As far as online dating in the US is concerned, there’s Tinder, Bumble, and then there’s everyone else.
Sure those over the age of 50 have Match.com, but the number of users on Tinder and Bumble far outnumber those on any other competing app.
Downloading a dating app for the first time usually means downloading Tinder, Bumble, or both.
For those that aren’t yet acquainted, Bumble is what happens when the co-founder of Tinder gets sexually harassed and starts her own dating app.
Whitney Wolfe, co-founder of Tinder and founder of Bumble designed her app with women in mind. Billed as “feminist Tinder,” Bumble conversations can only be started by women. While the title sounds nice, this is really the only female-first capability the app offers.
Despite the misnomer, Bumble has become the second most popular dating app in America since it launched in late 2014.
In spite of Bumble and Tinder being arch-enemies, they both have nearly identical interfaces and capabilities. One of these capabilities is Bumble Spotlight.
Over the course of the past three months, we’ve used a test account to compare Bumble Spotlight to similar capabilities found on other dating apps such as Tinder, Hinge, OkCupid, and others.
Consistently our test user has reported better results when using Bumble Spotlight. Being that this feature is effective we thought it necessary to highlight Spotlight.
What Is Bumble Spotlight?
Using Bumble Spotlight is like having a VIP pass at Disneyland – except this version of Disneyland is full of compatible, beautiful women you’re a click away from dating.
Instead of waiting in line for hours to ride a roller coaster, you’re allowed to skip the queue and immediately get on the ride. Spotlight functions in much the same way.
Once Spotlight is activated you’ll leapfrog to the front of the profile deck. For 30 minutes you’ll be the first profile another user sees when she’s swiping.
If you live in a densely populated city like NYC or San Francisco it might take a female user ages to ever come face to face with your profile.
But with Spotlight, with one click you’re able to skip thousands of other users so that more women will see your profile.
But you won’t want to skip the line at any old time. Bumble users are most active between the hours of 8-10 p.m. on Sundays. It’s between these hours that you’ll be seen by the highest number of female users.
Another tip to keep in mind while using the feature is that you’re more likely to get matches if you swipe during the Spotlight.
At first, this seemed to us like a design technique used by Bumble to coerce users to spend more time on the app. This is probably the case.
But what’s also true is that during our study, the test user received considerably more matches when they swiped compared to when they closed the app.
Reasons To Use Bumble Spotlight
It’s Cheap
How much would you pay to walk in late to a speed dating event and speed date all the women in private while all the other men had to wait?
Oh, and there isn’t enough time to speed date everyone so those guys at the back of the line are flat out of luck. That’s what it’s like to use a Spotlight. So how much does this dating app superpower cost?
As you can see, the cost of Spotlight Bumble varies depending on how many you purchase.
The most cost-efficient purchase is to buy 30 Spotlights for $54.99 coming which breaks down to $1.83 per Spotlight.
Imagine getting a match/date with a woman for a mere 2 bucks. Pretty cool. Hard to tell whether she would have matched with you over time, but like they say- strike while the iron is hot.
Tinder also offers a Spotlight-esque feature. However, just one boost costs $7.99, making Bumble Spotlight less than half the price.
You’re VIP
Forget waiting outside of the club on a cold and windy night. Using Spotlight is like slipping the bouncer a couple bucks to pass the legions of people waiting outside.
You need to think of Bumble as a game. Your Bumble bio along with everyone else’s is a card. Every time a woman opens Bumble she’s swiping through a deck of cards, the size of which -depending on the size of your city- can be substantial.
Considering the most active users only spend a few minutes every time it’s opened we can infer that there are thousands of women in your city that will never see your profile.
Not only will you be on the top of the queue with Bumble Spotlight, but you’ll have the app open and be available to engage in conversations while your counterpart is still on the app.
Most women open the app and start swiping after a bad date, when they’re lonely, or if they are on the road. It helps that you’re the first face they see.
Being able to respond to messages while the female user is still on the app is crucial. It’s easiest to set up a TDL or nab a phone number while the conversation is still fresh. The longer you two play Bumble tag the less likely it is that you’ll ever meet up.
Is Bumble Spotlight Worth It? Well, The Numbers Don’t Lie
Yes, spotlight is worth it. See below, and always follow the data.
Here’s the running totals from our Bumble Spotlight tests (we will update these numbers as the testing continues).
