COVID-19 has a way of answering some questions you never thought you’d ask.

For example “how many hours of Ozark can I watch in one day?” or “how many puzzles can I complete on my living room floor before it’s all covered wall-to-wall in Van Gogh paintings?”

A more concerning question corona has asked and answered is “how long can you endure romantic loneliness before breaking?” With a majority of states now on lockdown, many of us have been forced to answer this question. Invariably, the answer is not very long.

So what are you to do when you can no longer bowl with that chick you met from Tinder or even grab a drink with the woman from Hinge that just gave you her number?

Refraining from seeing your romantic interest in person doesn’t mean you’ll need to refrain from seeing them outright.

Virtual Dates, That’s Right You Heard Me, Virtual Dates

With a pandemic keeping us holed up inside, virtual dating is the only safe and moral way to go about dating.

Virtual dating is the same as dating in the flesh, except it’s done online, generally via Facetime, Skype or Zoom. Digital dating keeps you safe, saves money, and will partially quench your emotional and social needs. Investing in meeting people online now will provide you with a treasure chest of women to date in person once lockdown restrictions are finally lifted.

That being said, virtual dating is still a pretty unexplored dating method. Together let’s take a look at what you’ll have to do to get the most out of virtual dating.

How to Get the Woman You Want to Respond To You Online

Gone are the days of meeting women at yoga, parties, and concerts. Today there are about three or so ways to meet women. You can meet them in line at the supermarket, in the hospital, or online.

Seeing as how talking to a stranger in public in the midst of a pandemic is now basically a form of harassment and flirting through a curtain with your roommate at a hospital is the pandemic’s sick twist on Love Is Blind, you’ve really only got one plausible way to meet new people; online.

Before you can start virtual courting, you’ll have to nab a match.

Your Photos Are The Barrier Of Entry

It doesn’t matter which dating app you use, they’re all superficial.

So what if Bumble is the feminist Tinder or Hinge was designed to be deleted. While their ethos isn’t superficial, the platforms are. To be successful on dating apps you’ll have to upload some killer photos.

To create the most impactful photo lineup, heed these tips:

• No selfies
• Never obscure your face
• Selfies are for Snapchat, not Tinder
• Show off your adventurous side and post at least one international travel photo
• First photo should be a closely cropped headshot
• Wear different clothes in each photo
• Use no more than two group pics and make sure you’re not with your former partner

Scroll through your photo library to select 5-8 pictures for your online dating profile. If you aren’t sure which pictures to you, why not ask a friend or upload them to Photofeeler.

Your female friends may always give you positive feedback because they don’t want to hurt your feelings. If you want a more unbiased opinion ask the strangers over at Photofeeler.

Allowing your photos to be rated by strangers will provide you with the honest feedback needed to create an appealing profile. Only use photos that have been rated at least 20 times and rank in the top 20% percentile in categories such as smart, trustworthy, and attractive.

For more help with dating app photos check out my articles on the Best Tinder Pics for Guys and the Best Bumble Picture Examples for Men.

Craft A Compelling First Message

Once you’ve convinced her to swipe right with your new and improved roster of photos it’s time to begin the courting phase.

First impressions are everything, but even more so online. In-person should you make an ass of yourself you immediately have a chance to redeem yourself. This isn’t the case online. Online you’re one bad message away from being ghosted. This was never more true than when it comes to the initial message.

There are two types of messages that you should never send.

The most basic is the classic -yet cliche AF, “hey.” If you’re thinking that you can get away with “hey there” or “hola” you’re mistaken. “Hey” messages is a category that encompasses “hey” messages and their variants.

Where do you even go from hey? Answer, nowhere. If you asked your female friend to open her Tinder account, about 75% of initial messages would be “hey” or variants. You’re better than hey.

The second category concerns corona messages. No need to ask her how she’s handling corona or inquire if she’s got enough toilet paper. Her every day for the last few weeks has been consumed by coronavirus. She’s on the dating app looking for a COVID respite. Give it to her.

Try an original question like “What type of puppy do you hate the most?” or “Why can’t you get a suntan on your palms?” Whatever you message be sure to keep the mood fun and playful at a time when too many people are feeling anxious and stressed. What a welcome relief!

You could also ask her a one-sentence question about something on her profile. I teach my clients how to master this skill in my Signature Program. You’ve got to get her to want to respond to your message by relating to her, adding value to the conversation, and by ending the message with a question. Asking her a question about something she’s interested in is an easy way to get a response.

How to Setup Powerful Conversations

Once you’ve got her responding, avoid surface-level conversations that are bound to fizzle out.

Ask her questions you actually want to know the answer to. Avoid talking about work, corona, her lack of toilet paper, or other negative topics. Steer the conversation towards polarizing questions that elicit emotional responses. Considering she’s probably emotional -cause of the impending apocalypse and everything- and in need of emotional connection, she’ll be more inclined to open up.

Begin the conversation with a probing question. It’s this initial message that will set the tone for the rest of the conversation. If her profile doesn’t give you much to work with, message her a probing message such as, “Tell me something cool about yourself Steph,” or “What song do you always find yourself singing in the shower?”

For ideas on opening lines check out a couple of my more popular articles titled the Best Hinge Opening Lines for Guys and the Best Opening Lines for Online Dating.

How to Pitch a Virtual Date

Once you’ve got her talking and things are going well, suggest a virtual coffee or wine date. Acknowledge that it’s a bit odd, but express that you’re genuinely interested in her and considering corona won’t allow you to meet up in person this is the best option you’ve got. Hey, you’ve got to get creative right now and who doesn’t want a little social connection in the midst of this lonely corona quarantine?

If she objects to a video call suggest a phone call instead. Remember though that this is a virtual date. Make sure there’s an activity planned that the date revolves around. Are you two cooking together, having a bake-off, or just enjoying a glass of wine.

Also make it known that you can only talk for 30 minutes or so. Restricting the date to under an hour will ensure that you won’t run out of things to say and things don’t get awkward.

When you pitch the idea, suggest a time later that day if possible or the next day. No need to give her 3 days notice in this case, as most people don’t have anything going on apart from binging Tiger King.

If she says she can’t do a certain time, suggest another one. Try to overcome her objections at least 3 times before asking her when she’ll be available. That way you’re demonstrating leadership and allowing her to be in her passive feminine role and you in your proactive masculine role -very sexy.

How To Nail A Virtual Date

Prepare.

Be ready with questions that could lead to in-depth conversations. Try to revolve the conversation around shared interests. Have a backup plan in your pocket just in case things don’t work out as planned.

One of these backup plans could involve games. Consider games like “Never Have I Ever” or “20 Questions” and be sure to ask questions that let skeletons out of the closet like “What’s the craziest place you’ve ever had sex” and “Have you ever been arrested?”

These nontraditional first date questions stimulate interest and elicit emotional reactions which are key for boosting sexual attraction. Don’t be boring. Be bold and push the envelope. Because you’re not even in the same room as her you can afford to bold, being that she already feels safe considering the distance.

Close For A Second Date

Usually, I recommend doing something physically active on a second date but depending on how long this lockdown goes on that may not be possible -at least not in-person. What’s important is that you escalate sexual tension on a second date.

If you’re still not there yet, fine. Escalating things too soon could push her away.

Virtual dating isn’t the new norm, but it might be for awhile. Book a 1-on-1 Skype session with me today to learn how you can revamp your online dating profiles and start scoring virtual dates.