No matches on Tinder? I hear that all the time.
Sometimes getting a match on Tinder can be more difficult than solving a Rubik’s cube (unless solving a Rubik’s cube is easy for you, in which case this comparison doesn’t apply).
But it isn’t just you that feels that way, men everywhere, big and small, rich and poor, Brad Pitt or otherwise struggle to get matches.
A 2016 study from Queen Mary University in London found that men had a success rate of .06% on Tinder. For every 100 swipes to the right, maybe, just maybe you’ll snag a single match.
But a match is far from a date.
Should the Tinder gods shine their flame upon you and bestow you with a match, chances are she won’t respond to your opening message.
If you look at the chart above you’ll notice that for the average guy to stand a 50% chance of receiving a response from a Tinder match he’ll have to shoot out 18 messages. For a guy to have a 99% chance of receiving a message he’ll have to scribble out 114 messages.
God damn.
Well, now that I’ve made you feel sufficiently bleak about your odds of ever again scoring a Tinder match it’s time to tell you the good news.
What I’m offering you right now is a chance to start over.
That’s right, I’m talking about a 100% makeover starting right now.
Below are bonafide ways to make your profile more likely of getting a swipe right.
Your new Tinder existence begins now.
It’s true that Tinder is a giant sausage fest. This article can’t and won’t dispute that.
But some sausages are just better than others.
Here’s how to be a good sausage.
There aren’t many cardinal rules when it comes to online dating.
One of those rules is to never take selfies. Especially this kind of selfie.
(yes, that’s bad bunny)
It’s not that all selfies are necessarily bad, more so they’re just cliche.
If every guy posts selfies (and you’re one of them) — you come across as basic.
Due to the lopsided gender ratio on dating apps, women are allowed to be pickier and match and date above their desirability rating.
In other words, women that are sixes can date eights. With men, it’s the opposite.
Considering the situation you need to go above and beyond to stand out and get swiped in the right direction.
That means NO SELFIES!
So what should you post instead?
Glad you (I) asked.
Jackie Untermeyer is a Senior Matchmaker at emlovz. I asked her what type of photo tends to get swiped right on.
This is what she had to say:
You have one goal when getting your swipe on, on Tinder:
To do this you need to address some of her concerns.
Most pressingly she wants to know what the hell you look like, in particular, what your face looks like. A 100% guarantee that if she isn’t 100% certain of what you look like she won’t agree to a date.
So with the first picture in your photo roster, put her fears at ease by posting something like this:
This is an HD, non-selfie, close-up shot of this man’s beautiful face.
The background is nice (ideally not so blurry) and his style of on point. My only critique is that he’s not as well-groomed as I’d like him to be, but hey to each their own, some women might go for this.
What’s important is that you clearly know what the hell he looks like.
More than anything that’s what she wants to know.
To confirm this theory I asked Pris, a model and all-around badass what type of photo she would immediately swipe left on.
This is what she had to say.
Every photo you have should offer something new and answer questions she might have about you.
The full body shot answers the question, “what does his body look like and does he have all his limbs?”
Close-up headshots are great and all but they shouldn’t be the only type of photo in your profile.
Notice how this photo doesn’t sacrifice the subject’s face for his body. In addition to his face, we can see his entire physique. This is an added bonus without taking too much of the spotlight away from his face.
I also like that the photo gives us a new angle. Instead of being straight on it’s off to the side.
Wearing the same clothes in every photo only works if you’re an animated character.
If you’re not, it might be a good idea to wear something different in every photo.
That shouldn’t be difficult as I’m sure you own more than 6 shirts, but that doesn’t mean you have a quality photo of yourself in each of these shirts.
If that’s the case, here’s what you do.
Hell, you two could even go out with the explicit purpose of taking photos of each other.
If you don’t really know how to take quality photos, no worries, I’ve got you covered, or rather professional dating photographer Jessica Ruscello does.
When it comes to taking a Tinder-worthy photo, Jessica’s most important advice is as follows:
Here are some pointers you can apply when writing a bio:
— Use keywords that Tinder’s algorithm can pick up in order to find you compatible matches
— Make us see and feel your hobbies
— Make it scannable. Don’t write 10 lines sans spacing. Use emojis, lists, and spacing to make it eye-friendly
— Make sure your entire profile isn’t one big list
— Give her something to latch onto
— Don’t tell her who you are, show her
— Show her your weird interests (use keywords and interests as filters to deter and attract a certain type of woman)
— Make a freakin’ joke!
Whether to add or not add a group photo is a contentious talking point.
Most would argue that adding a photo of other people 1) confuses the swiper because they don’t know who you are and 2) takes attention away from you.
Let’s address both of these.
Group photos only confuse the viewer if they’re the first photo or second photo in your profile. I advise group shots not be posted until after the 2nd photo.
As for that second point, group photos add more to your personality and appeal than detract.
Why?
Well, they show that you have a life. That people want to be around you. That you have friends and know how to have a good time.
To be clear there are some group shots that should never be posted.
Like this one.
Once she sees this she’ll either immediately:
A) Ask who the hell that woman is standing next to her fantasy man
OR
B) Swipe left
Women don’t want to see men on a dating app posing next to their former significant other (or any woman for that matter). I don’t care if it’s your cousin, don’t post a photo of just you and a woman.
Here’s the kind of group shots that are acceptable:
The group is clearly having a good time and doing something cool.
Group shots are hyper-effective if they center around the Tinder user whose profile is being posted to.
Maybe your profile’s kinda lame but your IG is bursting with life.
If that’s the case be sure to link your Instagram.
Allow me to repeat.
That’s not always easy to do on the app itself.
If possible, link to your IG and give her another way to learn more about you.
The real key to getting more matches is just giving a damn.
It’s really that simple.
Giving a damn means posting better photos, using the app 10 minute every day, swiping more often, writing better opening messages, and keeping your content fresh and swippable.
If you want to learn more about what giving a damn looks like, let’s talk about my dope ass group coaching program for men where you get lifetime access to the emlovz team of coaches.