I haven't made a 1x1 thread. Even better, I've looked at other people's threads and been turned off by them. So I think what I say is relevant.

Bump is good for getting people to see your 1x1 thread, but from there your potential players have a few options.

-Decide to RP with you
-Make an inquire/question
-move onto another thread

The trick is to get as many people to try the top two options as possible. The following all help your chances:

-Good formatting: Like you said if it's pretty, people will stop and read it. Pictures are a nice touch too.

-Less negativity: Both towards yourself and towards other interests. You don't have to tell people that you're the greatest writer ever, but you might want to leave out things about your grammar or spelling. You're probably just trying to be honest, but people will exaggerate this and think you can't write at all. Also, while people who hate the same things are drawn together, it can push away interested parties. You don't have anything to do with disinterests of that nature, but if you do decide to add them, just be polite about it and try not to come across as too blunt.

-Find a niche: If you're the only person who likes to do 1x1 RPs in an ancient china setting, you'll have partners who are into that beating a path to your door.

-Participate in group roleplays: Some people will go into your profile and look at your previous posts to get a feel for how you write.