link to a MySpace or Facebook page so you can see what she looks like. Don't just assume they'll send a picture. Let them know you're happy to share a picture of you in return. Most girls will respond well to this. If a girl emails you asking for a picture, give her one of you, but always ask for one in return.
Longer ads actually tend to do better than shorter ones. Long ads stand out, and girls will take time to read the ad if it's interesting. So don't worry if your ad seems long.
Use proper grammar, punctuation, spelling, and spacing. The nicer your ad looks, the easier it is to read, and the more responses it will get!
When you combine regular ad posting with emailing women directly on Craig's List, you'll start to see lots of women contacting you.
But just a few words of warning...
Warning 1: There are lots of "fake women" posting personals on Craig's List. These are done by SPAMMERS looking to harvest email addresses. If you get a generic "hey, thanks for emailing me" ad, be wary, since it's typically some spammer trying to get you to sign up for a porn site.
Warning 2: Women can be suspicious of guys online, so always be up-front and honest with them. Women have safety issues most guys don't, so do what it takes to make a woman feel good about contacting you.
Warning 3: Don't spend too much time emailing. Try and get the girl's number so you can call or text her as soon as you can. Too much emailing might get you stuck as an "online fantasy."
Warning 4: There are crazy women on Craig's List, so if you're going to meet them, always meet them at a neutral place, like a coffee shop, never have them come directly to your place. You want to screen them first to see if they're stable before inviting them into your home.
Warning 5: Don't give up! Too many guys post one ad on Craig's List and then quit. If you want to be successful, you have to post regularly and often, and keep emailing women until you find a good one.
When you follow all these tips, you'll get amazing success with meeting women on Craig's List.
How to Meet Women on Craigslist
Joseph Matthews is the author of the internet's #1 resource on how to meet women - the Art of Approaching. Download his free guide on How To Meet Women by going to his website http://www.artofapproaching.com. Get this free meet women guide now!