It doesn’t matter how non-superficial you think the dating application you’re using is –photos matter. Even Pablo Neruda would struggle to score matches if his profile consisted of a series of Snapchat filtered selfies.

Photos attract the user’s attention with glaring efficiency. Despite your bio write-up being worthy of a Pulitzer, no one will bother to read it if your photos are lacking.

Luckily there are no doubt some mistakes you’re making that can be easily fixed. Heed the following dating app photo tips for guys- make the adjustments, and start swiping to reap the rewards.

Don’t Have Your First Photo Be A Group Shot

I think I speak for all men when I say that our biggest pet peeve is when a woman’s first profile picture is a group shot. Even if the profile’s owner is smack dab in the middle of a group shot I still can’t be certain as to who they are until I view the following photo. Being required to scroll to the subsequent photo makes the initial picture superfluous.

Seeing that we dislike when women do it, we should take our own advice and avoid this most odious mistake as well.

Do Post A Group Shot For Your Third or Fourth Photo

If your initial photo clearly shows your face (which it should) you’re now free to toss a group shot or two into the photo queue. The dating application, Hinge, found that photos of users having fun with friends were more than 74% more likely to receive a like than the average Hinge photo. But this doesn’t mean that any group shot will do.

Find a candid shot of you and a couple friends engaging in a stimulating activity, perhaps playing sports or exploring an exotic town. Make sure your friends are dressed appropriately and that you’re a tad better looking than them. Surrounding yourself by people that aren’t quite as attractive as you are can actually make you look better. This is an obvious, yet important dating app photo tip you need to follow.

Don’t Wear Hats or Sunglasses In Your Dating App Profile Photos

Hats and glasses may be functional accessories but they won’t help you land more matches any time soon. A 2016 Tinder study that analyzed more than 12,000 photos from users ages 18-40 found that those choosing to don glasses were 15% less likely to receive a swipe right. Users that wore sunglasses had their odds decreased by 12 percent.

The reason for the dip in swipability, according to dating expert Jessica Carbino, is because “Seeing the iris gives us clues as to whether you can be trusted.” If you’re using accessories to make up for your lack of good looks, don’t bother. Doctor Carbino also says that those that do best on Tinder don’t necessarily Adonis lookalikes. The key is to know how to accentuate your assets.

Do Keep Your Lips Sealed

Keep those pearly whites locked away if you value your swipe value. Our whole lives we’ve been told to open wide and show teeth when we smile. But new studies strongly suggest that men are viewed as more attractive when they smile without teeth. A Hinge study found that men are more than 43% more likely to receive a like when they keep their mouths closed compared to average photo.

Oddly enough women that show teeth in photos are 76% more likely to be liked than when they hide their teeth. Feel free to dream up your own theories to explain the disparity but the results are in.

Don’t Use A Snapchat Filter

Even when they’re used in the correct medium does anyone genuinely enjoy Snapchat filters? There’s a 90% dip in the likelihood of a like on Hinge when you slap a Snapchat filter on a photo. Filters break the golden rule of keeping your face free of accessories. Furthermore, who honestly thinks that morphing into an animal is sexy?

That being said consider how each photo attracts a certain type of person. If your goal is to date pixies and furries that fetishize animals, maybe consider posting that filtered photo.

Do Sporty Things

Is anyone’s mind blown to learn that men are viewed as more attractive when they post sporty photos? Despite traditional symbols of masculinity being in flux it seems as though there’s something instinctive in a woman’s attraction towards a man playing sports. The aforementioned Hinge study found that women are 45% more likely to like a sports-related photo than the opposite.

Generally speaking the more aggressive the sport being played the more she’ll be into you. In other words, ping-pong, badminton, and bowling photos are best left in your archives. Soccer, football, and rugby photos should be pushed up to the front of your queue.

Don’t Post A Selfie

Selfies are easy to post. You’ve probably got a fair share stored in your photo library. But accessibility doesn’t translate to attractiveness. Perhaps the selfie saturation that social media is experiencing has taken the sex appeal right out of these vain self-portraits. Whatever the case may be, selfies are 40% less likely to receive a like than the average photo in dating profiles.

