A little context on this one. Julia Rocchi was looking for a roommate and put out an ad on Craigslist. What she uncovered and described beautifully were some surprisingly general rules about personal communication and crafting your pitch.

Refer to details in the ad. The strongest responses played up how their interests aligned with mine and Jacob’s. Most people shared what reality shows they like to watch, or talked about what dishes they liked to cook. But the most fascinating people were those who built off my very simple list of interests, and wove it into a story that showed insight into their personality. The clear winner of my heart: the girl who told us how she had just hiked the Inca Trail and loved her travels in Peru … not even knowing that I’m planning a trip to do exactly that right now.