First of all I want to make it very clear that finding a potential partner through dating apps like Tinder is not the best way to go. I think context is very important in relationships, and more often than not, you won't get that from dating apps.
Nevertheless, know that many of you have used dating apps on your phone in the past, and considering that youngsters are using their phones and other electronic devices more frequently this is going to only grow to be a bigger thing. if you take a good look you will notice that Tinder is now #74 in the app store, and it is still climbing the charts. As someone with little real life experience, but a lot of online conversations I am going to give a MyTake on how to get some matches, and how to work your way to their phone number.
Setting up a profile
Before i get into this I need to mention that I am going to give a straight male perspective, on these points. For women, or for bisexual or gay men, there are a lot of other things that go into this, that I don't have any experience with.
For an app like tinder, where you judge people based on photo's, looks are obviously important. I really hate to say it, but if you are less than average looking, you are not ready for this app. So try and always be your best self on your pictures. If you are an average looking Joe, you need to make yourself stand out, and this is the most important thing.
The proportion of men to women on tinder is 10:1, women have heaps of guys to choose from, and many will probably be better looking than you. So make your pictures stand out! Some obvious tips are to not include other people in your first picture, (or crop is so they know who is you), and don't use pictures of only your face. Also, I feel like many guys use shirtless pictures on their profile, but does that really define who you are? If it does, then its appropriate, if you aren't a gym rat, you need to stop doing that shit. Women look for men who are on their mission, whether you like to paint stuff, do a sport, or make music, try to convey that you have a passion for something in your profile.
Also note that variety is important. You don't want to have a person who is only playing baseball in all of his pictures. They can all be baseball related, sure, but don't make them all about you doing the same thing.
Bio
This isn't really important unless someone decides to click on your profile. If they read it, you have just gotten past the most difficult stage (actually getting their attention). The most important thing with bio's is that you don't write a novel. Keep it short but gold. Try and make it funny, and maybe tell a little bit about yourself along the way. Some girls have also mentioned that they like it when you put your height in your bio, but thats not a pre. The bio never really matters.
Texting
I think that most people fall short here, and when it comes to dating apps this is the most important part. What you basically aim for when texting a girl that matched with you is getting a phone number. Communicating on tinder too long without getting their number never helps. It isn't permanent and doesn't feel that way. Many women will at some point delete the app off of their phone and never communicate with you again. I've heard many people say that "5" lines is the perfect amount of sentences you should write before you ask a girl for her number, but I have to disagree based on my personal experiences.
So the main tip I have is; be interesting, but obviously that is easily said than done. Think about how you make your messages more interesting, than the other 10 dudes who just messaged that girl. What do these 10 dudes message?
1:Hey
2:Heyy
3:Sup
4:Hi
5:Hello there ;)
6:If you were a fruit you'd be a fineapple
(Thats my guess on what a completely random set of guys might type)
All of them are just hey's. Maybe with one guy who goes for a classic but unoriginal pick-up line.
Its honestly not that hard to make something a little bit more engaging. Here are some things that have worked for me plenty of times.
1: I often try to come up with a pick up line while playing on her name. Its not easy to come up with, but whenever I do I am almost guaranteed to get a reply. (Often doesn't even need to be a pick up line, a play on words is often pretty interesting)
2: Just say their name; maybe with a question mark on the end or with an exclamation mark for expression. Names are personal, and much more likely to attract a girls attention when texting.
3: I ask them a question; Just something they can think about, or answer.
4: Come up with an impossible scenario; "Lets say I was a meatball with real emotion and feelings, would you eat me" (Check their bio though to see if they are vegetarian).
5: Replying to a girls pictures, or bio also works very well most of the time.
There are countless of ways that you can start up a conversation properly, just don't type "Hey"
and feel free to not stick to those 5 examples of better things to say that I just wrote. Be creative! You just want to stand out.
As for the question I briefly touched on earlier, "How much do you type before you get the number", and I need to say that it depends. If you find it hard to converse through text, maybe "5" might be easier for you. You should also feel free to have a full conversation on the app, but whenever there are long time intervals of her not replying to you, there should be worry. Consider time intervals as an indication that you need to ask for the number, because you never know when she might delete the app.
Keep it up
I've heard some guys say that its best to wait a few days before you send the first text message. Want me to tell you a secret: *whispers* Thats bullshit. She made it clear that she has some interest in you, so don't give her time to change her mind. Just send the first message already! The goal here is obviously to meet up, and from my personal experience, waiting too long to actually meet each-other for the first time, sets you up for failure. You don't know each-other, so its hard to hold an interesting conversation for days. (Atleast; I think it is due to the lack of context, but hey, you do you). Just try setting up a date quickly, give her time to reply (if she doesn't reply I recommend sending a picture, ill probably write why on the bottom of this MyTake*) , and good luck with your date :).
Also, let me know if you think im talking out of my ass, or if you find some of this insightful. What are your personal experiences, is there anything you disagree with?
*When I have the feeling a girl is ghosting me on WhatsApp (you know she didn't turn those blue winks off and she just doesn't reply for days") I send a picture. Usually you can't see a picture from your lockscreen, and you actually need to open the app to see the image. Maybe she can then at-least let you know whats up :)
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