When approaching a love interest in person, you have the luxury of trying to win them over by buying them a drink, asking them to dance, confidently flashing them a smile across the bar, or tossing out a funny opening pick-up line. But when you're using an app, you have to rely on your online dating profile to do all the work. Needless to say, it pays off to put a lot of thought into your bio and photos. After all, first impressions are everything—and if someone doesn't like what they see, they probably won't hesitate to swipe left.
In fact, a study published on Mic.com found that women only spend an average of 3.2 seconds looking at the profiles of men they find attractive before swiping right and 6.9 seconds looking at the profiles of men they find less appealing before swiping left. Men spend about 5.7 seconds before swiping right and 6.3 seconds before swiping left.
Clearly, you don't have much time to capture a potential match's attention. What that means is that you'll need to be mindful and strategic about what you do—and don't—include.
"Think of your dating profile as marketing material," says Orna Walters, a dating expert and love coach at Creating Love On Purpose. "You're marketing yourself to your future partner."
According to Adrianna Holness, a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in dating and relationships and founder of Worth and Wellness Psychology, a thoughtful profile can attract people you're compatible with by showcasing your personality, values, and interests.
"Just like meeting someone new in person, a genuine profile can help you feel approachable and opens the door for a conversation," she explains. "It can also foster more meaningful and fulfilling connections by filtering out mismatches early on."
So—ready to upgrade your online dating profile and rack up those matches? Here are some expert tips to keep in mind.
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1 | Lead with positivity.
ShutterstockEver heard of the law of attraction? It's the idea that "like attracts like"—meaning, positive thoughts and actions bring about positive results. And when you emanate positivity, you become a magnet for people with a similar energy.
This is why it's best to avoid negativity on your dating app profile, says Angelika Koch, a relationship expert at Taimi. "This can cause you to look bitter and unapproachable," she explains.
2 | Consider skipping over politics.
ShutterstockThere's nothing wrong with sharing your political opinions with a date—particularly if you have strong beliefs since you may want to make sure you and your prospective partner are either on the same page or can agree to disagree. However, there's a time and a place for these types of discussions, and you may not want to lead with them via your online dating profile.
Alex Kudos, CMO and dating expert at Social Discovery Group (the company behind Dating.com), notes that revealing those opinions on your dating app profile can be risky. If a match doesn't share the same opinions, they might be too quick to write you off before they even have the chance to get to know you.
By waiting until you've established some rapport with a match before tackling politics, you may leave more doors open to find love—even if it's with someone who doesn't align on every single political issue with you.
RELATED: 10 Body Language Signs That Mean Someone Is Attracted to You.
3 | Get specific.
WOVE LOVE / shutterstockThe more details you can offer on your dating app profile, the more conversation starters your match will have at their disposal.
"Clichés phrases like 'I love to laugh' or 'I'm looking for my partner in crime' are overused and don't tell much about who you really are," says Holness.
Instead of vague, overly general statements like "I enjoy traveling" and "I love dogs," Walters suggests sharing some highlights from your recent trip to Thailand or a cute story or fun fact about your current pet. This extra info not only gives your match more to work with when messaging back and forth with you but also offers additional insight into your personality and interests.
Similarly, rather than saying, "I love music," try "I'm a huge fan of Nu Jazz—my favorite concert was seeing FKJ at The Greek," suggests Holness.
"Sharing details about yourself through storytelling will make your profile stand out from the rest," adds Walters. "Just keep your stories short—no more than two to three sentences."
4 | Be as authentic as possible.
iStockAs tempting as it may be to pretend you lift weights five days a week, drive a luxury sports car, or have traveled all over the world, experts say that lying about any aspect of your life on your online dating profile will probably backfire at some point.
Not only is it inevitable that your date will eventually figure out the truth, but you'll also probably attract people you aren't compatible with this way. And why would you want to match with people who like a curated and falsified version of you rather than who you really are?
"Be truthful about your interests, appearance, and intentions," says Holness. "Misrepresenting yourself can lead to disappointment and trust issues down the line. And besides, people are drawn to authenticity!"
RELATED: 149 Tinder Pick-Up Lines That Will Definitely Get You a Date.
5 | Share a goal.
iStock"Ditch the boring lists that make you sound like everyone else," advises Amber Lee, CEO and co-founder at Select Date Society.
Instead, Lee recommends sharing something unique, fun, or quirky that's currently on your bucket list—say, finding the best tacos in your home state or seeing a concert at every venue in your city.
Then you can follow up with something like, "Care to join me on this mission? Swipe right."
This tactic makes it super easy to engage with you because it automatically gives your match something to talk about—not to mention that it paves the way for a no-brainer first-date idea.
6 | Don't make your matches play "Guess Who?"
ShutterstockAs they say, a picture is worth a thousand words—and whether you know it or not, the photos in your online dating profile are just as important as your bio. Ideally, experts say you should make it easy for potential matches to get a sense of what you look like—meaning the photos should be recent and high-quality, and you should have at least a few solo images for every group shot.
"It's fine to have one group photo, but when someone is trying to figure out where you are, they are more likely to swipe left," explains Koch. "Making sure you are the focal point of each photo helps to avoid any confusion."
Make sure you upload at least a few images, too. According to Koch, only including one photo can give the impression that you don't tend to put a lot of effort into things—or worse, that you're hiding something.
Walters suggests avoiding photos with hats and sunglasses that are taken from weird angles, or that are older than six months. Your main profile photo should look like a headshot from the chest up—in other words, what your date would see if they were sitting across from you at a restaurant, café, or bar.
She also advises including a shot that showcases a facet of your lifestyle—say, playing an instrument, painting, hiking, or on the golf course.
RELATED: 7 "Polite" Online Dating Messages That Are Actually Offensive.
7 | Leave them wanting more.
iStock"Start telling your story—but don't finish it," says Lee. An interesting online dating profile gives the reader just a taste of who you are to intrigue them but still leaves something to the imagination. "If there's nothing left to discover, there's no reason to ask you out," Lee explains.
For example, let's say you're sharing the best concert you ever went to. Lee suggests saying something like, "I was in the front row at age 16. You'll never guess who the artist was."
This adds an air of mystery to your profile, and it also gives your match something to ask you about when you start messaging.
