Let’s face it: online dating is taking the world by storm. You can hardly search anywhere without seeing an ad from sites like Match.com and eHarmony.

But if you’re paying $30 a month for these sites, you’re probably missing out on one of the best dating sites online. And best of all, it’s free!

I am, of course, talking about Craig’s List.

Craig’s List was created by Craig Newmark in 1995 to better help people connect through events in San Francisco. Since then, this simple site has grown into a national community.

Craig’s List is essentially a classifieds site. It allows people to find places to live, find jobs, buy and sell things, and even find dates, just like the classified ads in the back of your local newspaper.

Anyone who has ever visited Craig’s List may be skeptical about finding quality women on a website that appears to be “low rent.” But if you judge a book by its cover, you’re really missing out.

Here are the advantages of using Craig’s List for dating:

1. Large user base

Craig’s List receives literally millions of hits a day. This means that your chances of meeting a great woman on this site are greatly increased.

2. Local orientation

Craig’s List is divided into sections for local areas. This means that you can meet local women from 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 more women use it than your typical dating website. This means more opportunities 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 constantly updated. They also have members who moderate the website. All of this contributes to a vibrant community that you can be a part of, something most dating sites lack.

So now that you know why Craig’s List is a great site to meet women, let’s talk about how you can use Craig’s List to find dates.

Step 1 – Create a new email address

One thing you’ll want to do before you start using Craig’s List to find love is create a “dummy” email address. This will help you avoid receiving spam from the site, as many disreputable people use Craig’s List to collect email addresses, so it’s a good idea to have a “disposable” email address that you use only for Craig’s List.

Step 2: Create a Craig’s List account

Creating an account is free. Just sign up with the email address you created. This will make it very easy for you to republish your ads, which will come in handy later.

Step 3 – Write an ad

Next, you’ll want to create 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 about posting duplicate content. They don’t want your site to be spammed with ads, so you’ll want to rewrite your ad at least 5-10 times, so you can post often.

Step 5 – Post your ads

Once you have all the variations of your ad ready, publish it. You’re going to want to run your ad at least twice a day, once around noon and once around 5 or 6 o’clock. This will increase the likelihood that your ad will be seen.

Step 6: Republish your ads

Every 3 days, you will be allowed to repost the same ad that you previously posted. Just log into your account and look at all your posts, then select the ones you want to repost.

Step 7: Keep running your ad

You’ll want to repost your ad often, as this is the key to success getting the women on Craig’s List to respond to you.

Step 8 – Look for Ads from Women

In addition to posting your ad, you’ll also want to look for ads that girls have posted on Craig’s List.

Step 9 – Email the Women You Are Interested In

Once you find an ad that interests you, be sure to send it an email. However, please use the Craig’s List email address you created, not 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 create a great ad.

First, you have two category options to post on Craig’s List. The first one is “Men Seeking Women”, and the next one is “Causal Encounters”.

The “Men Seeking Women” section is where women browse for men they find 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.

Find out which section is best for you and post it there. Of course, you can post to both sections if you want, but I’ve found it’s best to focus your efforts on just one section.

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 will get people to click on your ad. Typically, you want to have some sort of perk in the headline to entice women to visit.

For example, a headline like “Looking for a great girl to wine, dine and romancing” shows a great benefit to the girl. All girls like to have romances, so why shouldn’t they see your ad?

Another great tip is to include an image in your ad. Ads with images get more clicks than ads without images. If you’re hesitant about putting your image on Craig’s List, just find a generic image of a romantic restaurant or something to include in your ad. Any image will do, just so Craig’s List can list your ad as having an image in the results list.

Use humor in your ad when you can. Showing a funny and funny attitude will make you stand out from others and you will get more responses. You always want to try to 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 are passionate about, things you like to do, and your idea of ​​what a great date will be.

Next, talk about the type of girl you’re looking for. Be specific! The more specific you are, the better chance you have of getting the girl you like!

Always tell the girl that she needs to 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 assume they’ll send you a photo. Let them know that she is happy to share a photo of you in exchange for her. Most girls will respond well to this. If a girl emails you asking for a photo, give her one of you, but always ask for one in return.

Longer ads actually tend to perform better than shorter ones. Long ads stand out and girls will take the 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 better your ad looks, the easier it will be to read and the more responses you will get!

When you combine posting regular ads with emailing women directly on Craig’s List, you’ll start to see a lot of women contact you.

But just a few words of warning…

Warning 1: There are many “fake women” who post personal ads on Craig’s List. These are done by SPAMMERS looking to harvest email addresses. If you get a generic ad that says “Hello, thanks for emailing me”, be careful, as this is usually a spammer trying to get you to sign up for a porn site.

Caveat 2: Women can be suspicious of men online, so always be upfront and honest with them. Women have security concerns that most men don’t, so do whatever it takes to make a woman feel good about contacting you.

Warning 3: Don’t waste too much time sending emails. Try to get the girl’s number so you can call or text her as soon as you can. Too many emails can leave you trapped 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 in a neutral place, like a coffee shop, never have them come directly to your house. You want to examine them first to see if they are stable before you invite them into your home.

Warning 5: Do not give up! Too many guys post an ad on Craig’s List and then walk away. If you want to be successful, you need to post regularly and often, and keep emailing women until you find a good one.

When you follow all of these tips, you will have incredible success meeting women on Craig’s List.