Wondering if your Tinder Elo score is somehow blocking you from getting matches you’re really excited about?

We all like to think that our love lives are controlled by the universe, Cupid, or whatever other avatar our mind gravitates towards.

But the unromantic truth is that, that’s just not the case — especially if you use dating apps.

Ladies and gents of Tinder, meet your not-so-magical love fairy, Elo.

Elo doesn’t have a face, a sweet backstory, or some cool gadgetry like other agents of love, however, it does have a goal.

That goal is to assign you a desirability score and put you in front of profiles that have a similar score.

You Tinder Elo score is the app’s algorithm for ranking how desirable you are.

And if you’re afraid that your crap Elo score is what’s preventing you from seeing Tinder’s most sizzlin’ singles then you might be right, but to find out you’ll just have to break into Tinder headquarters, hold a developer hostage, and force them to disclose Tinder’s secrets — or you can just keep reading.

Tinder Elo Score – How It Works & How To Improve It

First things first, let’s address a blog post Tinder published in 2019.

In this post, Tinder announced that it was officially no longer using Elo to score users.

Tinder writes:

The app goes on to say that due to advances they no longer give each user a specified desirability score.

However, as you can see from the quote above Tinder still factors into its algorithm if users were swiped left or right on.

Whether they call it an Elo score or not, Tinder admits that how users interact with your profile still significantly impacts its algorithm and thus how you interact with other users.

What that said, how exactly does it work?

Tinder’s Has A Bouncer; His Name Is Elo

Elo is the internal algorithm that the apps use to determine your market value.

Your score — in part — determines whose profiles you see.

Now, of course, if you swipe for long enough you’re bound to see women that fall outside of your desirability score.

But how exactly does it work?

From what we can deduce it’s pretty simple.

The more positive attention you receive the more points you get.

Positive attention could mean getting swiped right on, having your message responded to, or having a bunch of dudes swipe right on the woman you just matched with. Your Elo score doesn’t stay stagnant when you get off the app. Should users deem the women you match with desirable (or even the woman you swipe left on) your rating will go up.

As we mentioned, every time you log into the app you’re likely to see people that have a similar Elo score. Tinder does this in order to keep you logged on and swiping. However, if you swipe for long enough Tinder has no choice but to show you people that are either out of your league or severely below it.

The Blind Swipe

If you’re a guy, chances are you’ve probably done this before.

I’m not referring to the building of a machine that has the sole purpose of swiping right, but rather the act of blindly swiping right no matter how much of a bot the user is.

Remember that each swipe carries weight.

If you swipe right on someone with a low Elo score, Tinder will in turn lower your score.

If you want to see leverage Tinder’s Elo score to meet more beautiful women you’ll need to be more selective.

However, that’s not the only hack you have at your fingertips.

Smile Your Way Up The Rankings

Tinder — along with every other dating app — is a sausage fest.

As men far outnumber women on dating apps, it’s vitally important that they put their best face forward.

All apps, and in particular, Tinder are superficial.

This means that by far your photo roster is the most important aspect of your profile.

Before thinking, “well I’m not good looking so I guess I’m screwed” just hold off for a second.

You don’t need to look like Brad Pitt to up your Elo score.

You don’t need a new face, you need new photos.

If you’re interested in taking photos that get swiped right on just stroke this little blue button.

But even if you learn how to take selfies (which btw is a big no-no) as well as Kim Kardashian you still won’t know if the photos is quality or not until you get someone else’s opinion.

There are a few ways to do this:

— A/B test with Tinder

— Ask female friends

— Use Photofeeler

Photofeeler is the only of the three that receives an abundance of ratings (and advice) from strangers.

As you can see a user can ask others to rate their profile based on a number of characteristics of their choosing.

Your Profile Is Basic Bro

You know what a basic female profile looks like right?

It has 3 selfies and at some point she has to mention her love for the beach, sunset, and tacos – sometimes all three.

This is the kind of profile you’d 100% swipe left on (unless you’re swiping blind).

Why?

Because it’s basic.

There are a million other profiles just like this one, so there’s nothing that makes this profile stand out.

Thing is, guys are guilty of being basic too.

So what does a basic profile look like for a man.

Yep you guessed it.

Sorry Dave, but this public mockery is for your own good and I’ll show you why.

