It takes a matter of seconds for a person to decide whether to swipe right or left. That gives you only a few moments to make your best first impression. Think of your profile as a work or school pitch. You need to get all your points across while being fast, creative and attention-grabbing. In this article I will be suggesting tips and tricks on how to make your profile the best it can be! Though there are many dating apps out there, I’m just going to be focusing on Bumble and Tinder and what you can do within these apps to make your profile go from generic to amazing.
Intentions
Before you hop on and start swiping, know your intentions and what you want from these matches right away. It’s not okay to catfish or lead people on to things that you aren’t being truthful about. Remember, there’s always another person involved, so consider their feelings too. How would you want to be treated if it were the other way around? Whether it’s just a hookup or a relationship you are looking for, always be safe, responsible and considerate.
Pictures
Your pictures are probably the main thing a person is going to be examining when viewing your profile. Using your best ones are going to help you stand out and make a great first impression. Make sure the quality is as best as it can be. Use photos of you in natural light that aren’t too dark, grainy, blurry or overly edited and filtered. You want all your features to be seen and on full display! Having a variety of photos for your profile is also great. I know I don’t like when someone only has one photo of themself. Try to have at least three different pictures. Having a variety of full body pictures and selfies, both alone or with friends, works great to show off all your best angles. Try to show personality through those pictures, either through smiling or just being your silly self. Looking clean, tidy and fresh in your pictures is guaranteed to get you more likes than your stained pajama shirt and unbrushed hair. If you love traveling, hiking or a certain food place, have a picture of you enjoying those things. Avoid those badly lit, dirty bathroom mirror selfies and put in a fun candid of you out on the town or exploring the city with your friends. Have a festive holiday pic with you and your cat or dog! Doing all this will show you are fun, adventurous, outgoing ad carefree. How could a person not swipe right?! A picture really is worth a thousand words.=
GIF via Giphy
Bio
After your pictures, your bio is what people are going to be looking at next. Leaving it blank is probably the worst thing to do just because it comes off as lazy and boring. Try to keep it short and sweet. Something witty, funny and full of humor is always a safe go-to for standing out. Maybe include your favorite TV show and how much you love wine. Something a little more creative is putting in a question for them to answer once you match. Confidence is key here. Don’t put anything rude, offensive, conceited or overall sarcastic as it could come off the wrong way and be a guaranteed swipe left. It’s also not something you should overthink, either. If you like dogs and ice cream just say it! Make sure that whatever you say is true to yourself, whether it’s a quote from The Office or a description of your ideal partner. Here’s a guide to some helpful bio suggestions if you tend to struggle with what to put in your bio.
GIF via Giphy
Tinder
With Tinder it’s a lot more simple and traditional. You can include six profile pictures, your job title, company and school. I recommend filling in all those details if you can and feel comfortable doing so. It’ll make it easier to get to know you and help you stand out, and potentially having something in common, like going to the same school, can influence a swipe right. There’s also the option to link your Instagram and Spotify (again, only do so if you feel comfortable sharing that). Doing it does authenticate you a little bit more, and show other pictures of you that are not in your profile. With Tinder you can receive Super Likes to know who is already interested in you, and as long as you match, anyone can message each other first to start the conversation. A standout profile on Tinder can spark an immediate message from a person rather than it be a match and forget, which happens a lot. Tinder is often stereotyped for hookups only, but it really depends. It’s not as filtered as Bumble in the sense that it’s more likely to have catfish or sketchy matches, but it’s still worthy of being an opening to a good connection with someone.
GIF via Giphy
Bumble
Some key differences with Bumble is that the girl has 24 hours to message the guy first after matching, and then the guy has to respond within 24 hours of the first message being sent in order to keep the conversation in the match and message history. It’s definitely more complex, so it’s important to make sure you stand out and grab the interest of the people viewing your profile. If it’s a same-sex match, either person can message within 24 hours of matching. With your profile on Bumble, you can add up to six photos and make yourself verified. This is a process of allowing Bumble to verify who you are in your pictures by taking a selfie within the app. Having verification helps reduce catfishing and sketchy profiles that may not seem real. Being verified can help you appeal more to the person who’s viewing it. You can link your Instagram and Spotify here as well. Besides the regular old description box for your bio, Bumble now includes basic info icons to add to your overall profile as well. It’s a fill-in section of questions asking if you drink, smoke cigarettes or weed, your height, if you exercise, your education, political views, religion, family, star sign, pets and what you are looking for in a person. This is great for people who struggle with making their own bios. It’s the perfect guideline that’s already set up for you, all you have to do is fill it out and Bumble attaches it to your profile!
GIF via Giphy
At the end of the day, the best thing you can do is just be yourself. Honest, genuine and real is as good as it can get for standing out. It’s very easy to compare yourself to others in person and online, but don’t let that hinder you from getting out there. Remember not to determine your self-worth via how many matches or Super Likes you get. Quality over quantity always. There’s so many fish in the sea, so get your awesome profile out there and start swiping!