How To Attract Your People Online

40 million Americans are on a dating app and adults age 18-30 spend an estimated 10 hours per week on one. So today I am partnering with my fav dating app OkCupid to give you the leg up on the competition.

When it comes down to it, there are 3 principles that make OkCupid the best dating site on Earth: their commitment to matching you based on what matters to you, their thorough profiles, and everyone’s welcome. OkCupid is the most inclusive dating app with 22 genders options and 13 sexual orientations options.

After you download the app

Know what’s important to you
It’s impossible to weed out all of the bad apples, but on OkCupid there are a lot of questions that could be helpful indicators. Do they support the ACLU? How do they feel about Trump? Will they pay extra for guac? The more questions you answer, the more accurate your compatibility with someone will be.

Answer questions
The more OkCupid questions you answer, the more accurate your matches will be. Plus, you’ll learn a lot more about yourself, not to mention your potential matches, and what you’re looking for in the process.

Update often
When you update your profile, you’re shown to more people..

Photos

Picture 1: a great headshot with eye contact if possible (think of magazine covers)
Picture 2: Travel/ you doing something out of the ordinary (full body if possible)
Picture 3: you doing something normal that you love (eating, hanging with friends, painting, reading, etc…)
Picture 4: A group shot with you with your family or you with your friends
Picture 5: Your choice photo (you with an animal, you at a wedding, a professional pic of you, etc..)
Picture 6: Your weed out photo - if there is something that is an intrinsic part of you that is going to be a make or break for others, put it here to save yourself time

After you have curated your six photos ask yourself this: Can someone come up with three questions based on each of my photos?

Pro tips

Flaunt your pets
Photos with animals get more attention, too. It shows you care about animals AND can take care of another living thing. Well done, you!

Caption your photos
Adding a caption to your photo gives potential matches a little more context—not to mention a possible conversation starter. Plus, captioning your photos ensures you’ll show up in OkCupid Discovery, so you can connect with people who are interested in the same things you are.

Show off shots taken late in the afternoon
People love that golden hour light. Users with photos taken at that time get more likes.

Take advantage of Portrait Mode
Pictures with a shallow depth of field, meaning that the subject is in crisp focus while the rest of the picture is blurry, get you more likes.

Add new pics
This one’s easy: adding new pics increases your likes by at least two times. And while you’re at it, you might as well connect your Instagram account. Folks who connect Instagram to their profile get more messages than those who don’t.

About me

Keep it short (less than 200 words) A lot of people feel daunted by this…it doesn’t have to be your life story, but just give someone a little bit of flavor about yourself. OkCupid makes it simple because they tee you up with profile prompts like “Six things I could never do without” and “On a typical Friday night I am…”

Pro Tips

Proofread everything
Typos are a dealbreaker—75% of people say they’re less likely to respond to someone with spelling mistakes in their profile.

Find the essay sweet spot
People who’ve found love on OkCupid (meaning couples who’ve mutually deactivated) have had self-summaries that are an average of 50 words long, or 256 characters.

Send a meaningful message
Look at their profile and comment on something specific that you like. Keep it around 140 characters and please don’t say “hey”. Saying “hey” in a first message is almost equivalent to saying nothing — this greeting has an 84% chance of being completely ignored.

Message first
Women who send the first message have a greater chance of getting a response — in fact, women are 2.5x more likely to get a response than men if they initiate the conversation. The ball is in your court, ladies!

THANK YOU
Shan BOODY
@shanboody