Creating a profile that highlights your most attractive features and get cougars interested in finding out more about you is absolutely crucial. You have to remember that the primary purpose of your profile should be getting a large number of cougars on Match.com to quickly respond to your messages or to proactively message you.
While Match is one of the top cougar dating sites on our annual review, you do not want a long profile outlining everything there is to know about you, you want a brief and engaging advertisement that gets her interested and ready to talk to you.
Below is a step-by-step guide from sign up through profile posting that covers everything you will need to know to create a profile that will get you results. If done properly, reading through this post will take longer than it will for you to be set up to meet hot cougars on Match.com.
Follow this link to signup for a FREE PROFILE and follow along while setting up your brand new profile.
Step #1 - The basics
Fill this screen out with the age range of the cougars you are interested in dating as well as your zip code. You can always change the age range later.
Don’t be afraid to have a fairly large range. For example, if you are 25 and interested in dating older women you can have a range of 25 to 40 or 45+.
Having a larger age range will open you up to more opportunities on Match.com than it will close. Including younger women in your range is fine as well if you are interested in them.
Step #2 - More basics
Enter your email address, password, and date of birth. I always recommend that you do not lie about your age on Match.com.
Age is always a topic that will come up when dating cougars and being honest and upfront will almost always be the best policy in the long run.
Step #3 - The surprisingly important username
Choosing the right username is an often overlooked and underestimated part of the Match.com process.
Picking a username that is optimistic, engaging, or interesting is the best way to go here.
Funny usernames can work but they are going to be hit-or-miss since the cougars you are messaging may not know the context of the name.
If you can tie in one of your more attractive interests that is even better. A few examples would be ManOnAMission, SurfAndTravelGuy, or YogaEntrepreneur.
Step #4 - Establishing your territory
You can edit your age range here if you have second thoughts but the most important decision on this page is your search radius. This is the area that Match.com will use when searching for cougar profiles to match you with.
Since you can do your own search of cougars in your area later it is best to leave the search radius fairly large but within a range that you would be comfortable driving/traveling to meet an attractive older woman.
If you end up getting a lot of cougar matches that are too far away you can always change the search radius later.
Step #5 - Picking your target
If you have any “deal breakers” for hair color, eye color, or height you can enter them here but I prefer to leave those very broad.
Body type is the category that women tend to “fudge the numbers” most consistently on Match.com.
You will find that About Average, Athletic and Toned, Curvy, Full-figured, and Big and Beautiful are going to be used interchangeably quite a bit more than they should be.
I have never met anyone who can explain the difference between Full-Figured and Big and Beautiful so don’t be surprised if your expectations don’t exactly meet hers in this area. Every man has different tastes but it doesn’t hurt to have a fairly large range here.
Step #6 - Her ethnicity and religion
Both of these categories are straightforward. If you want to find cougars of a certain ethnicity or religion, this is where you go.
Step #7 - More filtering
More preference questions. You are going to get a lot more cougars that are widowed, separated, divorced, and with kids than with younger women. Filtering out those categories can limit your options on Match.com.
Step #8 - Money and booze
Choosing “No Preference” on salary range is usually the best option even if you have a preference since it is very easy to look like a gold digger when pursuing older women on Match.com.
Since many early dates involve situations with drinking and smoking you should put your honest preferences here.
Step #9 - On to you
Hair color and eye color should all be answered honestly as there is no reason to lie.
Height and Body Type are both very important. Both should be answered truthfully but there is some room for interpretation with body type on Match.com.
You should input the category that you can reasonably and honestly expect new women you meet for the first time to agree with. Neither of these is typically deal breakers but you want to show yourself in the best light when possible on Match.com.
Step #10 - Your cougar dating experience
Relationship Status and Kids should both be answered honestly.
If you are religious or political it is OK to indicate that here but I would shy away from indicating any extreme positions on Match.com unless you are absolutely only looking for cougars with very similar beliefs.
If that is case, you can also fill out the “Tell us more about your beliefs” box but I would leave it blank otherwise.
Step #11 - More money more problems
Enter your true level of education and where you grew up.
Occupation is a little trickier as there are several scenarios worth highlighting:
- Entering your real occupation is best unless it could be considered a negative (illegal, controversial, looked down upon, etc.)
- If you are a student working a crappy job put “student”
- If you are unemployed enter the info for your last job
If you have an interesting job you should use the Match.com “Tell us more about your job” prompt. This a great opportunity to display. You should keep it brief (3-4) sentences and focus on the more exciting parts of your job, how it makes you feel, and how it benefits others. A quick example:
“I became a police officer because it looked cool on TV. Little did I know that the truth is stranger than fiction. I have been in high-speed chases, hostage negotiations, and found lost puppies but what keeps me going is the opportunity to make a difference and protect my community every single day.”Salary range is another tricky question. If you make a good living and are comfortable disclosing that then you should do so.If you are not making much or are uncomfortable listing it then put “no answer”. The majority of men on Match.com put “no answer” so it will not be seen as a negative.
