Everyday Owl Contributed by: Alysia Hjelte
Maybe about a year ago, I explored the world of dating apps. My intention wasn’t exactly to find someone, fall in love, and get married but more just because I was curious about what they were like. Unlike me, many nowadays are using dating apps to find a lot more than I was.
Through my brief time on dating apps, I discovered how terribly horrible everyone is at setting up their profile. I saw many profiles that would cause me almost instantly to swipe away. Oddly enough, everyone forms preferences for what they are looking for on dating apps; everyone has a type. Still, people don’t set themselves up as someone other people might be interested in for some reason.
We were already in the midst of many using dating apps, but ever since COVID started, people are desperate to meet other people, and the best way to do that without leaving the house is dating apps. For many people, this is their first time using a dating app, and it can be a lot to navigate and pretty intimidating at first. It isn’t easy to make the best parts of your personality shine through a screen. However, one of the ways dating apps allow you to do this is through your bio.
One of the biggest flaws that people make is having a poorly written personal bio. Aside from having bad photos, having a boring bio can make you seem uninteresting or even uninterested. Instead of giving people a reason to be interested, some list their hobbies, age, and height or, even worse, write nothing at all.
If you’re on a dating app to find someone and fall in love, you should remember that you are in a very large pool of people who are on that same dating app for a million other reasons. It’s important to make yourself stick out to the other people on there for the same reason as you. Your personal bio is your opportunity to show off the parts of you that you think someone might like.
It’s important to give the reason that you’re on the dating app in the first place to avoid a flood of people who are on the app for other reasons. For example, if you’re looking for a more long-term relationship, you could say something like, “After having a good time in the depths of my single life, I am officially ready to swim among the other fishes in the sea.” Keep it interesting and try to avoid harsh sentences like, “looking for a long-term date.” Those kinds of sentences can be intimidating and can often create unwanted expectations.
Usually, dating apps give you a certain amount of space to write out your bio. Use up that entire space. Don’t waste any part of the profile you can utilize, and usually, the person viewing your profile has to scroll to read more. It’s about giving someone a reason not to swipe away right away.
Keep the subject about you. Nothing is more of a turn-off when someone puts the personality traits that they want in a person in their bio.
It comes off as shallow and makes you look like you’re not an open-minded person who is willing to broaden your horizons. You’re totally allowed to have a type, but that’s what dates and messaging are for, not your bio. Remember, you’re advertising yourself to other interesting people, not shopping online for a partner.
Stick to your best qualities. If you’re funny, make relatable jokes about your favorite TV shows, and there’s no harm in a pick-up line. It can also be helpful to have your bio be interactive. If you LOVE cookies, you can say, “I could eat cookies for every meal of the day. Send me your best recipe?” This motivates someone else who likes cookies to match and interact with you, and you’re already set up with a simple conversation starter. But make sure to stay realistic. If you’re looking for someone as intense as you are, feel free to ignore this, but if you like to work out, don’t exaggerate and say you go every single day. Keep it honest, but you can do that without making yourself sound like a bum.
Remember, not every date is going to be the love of your life. Dating is about getting to know one another, and if you’re not interested, there is no shame in politely declining a second date and moving forward. Good luck and happy dating!
Think you have your dating app bio down? Good. Now let’s talk about Dating App Pics.
