So you found someone cute on JDate and now you’re ready to make your move. What’s the best way to get in contact? Through email, of course! The only problem is, you can’t even think of a subject line, let alone what to say in the email itself. If you’ve ever found yourself staring at a blank email, wondering where to begin and what to write, you’re not alone! However, crafting the perfect email is much easier than you think. Simply follow these five easy steps and you’ll be hitting up hotties online in no time:

1. Choose a Subject Line

This step may seem obvious, but it’s vital. You have to give other daters a reason to open your email. If you leave the subject line blank, why should they care to open your message? Avoid using a common greeting like, “Hello” or “What’s up?” Instead, be original and find something from their personal essay you could reference. Did they happen to mention they like dogs? Make your subject line say, “I Love Dogs Too!” Or, get mysterious and try something ambiguous like, “I May Regret This, But…” Who wouldn’t open that email?!

2. Introduce Yourself

Step two is easy. Simply write a short greeting like, “Dear ________,” or “Hi ________,” Including the person’s username shows your reader that you care enough to personalize your message to them. There’s nothing worse than receiving an email that was obviously sent to eight different people. Next, tell them a little bit about yourself! Now, you’ve been introduced. How simple was that?

3. Get to the Point

Here’s where you get to tell the person what it was about them that caught your eye. Try to avoid writing things like, “I think you’re really pretty” or “You have a great body.” It’s nice that you want to compliment the person, but superficiality will only get you so far.  Plus, they’ve probably already heard it a dozen times!

Instead, focus on more than just their physical features by saying something like, “I read your profile and like your idea about a first date. It’s so different than the usual dinner and drinks idea.”

4. Find Common Ground

Include a few sentences about what you have in common with the person you’re emailing. Are you the only two people in the world who actually like gefilte fish? If so, include that! Here are a few other examples:

• “Hemingway is one of my favorite writers too. I’ve probably read The Sun Also Rises 50 times!”
• “I love working out too. I usually hit up my yoga studio twice a week.”

5. Finish Strong

Include an open-ended question at the end of your email that requires more than a yes or no answer. Can’t think of something original? Just use the person’s profile! Here are a few examples:

• “That’s so crazy, I like rock climbing too! What are your favorite spots?
• “Sounds like you’re really into music. Do you know of any good concerts coming up this month?”
• “I visited Israel in college too! What did you like best about your trip?”

If you’ve followed these five steps, you should have an email that looks like this:

Subject Line:

I Was Just Wondering If…

Email:

Hi BlueyedHikrGrl,

My name is Ben and I was just wondering if it was possible that you could be even more into food trucks than I am?! When I read your profile and saw that you love a good grilled cheese sandwich from a food truck, I knew you were cool!

On another note, I also noticed you love hiking. I try to go at least once a month. Do you know of any fun hidden spots I should try for my next hike?

Thanks,

Ben

What are you waiting for? Stop reading and start emailing!

XO,

Rachel