Step #12 - Lifestyle
All of these are straightforward. Try to include at least a few sports or exercises.
Step #13 - Global experience
Include any languages that you have even marginal proficiency in and be honest with your ethnicity.
Don’t bother with the “Tell us more about your ethnicity” unless you have a really great story.
Step #14 - What you like
Mention a few of your favorite local spots. A good mix would be a good local restaurant, a nice bar, a local nature spot, etc.
You want to list places that are solid potential date spots so that she can imagine the two of you spending time there as well as getting an idea of your interests.
Answer the pet questions honestly.
Step #15 - Hobbies and interests
Favorite things and hobbies should be interesting activities that are not too controversial. They should be adventurous, engaging, interesting, and make sense when combined with the rest of your profile on Match.com.
You can skip the “recently read” section unless you have something very interesting to say.
Step #16 - What we have all been waiting for
Aside from the photos, this will be the most important part of your profile and what most women will read first.
Be brief and concise
The cougars you are interested in dating on Match.com are browsing many different profiles and getting multiple messages a day. They don't have the time or patience to read pages of text and will appreciate a mature man who can get to the point.
Unless you are a fantastic writer you want to quickly get her interested and ready to make a move on the cougar.
They don't have the time or patience to read pages of text and will appreciate a mature man who can get to the point.
Use correct spelling and grammar
A man who has his life together can take the time to spell words correctly in his Match.com profile (incorrect spelling and grammar on a website post is another thing).
It is very easy to overlook small mistakes so take the time to reread your profile before submitting it.
Don’t tell her who you are, show her who you are
Don't use adjectives or the same vague expressions that everyone else on Match.com uses like "I'm funny". There are a million clueless guys on Match.com saying that and nobody believes someone who has to say it outright.
If you want her to believe you are funny put a funny line or two into your profile. You want her to read your profile and think to herself “this guy is funny and interesting” not “this guy thinks he is funny and interesting”.
There is a huge HUGE difference. This leads to:
If you are funny, be funny
Women love to laugh and cougars are no different. You can really set yourself apart from the guys her own age by having a great sense of humor and demonstrating that you can show her a FUN time.
There is a balance to strike here and you need to make sure that you don’t come off as TRYING to be funny instead of actually BEING funny. A witty comment or observation is funny, telling a joke is trying to be funny.
Be confident, passionate, and don’t try too hard
Your Match.com profile should read like an advertisement for a fantastic guy, with a great life, who is interested in sharing his already great life with an amazing older woman.
You don’t want to portray yourself as someone who NEEDS a cougar in his life but someone who is open to it. You don’t want it to come off as a sales pitch but a highlight reel. You need to show that you have goals and passions that sustain you not that you are looking for a woman to make you complete.
Don't be like every other guy out there
If you have a few extra minutes it is worth the time to read through a few guy profiles on Match.com. You will quickly get a sense of what the "average" clueless guy is saying. DON'T DO THAT! If you follow this guide you are on the right track so don't fall back into writing the same thing everyone else is.
Leave her wanting more
The whole purpose of this profile is to generate her interest and entice her into replying to your message or taking the first step and messaging you.
Instead of giving your full biography you should mention some of your most interesting facts and tell a few interesting stories. A good story is far more memorable and will leave the cougar feeling like she knows you a little instead of knowing a list of bullet points about you.
There is also an option to list your profile on Chemistry.com, another Match.com site. Having more chances to meet sexy cougars never hurt.
Member Spotlight is another interesting option. If you are chosen then your profile is highlighted on the sight and you get a ton of extra visibility to the cougars you are looking for. Not bad.
Step #17 - Pics, pics, pics
Having great pictures is vital to maximizing cougar dating chances on Match.com. You are going after established and discerning women so bathroom selfies are not going to cut it.
You want pictures that show you in the best possible light and make you look like a fun guy to be around.
Ideally, you would have several pictures of great quality that you can upload in some of the following categories: Doing something outdoorsy (hiking, camping, etc.)
- Doing something athletic (running, basketball, etc)
- Suited up for a wedding or professional occasion
- With a group of friends having a blast
- With other attractive women (older attractive women are a plus)
Again, NO SELFIES, no pictures with your ex cropped out, and not pictures that make you look sad and alone. Ask a few female friends to take a look at your Facebook photos and see which you look best in.
Your photo is the first thing a cougar will look at so make sure it shows you in the best possible light!
Step #18 - All done
Tadaaa! You are ready to go!
Your Match.com profile will be reviewed in the next 24 hours and in the meantime, you can start looking at profiles of attractive older women in your area.
Now that you have your Match.com profile completed it would be a great idea to set up profiles on the only other great cougar dating sites out there Cougar Date and eHarmony as I outlined in our Cougar Dating Site Review. They are both fantastic ways to meet dozens of cougars with very little time and money invested.
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