We all know that men have a more difficult task scoring a match than women right?

So what happens when a man and woman put out similarly basic profiles?

This happens.

Due to the dating apps being lopsided women will always have the upper hand and get more matches than men.

Because it’s inherently more difficult for men to score a match than it is for a woman, men have to try that much harder.

To create a profile that isn’t basic follow these rules:

Photo 1: Close-up headshot (no fish)

Photo 2: Full-body shot with nice background (keep your shirt on)

3: Hobby shot (unless your hobby is taking shirtless bathroom selfies with fish)

4: Classy shot

5: Group shot (make sure you’re most attractive of the group)

Oh and don’t forget to write something in your bio.

If you don’t know what to write, watch this declassified video from the US government that shows spies how to create bomb Tinder bios.

Psst… I’m the one the CIA hired to teach US spies how to create dating app bios. So yeah you may want to give me a call.

Check That Spelling

Imagine hiring someone only to read on their resume that they spelling the title of the job they’re applying to incorrectly.

Next.

Women feel the same way on dating apps.

Sure it sounds trivial but this is your very first impression. If you’re not up to snuff there are thousands of guys right behind you that know how to properly spell the words “fish” and “tacos.”

Restart Your Tinder Elo… Kinda

Your Tinder Elo score doesn’t magically refresh every few months.

The only way to start over again is to delete the app.

However, dating apps have done a pretty good job at spotting those that delete their app only to re-download it shortly after.

Instead of deleting your app, I recommend opening up a new one.

Nowadays there are dozens of dating apps to choose from, you just need to figure out which one’s right for you. 

I recommend clients use 5 dating apps.

Doing so ensures that there are no women falling through the cracks.

If you’re overwhelmed and don’t know which app to pick I recommend Hinge. Not because I’m an ambassador but because many a client of mine has had pleasant experiences with the app (they also have hilarious commercials).

As you can see, Hinge is the “dating app designed to be deleted.”

Its algorithm, anti-ghost tech, and milieu make it the perfect app to find a serious relationship. Learn more about the specs and how to pen a solid opener here.

You’re Pickier Than A 3rd Grader With A Dry Nose

I know you’re interested in picking up a young hottie 10 years your junior.

The urge is natural.

But getting rejected is natural as well.

Studies show that an age gap greater than 10 years is not likely to work out. You have different reference points, bodies, goals, ways of communicating, credit scores, etc.

Swiping right on fantasies can seriously lower your Tinder Elo score.

It’s Not You, It’s Your Area Code

If you live in an area where everyone is much older or you live outside a major city or in a small community, it can be helpful to upgrade your apps.

I recommend upgrading on Bumble, Hinge, and Tinder.

Each of these apps has a travel feature that allows you to choose where you want to swipe. Look if you live in a tiny city or town your pool of options will be shallow.

Fill up that pool by upgrading and swiping in a nearby city.

Stay Fresh, Clean, And Updated

Every time you update your photos or self-summary, you get shown again to new women who previously swiped right.

Imagine you added a scuba photo to your dating profile.

Before that was there, the algorithm didn’t show you to the scuba girls because they didn’t think you’d be a good fit but now, the algorithm matches you with every woman who has a scuba photo or keyword in their profile.

You want to update your apps every week or so or whenever you notice that you’re running out of leads.

Stay Active

Remember that Tinder blog I mentioned about 1,500 words ago?

Probably not.

Anyways this is the post that claims that Elo is dead.

In it, the post straight-up tells you the best way to score more matches.

Dating apps are super convenient, but they can also work to our detriment. It’s easy to opt to stay at home and swipe on Tinder or opt not to talk to women in the bar and instead get your swipe on. If you find yourself doing this, Tinder has become a crutch rather than a tool.

There is a massive opportunity to meet women in bars, through friends, at parties, at the gym, at work, via school, activities, Meetups, co-ed sports leagues, yoga, dance class, volunteering, speed dating, church groups, etc.

While meeting women IRL is scarier than meeting them online, you have a better chance at sparking attraction, getting a number, and evaluating compatibility. 

Like with online dating, courting women in person is a learned skill. With the right guidance and practice you can learn what it takes to meet women IRL. This way you can use both on and offline tactics to meet amazing women.