"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.
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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 online 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, while also allowing you to highlight green flags you seek in potential partners. 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, ensuring you and your match are on the same page.
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.
How do voice and video prompts work on dating apps?
In my opinion, some of the best Hinge responses come from voice and video dating app prompts. If you’ve never added one to your dating profile, allow me to explain. On dating apps like Hinge, you can add either audio of your voice or a video of you as a response to one of the prompts, instead of a text response. For example, if you’re responding to the Hinge prompt “My secret talent is…” you could upload an audio of you playing the guitar as your response to the prompt, instead of just writing “playing the guitar.” Video and voice prompts can be an amazing way to add a little bit more of your personality into your dating app profile. If you’re wondering how to land dates on Hinge, video and audio prompts can be a great place to start.
Crafting effective Hinge prompts
Crafting effective Hinge prompts is crucial to showcasing your personality, interests, and values. A well-crafted prompt can help initiate conversations, assess compatibility, and increase your chances of getting matches. I know it can be intimidating to try to put your best foot forward with online dating, but honestly, trying a few of these strategies is totally worth it.
Choosing the right prompts
Choosing the right dating app prompts comes down to how you want to be perceived. That might sound a little shallow, but it’s true: Your prompts are your first impression. How do you want a potential Hinge match to react when they see your prompt? Are you looking for someone who laughs at your jokes, can match your intellectual freak, or instantly feels a connection to your personality? All of this should inform the Hinge prompt that you choose. You should also think about what you’re looking for in a potential partner. After all, if you want a travel buddy, choosing a prompt like “This year I really want to…fly to Greece” is going to be a lot more effective than “Dating me is like…dating someone who loves to be out of town half the year.”
Writing engaging responses
When it comes to writing a good response to a dating app prompt, the key is to respond in a way that generates conversation—you want to make sure the response indicates what you want to talk about. Instead of writing a basic answer to the question, use the prompt as an opportunity to start a conversation and show off your personality. After all, the goal is to spark interest and to get your match to want to know more about you, not give everything away. You can be a little coy with your response to any given prompt. For example, responding “I bet you can’t guess” to the prompt “A shower thought I recently had” is sure to spark a conversation or two, and show that you have a silly personality.
My favorite Hinge 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.
Using voice and video prompts
One of the best things about Hinge is that you can use voice and video prompts to show that you’re more than just a pretty face. But seriously, showing your personality and interests through voice and video prompts is an amazing way to add a more personal touch to your profile. In case you were wondering, voice prompts are 30-second audio clips that can be used to answer a question, while video prompts can be an excellent way to get to know people better before meeting them in real life.
If you’re choosing between using voice or video prompts, consider what you want your match to get out of your response to the prompt. If you want my advice, I think voice prompts are a perfect way to be silly, goofy, and fun on your profile. For example, responding to the prompt “Don’t hate me if” with answer that is an audio of “Never Gonna Give You Up” is a fabulous way to showcase your hilarious personality and Rick Roll your potential matches. On the flip side, video prompts are perfect for showing off your hobbies or interests. For instance, if you have a sick video of you rock climbing, that would be ideal to use for a Hinge video prompt. If you really want your personality to shine through, using some voice and video prompts is key.
Online dating strategies
Have you been taking notes on all of these tips? Good. If not, never fear. Here’s the TLDR of using Hinge prompts to get more matches when you’re online dating:
- Be thoughtful about what prompts you’re using. Really think about what you’re looking for in a potential partner when you craft your prompts. After all, this is how you’re going to meet someone who actually likes your personality! You’re a funny, engaging person with cool interests—the prompts are your chance to show that.
- Make sure your profile pictures are clear and varied. This is the cardinal rule of online dating: never make it unclear who you are out of your group of friends on your dating profile. Sure, you can include pics with your buds, but make sure you still have a great solo shot or two in the mix.
- Be active on the app. Yeah, leaving your love life up to an algorithm is freaky, but it’s what we’ve gotta do for love! The more active you are on Hinge or your dating app of choice, the more success you’re going to have. Sure you might scroll through a few…interesting profiles, but it’s all about kissing those frogs to find your prince or princess.
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.
Emma Ginsberg, Associate Editor
Emma is a writer, editor, and podcast producer who has been creating at The Everygirl since 2021. She writes for all sections on the site, edits the Entertainment and Community sections, and helps produce The Everygirl Podcast. With a degree in American Studies, Emma is especially passionate about evaluating the impact pop culture and internet culture have on the day-to-day lives of real women.