- Number of Spotlights Purchased Thus Far: 21
- Number of Accounts: 3
- Best Time To Use Bumble Spotlight: Sunday and Monday evenings between 5-8 p.m.
- Matches Earned Per Spotlight: Between 2-6
For $1.83 imagine getting up to 6 matches in a 30 minute period. But do keep in mind – the best time to use Spotlight is after sunset. Nowadays that means between 5-8 p.m. As the season changes expect the optimal time to use it to be later in the day.
You Get Extra Swipes When you Spotlight
A key difference between Tinder and Bumble used to be that Bumble offered unlimited swipes.
This is no longer the case.
However, there is a loophole.
If you’ve already maxed out your swipes for the day you can still manage to get a few more swipes in if you purchase a Spotlight.
We’ve found that after Bumble Spotlight is purchased the app then needs to be closed and opened a few times. Once this is done Bumble will gift you a few more swipes.
To be clear, this is a last resort strategy.
Ideally, Bumble Spotlight is used when you’re still equipped with plenty of swipes to spare. If you’re going to Spotlight in the evening make sure you’ve still got a majority of swipes rights to spare.
Bumble Spotlight Let’s You Taste the App
This dating app is unique in that you can pick and choose features you’d like to take advantage of without purchasing a membership. Bumble Spotlight is just one feature you can use without signing up for a membership.
Like a free sample in an ice cream shop, you get to test the strength of the dating app without committing to their full Bumble Boost Membership.
If fact even if you sign up for a Boost Member subscription you’ll still have to pay for Spotlights (if you use more than the one Spotlight allotted per week).
The most notable Bumble Boost features include Boost:
- Unlimited likes
- Extend your matches by 24 hours
- Rematch with expired connections
Here’s a Premium v Boost breakdown for you to compare.
What If Spotlight Isn’t Working for You?
Use Fresh Photos and Test Them on Photofeeler
Spotlighting with a wretched roster of photos is like stepping up to the plate without a baseball bat.
Although the type of users that sign up for Bumble might be less superficial than the average Tinder user, female Bumble users till want to swipe right on good-looking men.
Just because users are less superficial doesn’t mean that a well-written bio or clever Bumble answers will make up for the fact that she can’t see your face in any of your photos.
Here are a few tips to keep in mind when creating your roster of photos:
- First photo should be a portrait shot where your face can be seen
- Sporty or animal-related photos always get good marks
- Groups shots are only acceptable if placed after the second photo in the queue
- If you add group shots, make sure you’re better looking than your mates
- No pictures with former girlfriends
- No selfies and always keep your shirt on (unless you have an awesome candid beach shot in your arsenal)
If you’re unsure as to which photos to include, there are a couple of things you can do.
Firstly you can consult your best female friends. Send each of them a few photos you’re thinking of posting and ask for their feedback.
If you feel that your friends will only ever give positive feedback no matter how atrocious the photo, you might want to get help from an objective third party. This is where Photofeeler comes in.
With Photofeeler you can upload various photos to the site and have them graded on a scale of 1-10 in various categories by anonymous female users. Only use pictures that have received at least an 8 in a certain category.
Also, be sure that photos have accumulated at least 20 votes before using a photo. Such a quantity of votes ensures that you have a statistically significant sample size and that the grade can be trusted.
Remember that without a solid roster of photos, Spotlighting your profile is pointless. Here’s another one of my articles on the Best Bumble Pics for Guys.
Update Your Bio Info
While conducting research with our three user accounts we found that accounts we updated consistently received more matches. This could be for two reasons.
One is that the changes we made weren’t arbitrary. We artfully refined the profile in order to optimize our matches. But more so we think the Bumble algorithm awarded us for simply making changes. Let me explain.
Users that remain inactive for longer periods of time will be pushed down the queue. The same can be said for hyperactive members.
Why should Bumble organically place you at the top of the queue when they already know your Bumble habits?
We found that Bumble profiles that change their bio information not only get shown to more women, but are also presented to women that have previously swiped left on a profile. In the eyes of the Bumble algorithm, changing just one picture is viewed as an entirely new profile.
Hire a Dating Expert to Help You Get More Matches and Dates
What’s the point in spending money on dating apps if you’ve got no idea how to use them?
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It’s reasonable that you feel this way.
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In my program, I explain all of the do’s and don’ts of photos, what the first thing a woman thinks when she sees your photos and how to make your profile stand out from all the other guys. The key is to demonstrate all of the things about yourself that set you apart.
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Don’t sweat it.
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