With the onset of social media and constant tech innovations, the dating landscape looks very different to the scene from a few years ago. We round up some of the best tips for helping your dating-app profile stand out from the crowd.

Before the advent of online dating, high school, university, and the workplace provided the ideal environments in which to get to know people and explore relationships. Today, all that has changed, and the chances of someone finding true love through a dating app is no longer a foreign concept. Still, navigating the dating scene without the help of major life milestones can be hard, especially when it comes to creating an online profile that sums up who you are. Let’s face it – the pressure to be the funniest or most interesting person on the internet is real, and it’s tough to find the balance between staying authentic but still making your profile stand out from the rest.

Dating apps have come a long way since the release of Tinder in 2012, and soon ‘swiping right’ became a normal part of dating culture. Three years later, female-focused Bumble arrived on the scene, which put the ball in the woman’s court by letting her make the first move. The latest app to be brought out is the much more inclusive Hinge – with the slogan ‘the dating app designed to be deleted’, it promises to bring soulmates together and get them off dating apps for good. Each app has its own quirks and unique selling points, and you may discover you have a preference for one over the other, but there’s one thing that ensures engagement: an attractive profile.

Describe yourself in a few lines

Having to highlight the best bits about yourself can be an incredibly awkward experience, which is part of the reason so many people leave their profiles blank. But this is one of the best ways for people to get to know you before they even begin a conversation. If you’re stuck on what to say in your profile, ask a trusted friend to help you out – they probably know you better than you know yourself and will be able to provide positive adjectives that best describe you.

Be clear about what you want

If you’ve simply joined Tinder for hook-ups, there’s absolutely no shame in that. But to make sure you and your potential date are on the same page, it’s best that you say what you’re looking for from the get-go – no one wants to be led on only to have their heart broken in the end. Some apps, such as Tinder, are catered more towards casual experiences, while apps such as Hinge are oriented towards relationships rather than casual flings.

Choose your photos carefully

Your photo is the first thing that people will notice and is the easiest way for them to get a better idea of your personality. A picture of you hiding behind sunglasses,a blurry photo of half your face or a big group photo as your profile picture won’t help people get a sense of what you look like. Rather choose a clear photo of your face, along with a variety of candid photos that show you enjoying life in different situations. You might even want to show you have ‘range’ by including a silly photo as a contrast to the more serious ones.

Include a conversation starter

Apps such as Hinge make it easier to get to know someone by providing prompts such as ‘A fact about me that surprises people is ______’ or ‘We will get along if ______.’ You can also opt to include your own ‘fill-in-the-bank’ prompt in your profile to encourage conversation. Making it something funny and slightly  off-the-wall will also help to break the ice.

Keep it simple

In an attempt to stand out, you may be inclined to populate your profile with as much information about you as possible, but if you do this, your match won’t be left with much to ask you about. Getting to know someone offline is always the goal, so try to make your profile appealing without giving too much away.

Don’t try to appeal to everyone

Try not to overthink everything you put in your profile. It’s impossible to please everyone out there, and if you are worried something you mentioned in your profile might scare someone away, they’re not ready for what you bring to the table anyway. Think of it as a great time-saver!

Words by Emma Follett-Botha
Photography: Pexels