"In today’s world of digital dating, creating the perfect profile can feel daunting, and if I’m being honest, like a totally hopeless task. I wish I could tell you that your profile doesn’t matter or that people aren’t using dating apps anymore, but the hard truth is that your profile is your first and sometimes only chance to make an impression on Mr. or Miss Right.
According to Hinge’s most recent dating app study, someone’s digital body language (the non-verbal subtext of digital interactions, such as emojis, punctuation, message length, and response time) and the impressions we get from their profile are what we consider most before deciding if moving forward with them is worth it. If you’ve ever gotten the ick from an aggressive overuse of emojis or tried to decipher someone’s dating values through their lack of punctuation, you know what I mean. How we present our profile holds weight and can make all the difference in whether or not we find date-worthy matches.
As the token bisexual of my friend group, I inadvertently embarked on an unofficial two-year-long quest to understand how to position my profile for men and women. My research paid off tenfold since one of many matches along the way turned into a few dates and is now a partner I live with. So obviously, I consider myself an expert on this topic, and I have one simple piece of advice for anyone looking to find date-worthy matches: The right prompts can lead to the right dates. Ahead, a former chronically single dating app user turned Hinge success story (that’s me!) is sharing the best prompts and responses to use in your profile.
What are dating app prompts?
In 2023, online dating had a staggering 60 million users—so rest assured, you’re in good company. The silver lining? Dating apps always evolve and create new ways to interact with fellow users so you don’t feel like you’re yelling into the abyss. Prompts, in general, help spark conversation and help users show off their personalities. In addition to preset options within the app, Hinge now lets you add interactive prompt polls, video prompts, or voice prompts—all of which offer fun ways to stand out.
How do dating app prompts work?
After you’ve set up the basics like your name, age, and location, Hinge gives you the option to answer three prompts. Written prompts are capped at 150 words, and voice and video prompts are capped at 30 seconds. Not a lot of time to show off your personality, right? Well, that’s why you have to get both creative and strategic. To attract the right match, you should choose the prompts that feel true to you and give responses that will make other users want to know more about you, but there are some tricks, too.
In my experience, men are likelier to engage with interactive polls, whereas women are likelier to engage with voice and video prompts. Interestingly, I noticed that inversely, women were more likely to have polls on their profiles and men were more likely to include a voice prompt. With these things in mind, you can craft your prompts accordingly. But don’t worry, you can’t really mess it up. No matter what you decide to use or who you are trying to attract, prompts make it easy to start a conversation and connect with someone new. Plus, they are just downright flirty, fun, and interesting.
The dating app prompts and responses I’ve had success with
With my dating apps set to both men and women, I found that there are topics and prompts that men were more likely to respond to versus topics women were more likely to respond to. In my experience, men were more likely to respond to pictures of my pets, discuss love languages, or respond to shared hobbies. On the other hand, women were more likely to engage with astrology, pictures with friends, and any prompt on my dating values. Below, I’ve outlined some of my favorite tried-and-true Hinge prompts and the responses I used (and had success with) based on who I was trying to attract at the time.
1. “First round is on me if…”
Response to attract women: “You can guess my coffee order.”
As a coffee aficionado, this one’s a personal favorite. While most men didn’t quite get it right, many women did, and it often opened the door to coffee dates.
Response to attract men: “You can beat me in darts.”
From my experience, men respond well to friendly competition. Whether darts, UNO, or Jenga, incorporating competition can lead to flirty banter and set the perfect stage for a fun first date.
2. “My Ideal Sunday Includes…”
Response to attract women: “A morning walk blasting Chappel Roan.”
I truly love a hot girl walk, and this is a playful way to talk about my love of WLW music artists.
Response to attract men: “Watching my football team win.”
My inner die-hard Chicago Bear fan always had a mention of football on my profile, not only as a way to screen opposing team matches but as a way to start (usually friendly) trash talk.
3. “You should go out with me to save me from….”
Response to attract anyone: “Being a 5th wheel with my friends.”
This was my favorite and most successful response to the prompt. EVERYONE on dating apps can, unfortunately, relate to the humbling 3rd wheel experience. Both men and women found it relatable and an easy way to spark conversation. What better way to relate to cynical single people than to joke about it together?
4. “I want someone who…”
Response to attract anyone: “will help plan my Halloween costumes in August.”
In a sea of profiles, something that always stands out is current content. Whether you mention an upcoming holiday or your favorite holiday tradition, this is a great way to show potential matches that you are active and keep your profile current. Thanks to this prompt and a random Hinge match, I got the idea for one of my favorite Halloween costumes to date.
5. “My love language is …”
Response to attract women: “A perfectly curated charcuterie board.”
I strongly believe that everyone can make a charcuterie board, but it takes a special kind of artistic talent to curate a great charcuterie board. Knowing how someone creates their charcuterie boards says a lot about them. Personally, I couldn’t trust someone who didn’t include multiple kinds of cheese.
Response to attract men: “Finding my new favorite dive bar.”
This prompt was almost too easy. It regularly sparked conversations on local dive bars and almost always ended with a date to prove dive bar seniority. Not only is this a near-guaranteed date prompt, but it is a great way to gather bar recommendations.
The most important thing to remember when using dating app prompts
No matter who you are trying to appeal to with your profile and prompts, be authentic to who you are and the kind of relationship you are looking for. Luckily, according to a Stanford University study released this year, more American couples now meet online than through other means, including mutual friends. So statistically speaking, no matter how witty, flirty, or boring your prompts are, the odds are in your favor.
With that said, have fun with it! Online dating can be overwhelming and exhausting. Allow your prompts to bring a little lightheartedness to your experience. Remember they can always be changed, and they are only meant to start a conversation. Maybe you’ll meet your forever person, or maybe you’ll have a funny story to tell your girlfriends the next time you meet up to laugh about the highs and the lows of online dating over a few glasses of wine.
Abby Peterson, Contributing Writer
Abby is a Chicago-based benefits consultant with a degree in marketing from Loyola University Chicago. She shares her communication expertise with businesses while also serving on the steering committee for Link USA. Her passion is finding creative ways to communicate in the corporate world and through writing with The Everygirl.