How to Find a Date for Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day (February 14th) is coming up and you are still looking for a date! There are some easy steps you can take to find a date by Valentine's Day. These tips can be used at any time of year to help improve your odds of finding someone to fall in love with. First, we will go through some statistics and then come up with great ideas!

A little background information: The best time of year for online dating is the first Sunday after New Years Day. In this study, we found that many singles are planning resolutions for the new years and have been conscious about being single during the holidays. Specifically, this period of time between New Years Day and Valentines Day is the hottest time of year on online dating sites to find singles and fresh, new profiles. It's a time of year that both men and women try hard to commit themselves for dating and starting relationships (or at least looking for love). The beginning of February is considered a Super Bowl holiday - lots of excuses for going out, partying and meeting new outgoing people. Since Valentine's Day is just about a week after Super Bowl, it's going to be "trending" in social circles, and asking someone out for a date around this time just comes off much more smoothly!

Tips for Finding a Date Online

Online dating sites are the perfect place to get yourself out there at this time of year. It is by far the most active time of year for online dating anyways and many profiles are going to be fresh and active. Here are some tips to keep in mind:

1. Update your profile - If you already have a profile at an online dating site, you should update it with current information. Otherwise if you don't have a profile, you can sign up for a free online dating site like LetsHangOut.com (our site). Write a rich, detailed profile about your hobbies, what kind of person you are seeking, basics about your lifestyle, etc. Remember, for each keyword or interest that you write about, our dating site allows others to find your profile based on keywords listed in your description. If write about your love for yoga, someone who is into yoga can search for "yoga" and find your profile. The more you write about, the more visible your profile becomes. Don't forget to proofread and use good grammar when writing!
2. Update your photos - You will want to upload the most current photos of yourself. Make sure you look friendly and approachable in your natural environment. Show a variety of different photos, not all of the same pose. If you are very serious, you may want to hire a professional photographer.
3. Un-hide your profile - This is an easy tip, but sometimes people will hide their profile from time to time. Be sure to un-hide it so your profile is visible to the dating field.
4. Update your screen name or username - If you already have a really catchy username, it doesn't need any change. Although if you have a boring, generic or un-original name, you may want to change it to stand out more. One idea is to pick one that represents you or what you enjoy doing. Some examples: EaglesFan, GamerGirl, ArtLover, etc. Stand out from the crowd!
5. Log in multiple times each day - Every time you login, you profile moves up to the top of the list "Most Active Users", or "Online Now". When you are on top of the list, your profile is exposed and visible to the most amount of people! Also, you can quickly respond to anyone who contacted you through instant messenger.
6. See who is viewing your profile - On our dating site LetsHangOut.com - you can see who is viewing your profile. If you view their profile, they can also see that you viewed them (unless you disable this feature). You will want them to know that you are viewing their profile. Viewing people's profiles shows them that you are halfway interested and took the time to view their photos or read their profile. It may make them more open to contacting you, especially if you add them to your favorites list.
7. Add them to your favorites list - If you really like someone or find them very interesting, don't be shy and don't be afraid to add them to your favorites list. Not only can you keep track of the most interesting people, and view their updated profiles/photos from time to time, they can see that you added them as a favorite, and that you are clearly have an interest in them. They may return the favor and add you to their favorites list as well, and then it's basically easy street in terms of getting date with them! The more people you interact with (through viewing profiles, adding to favorites and contacting), the better your odds are of landing a date, especially during the Valentine's Day season when most people are seeking new people to meet and date.

Be Proactive and Initiate

If you are steadfast in getting a Valentine's date, you will want to be proactive and start contacting people. Don't wait for someone else to contact you. Many people out there are shy and will simply lurk through dating sites browsing profiles, but never initiating conversation. When you find someone that you like, simply add them to your favorites list and send a message. After all, the whole point of a dating site is a bunch of single men and women seeking dates and relationships. You don't need permission to "friend" them or contact them, they've given their permission just by signing up! They are there to meet people they've never seen before, including you.

Our dating site LetsHangOut.com is 100% completely free and full-featured with no upgrade costs required, so put your credit card away. Sign up below and post your dating profile:

Click here to sign up!