What are the best chat-up lines to use on online dating sites?

Getting a conversation with a fellow online dater off to a flying start is always a huge challenge and something very few of us can pull off.

Those first few words can be difficult to get out and you are sure to be worried about saying something that will make you sound a fool, so thinking in advance of a chat-up line you are sure will go down well is a good idea.

Chat-up lines have been used for decades and are often thought of as being cheesy and inappropriate, but they do not have to be. In fact, if you pick the right one, they can get you off to the perfect start with your prospective partner.

Men's Health has previously published a guide to this tactic and started by urging all men to chat up women with plenty of humour. This is sure to be appreciated and will ensure any first exchanges are completed smoothly.

The good news is you do not have to be a stand-up comedian, just having an element of dry wit to your words will work wonders.

On the other hand, resorting to sexual innuendo is a bad idea and will only go badly. While humour implies you want to give a lady something – in this case, a laugh – using sexual language suggests you are only interested in what you can get.

As well as anything involving sexual language, other ploys that are destined to fail include being overly confident, dating expert Lisa Daily told the magazine. She added this is often seen by women as a sign that you have no depth.

It is therefore wise to think of more meaningful conversations that you can have with someone online, while feeling confident that they are hooked on every word you write.

One problem is that men often cannot work out how well a humourous approach will go down so can be put off trying it, but this is usually a mistake.