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 Bumble Spotlight Isn’t Working for You?
Use Fresh Photos and Test Them on photolab by emlovz
Using Bumble Spotlight with a terrible lineup of photos is like stepping up to the plate without a baseball bat. You’re paying for more exposure, but you haven’t given women a compelling reason to swipe right.
While Bumble tends to attract more relationship-minded singles than Tinder, let’s not kid ourselves. Physical attraction still matters.
A well-written bio and some clever Bumble answers can certainly help, but they’re not going to make up for blurry pictures, awkward selfies, or photos where women can barely see your face.
Before spending another dollar on Spotlight, make sure your dating profile pictures are working in your favor.
Here are a few tips to keep in mind when selecting your photos:
- Lead with a strong portrait. Your first photo should clearly show your face, ideally with a natural smile and good lighting.
- Show off your lifestyle. Photos featuring hobbies, outdoor activities, sports, or pets can make you appear more interesting and approachable.
- Use group photos strategically. Save them for later in your lineup, and make sure it’s immediately obvious which person you are.
- Avoid photos with former girlfriends. Even if you’ve cropped her out, that mysterious arm around your shoulder isn’t doing you any favors.
- Skip the bathroom selfies. High-quality candid photos almost always make a stronger impression.
- Keep your shirt on. Unless you’ve got a genuinely great beach or poolside candid, shirtless mirror selfies are best avoided.
Stop Guessing Which Photos Women Find Attractive
Here’s where most guys go wrong.
They select five or six photos they personally like, upload them to Bumble, and assume they’re good enough.
But the photos you think are your best aren’t necessarily the ones women find most attractive.
Sure, you could ask your female friends for feedback. The problem is that your friends already know and like you. They might love a particular picture because they remember the fun night it was taken, not because it makes a great first impression on a dating app.
That’s why I recommend getting feedback from women who don’t know you.
Test Your Photos with 20 Real, Single Women
That’s exactly what photolab by emlovz was designed to do.
Originally developed as an internal tool for our dating coaching clients, photolab is now available to anyone who wants to improve their online dating profile.
Rather than relying on AI or well-meaning friends, photolab puts your pictures in front of 20 real, single women within your preferred age range.
Each photo is evaluated across three important categories:
- Attraction: How physically appealing do you appear in the photo?
- Confidence: Does your picture project confidence and self-assurance?
- Safety: Does your photo create a positive, reassuring first impression?
Once your ratings are complete, you’ll receive detailed scores out of 100 and a ranked list of your strongest photos, making it easier to decide which pictures belong on your Bumble profile.
My recommendation? Aim for photos scoring 80 or higher, particularly in Attraction. If one of your pictures consistently receives lower scores, consider replacing it rather than wasting valuable profile space.
And here’s another advantage: photolab allows you to test multiple photos together, helping you compare your options and identify your strongest lineup before spending money on Bumble Spotlight.
Not Sure What Types of Photos to Take?
We’ve got you covered there, too.
Our 6-photo testing package includes a bonus video training on the 6 Photo Archetypes, the same framework we teach our dating coaching clients to help them build attractive, well-rounded dating profiles.
You’ll learn which types of photos to include, how to showcase different sides of your personality, and how to create a profile designed to appeal to relationship-minded women.
Before paying Bumble to show your profile to more women, make sure you’re showing them your best photos.
Test Your Dating Photos on photolab →
Remember, Bumble Spotlight can increase your visibility, but it can’t fix a weak dating profile. Better photos give you a stronger foundation for turning that additional exposure into actual matches.
And if you’re looking for more inspiration, check out my guide to the Best Bumble Pictures 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?
Do you feel like the contemporary dating scene isn’t meant for you?
It’s reasonable that you feel this way.
Technology and cultural shifts have dramatically changed how we date in 2022. Instead of taking the advice of your buddies why not become an expert dater yourself?
In my Dating Decoded program, I teach my clients how to efficiently use online dating and dating apps to meet compatible women.
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.
Do you know how to appeal to the type of woman you’re looking to attract? If not, I can help. Book a new client introduction session with me today!
But let’s say you’re online dating game is already up to snuff but you’re still struggling to get a girlfriend.
Don’t sweat it.
In my program, you’ll also learn the MegaDating blueprint that sees my clients date various women at the same time in order to reduce the time they need to find the woman that’s right for them.
You’ll learn how to flirt with women, how to make effective physical contact, how to escalate on a second date, what to text her in between dates, what constitutes a good first date activity and much more.