The first personal ad might well have been a matrimonial advertisement that appeared in a British publication called the Collection for the Improvement of Husbandry and Trade on July 19, 1695.
The ad read:
A Gentleman about 30 Years of Age, that says he has a Very Good Estate, would willingly Match Himself to some young Gentlewoman that has a fortune of £3,000 or thereabouts, And he will make Settlement to Content.
Even in this first ad, youth and money were prerequisites.