When you sit down to write your own personal ad, keep one thing in mind. It's an ad, so you want to treat it as one.

You need:
 A heading
 A body
 A call for action
 A photo 

Your heading is possibly the most important part of your ad. Without a good heading the rest of your ad will probably go unread. It seems everyone likes long walks on the beach, cuddling in front of the fire, is easy going, and has a sense of humor. That may describe you, but it describes a lot of people. You need to stand out from the crowd. You have only a few words to attract the type of person you want to read your ad, try to make them as compelling as possible.

Spend a few days just writing down headings that you think apply to you. Read them over, and try the one you like best. Keep the others, so that you can use them later when you change your ad.

The body of your ad is your chance to convey more information about yourself, and to state who you would like to hear from. Try to keep it interesting, and easy to read. One paragraph stating that you are a real nice guy/gal with good looks isn't likely to get any responses. You need to show your personality in your writing. This is not an easy task. You have nothing but the written word to convey what you are like. In a face to face interaction, there are gestures, facial expressions, and the give and take of normal conversation. On the positive side, you avoid the awkwardness of trying to start, and keep a conversation going with someone you don't even know. Write the body of your text, read it over, revise it, sleep on it, then revise it again.

Be honest in your ad. Tell what you are like, and don't try to make false impressions. False impressions will back fire in the personals as much as they will in the rest of your life. Relax, and let your true self show through. There are people who will like who you are. Truth in advertising is a good phrase to keep in mind when writing your ad.

Its good idea to state the general type of person you are hoping to meet, but don't overdo it. If you set down too many requirements you will miss out on the opportunity to meet some great people, and quite possibly the one that is just right for you.

Finish your ad with a call for action. Let the person know that you want to hear from him/her. I know that sounds silly, after all why would you place an ad if you didn't want to get any responses? The point is that some people wouldn't answer you out of fear of rejection. Eliminate that fear, and you will get more responses.

I can't stress this enough...if the personal ad service you choose uses photos, include one. Maybe you think you aren't very good looking, and that you are better off letting someone get to know you first. Believe me, it doesn't matter what you look like, there will be someone that likes your looks. No two people have the same tastes. A good example is a friend of mine, and I have totally different tastes in women. He might think someone is great looking, and I wouldn't, and then I might find someone attractive, and he can't see why. Include a picture, it can say a lot about you, and will increase the number of response you get.

Find a recent picture of yourself, get it scanned, write your ad, and place it. Let it run for a couple of weeks to a month. While its running, start writing a new one. Even if the first one you write is working, you will eventually need to replace it. Keep trying, relax, and let things happen.