An Important Announcement from Garbo
The first step to success on any dating app is setting up a great profile. The world of online dating requires you to summarize your personality, interests, values, and more in just a few pics and a couple of short lines.
Sound impossible? Don’t worry, we’re here to help.
Nearly 45 million people in the United States use dating apps. So, needless to say, it’s important to make your online dating profile stand out from the crowd to get potential matches to swipe right.
The best dating apps will guide you through the process of putting together your profile and some even provide prompts to help you showcase more of your personality.
Solid prompt answers are definitely important, but you really want to nail down your profile bio in order to catch someone’s attention.
Amie Leadingham, says, “A good Tinder bio starts with standing out from the crowd by making your profile engaging”. But you want to make sure you’re engaging the right people, which is why the dating coaches and dating experts of the world agree that being authentic in your dating bio is key.
Alexandra Tweten, creator of Bye Felipe and author of Bye Felipe: Disses, Dick Pics, and Other Delights of Modern Dating, says the best way to make your dating app profile stand out from the crowd is originality, “Have a personality. Say something funny or interesting about yourself. And if you can’t think of anything, ask a friend for a suggestion, or even ask them to write it for you! Sometimes it’s hard to identify our own best qualities, so ask someone who knows.”
Being true to who you are and what you like will help ensure that you’re attracting the right matches and will lead to better chemistry when it comes to first dates.
Every dating app differs in terms of setup, but the majority of profiles on dating sites will start with an “About Me” section (after the selfies of course).
The “About Me” section typically includes at a minimum: your name, age, and location. Tinder lets you select interests as well, with options ranging from biking to karaoke. Bumble bios let you specify your drinking and smoking preferences, as does Hinge, which also has options to include political party, religious stance, vaccination status, and more.
So your options depend on which dating app you’re using but we’ll focus on a few key pieces of information that we think you should include in all of them.
1.) What you’re looking for: This is the number one must-have in your dating bio. There is no point in telling someone more about yourself if they’re not on the same page as you. You don’t want to get into a great conversation with someone, only for it to go nowhere when you find out they’re looking for a casual hook up and you’re looking for a serious relationship. People tend to shy away from being upfront about what they want. It can feel vulnerable to say out loud “I want something serious”, but you’re definitely not alone if that is what you’re looking for. In fact, 80% of Tinder users are looking for a long-term relationship.
2.) Your interests: These are the real conversation starters. Along with your pictures, your interests will tell your potential match if you two have things in common. Talk about how you spend your time, what you’re passionate about, and what matters most to you in life.
3.) What you want in a potential match: One of the best profile tips from Bumble is to communicate what type of person you’re looking for. Are you a big hiker and you’re looking for a fellow outdoors enthusiast to go on adventures with? Maybe you’re a homebody and your ideal partner is someone content with staying in, ordering takeout, and watching a movie on a Friday night. Whatever you’re into, make it clear, so other daters know if they fit the vibe you’re looking for.
There’s not a hard-in-stone template for what should and shouldn’t be in your dating app profile, but if you include these three, you’re in a good spot.
This wouldn’t be a good guide without some notes on what NOT to do when it comes to your dating app bio.
1.) Avoid corny pick-up lines: While there might have been a time when these worked on dating apps, that time is now over. Your bio is precious real estate and wasting it on a cheesy one-liner is doing a disservice to you and the other daters looking for real connection. Alexandra Tweten recommends avoiding cliches or jokes that are over done, “If you’re a man, whenever women see "If you don't look like your profile pics, you're buying the drinks until you do," it makes us want to throw our phones into a volcano.”
2.) Short bio: These are far too common. It’s quite a turn off when people don’t put any effort into their profile. How are you supposed to get any sense of who they actually are if the only thing on their tinder profile is: “Looking for fun” or “Trying to get off of here as soon as possible”. A little mystery is great, but your dating profile bio is not the time to hold back information in an effort to seem cool.
3.) Negativity: Another big tip from the dating experts is to avoid negativity in your online dating profile. Tweten advises to “Keep it about yourself. Don’t phrase anything in the negative...Instead, include what you ARE looking for and avoid describing any physical appearances. Keep your “no’s” list to yourself. That’s for you to filter out on your own. Even if you’re not typically attracted to blondes, you don’t have to say it in your profile.” So, try to keep it positive to avoid seeming like a downer or triggering red flags.
We’ve put together a bunch of bio ideas, ranging from cute to funny to creative and even the unexpected. Feel free to use any of these as a starting point and add anything else that you think might be important (remember: what you’re looking for, your interests, and what you want in a potential match)
*We don't subscribe to the gender binary, so use these dating bio examples as you please, but for the sake of this showing up in search results, we've categorized these ideas into dating bio examples for women and dating bio examples for men.
Long walks on the beach (with a twist): I enjoy long walks on the beach, cute dogs, and my weekly session with my therapist.
Overrated/Underrated: Overrated: Cheesy pick up lines Underrated: Sending me a shark tank pitch for why I should go out with you
Most controversial opinion: My most controversial opinion: ketchup belongs on everything—if you disagree, it’s best if you don’t see me in a restaurant setting.
Looking for someone to: Looking for someone to exhaust all take-out options with.
First rounds on me if: First rounds on me if you work in tech too (you need a drink).
Dating me is like: Dating me is like watching a Jordan Peele movie: a healthy mix of unexpected twists and character development for everyone involved.
Rate yourself:
Likes and dislikes:
Two truths and a lie: I’m a great cook, I’ve been to 18 countries, and I’m on here to find love"(this could be a cheeky idea if you’re looking for something casual).
Swipe right, swipe left: Swipe right if you enjoy a good debate. Swipe left if you “don’t talk about politics”.
I may not, but I am: I may not know my way around the wine aisle, but I am a dive bar connoisseur.
By day/By night: Financial analyst and dad dog by day, aspiring salsa dancer and jazz club enthusiast by night
How friends describe you: My friends describe me as “the life of the party”, “their go-to for a good time”, and “in desperate need of someone to take me off their hands”.
Would you rather?: There’s about a milion of these to choose from. Try to pick one that will tell you something interesting about the other person.
Pros and cons list:
Best of luck! Remember to be yourself, keep an open mind, and as always when it comes to online dating, be safe and use caution.
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