Your odds of being viewed favorably plummet another 50 percentage points if you post a bathroom selfie. Sure, bathroom selfies with your shirt half off used to be all the rage, but our sexual palates have evolved, so should yours.

Instead of exposing your future love to yet another boring selfie, why not upload a candid photo? Buck the contrived trend of inundating the SM airwaves with selfies and instead get real. Candid photos are 15% more likely to receive a like on Hinge than other types of shots.

Do Include Man’s Best Friend

Remember that earlier bit about posting photos that attract certain romantic partners? Should a photo of you and your dog smiling gleefully at the many pleasures that accompany K9 companionship turn a woman off, she’s probably not worth pursuing. The only drawback of posting an insanely cute photo with your dog is that she might just be using you for pooch.

It’s no surprise that dog is man’s best wingman. Dogs in particular can make you appear friendlier, trustworthy, and mature. Not only will posing with your puppy bestow you with a halo effect or sorts but it’s a great conversation starter. Who doesn’t want to side step the awkwardness of small talk by gushing about how freaking adorable Lolita is?

Don’t Include Any Ugly Photos

Even if your profile doesn’t have many photos, there’s no upside to including one photo that looks decidedly worse than the rest. Even if you only have four stellar photos, don’t feel pressured into adding a fifth picture that’s doesn’t stack up against the others.

Posting between 4-6 photos is the optimal number for your profile. Such a quantity gives your profile variety and depth while still leaving something left for the imagination. Here’s a Bumble profile example of a man with a solid variety of photos, less the selfie.

Do Showoff Your Trip To Malta

It’s okay to brag a bit. Uploading pics from your latest adventure to the south of France shows that you probably have money, are cultured, and have a great taste in wine.

A recent Match Group study found that 72% of women want to partner that loves to travel. The heavily cited Hinge study that I’ve referenced probably one to many times also says that travel photos receive 30% more likes than the average profile picture. Though not all travel photos are alike.

Women prefer pictures that show users traveling to far off destinations rather than domestic ones. They also tend to prefer photos that suggest assimilation rather than merely posing next to a popular tourist destination.

Not only are these photos symbols of status that show off your more adventurous side, but they’re low hanging fruit when it comes to conversation starters.

Make your first Bumble bios photo a shot of you riding a dromedary through the Sahara and wait for the messages to pour in. If you haven’t done much travelling, take a fantasy trip with your match by listing the places you’d like to visit.

Do Ask Your Female Friends For Advice

Struggling to identify which photos work for you –why not ask an expert? The next time you’re out with a couple female friends ask them to critique your profile. They’ll tell you exactly which photos do and don’t work for you.

If you don’t want to wait until your next outing, text them a couple photos and ask which one you should be slotting in as your new dating app profile photo. For a more algorithmic opinion, use Tinder’s smart photos feature. Should your friends not be giving you the feedback you’re hoping for, you can also use PhotoFeeler to solicit feedback from real women.

Don’t Wear The Same Shirt Twice

Profiles don’t afford you much room to maneuver. If you intend on making the most of any dating profile you need to treat it like poetry. This is to say, captivate your audience in a concise manner and never be redundant.

Wearing the same shirt in multiple photos is monotonous. If you’re only posting five photos there’s no reason why you should be seen wearing the same shirt twice. Girls will pick up on your lack of diversity and start deducting points in their head.

Do Go Formal In At Least One Photo

Everyone looks better in a suit and tie. The attire suggests status and importance. It doesn’t matter if a tuxedo isn’t your everyday attire. The point of a dating profile is to put your best self forward. Who doesn’t feel and look like they’re best self while wearing a tailor made suit on their way to a gala?

Dating App Photo Tips for Guys Wrap: Still Need Help?

Need a second opinion when it comes to your online dating app profile photos? Need a complete overhaul of your current dating strategy. If so, book a new client 1-on-1 Skype session with Emyli, America’s premier dating coach, to give your online dating profiles and overall dating strategy a makeover that will yield results.