Catchy Dating App Bio
If we FaceTime, I’ll do a tour of my house, “MTV Cribs” style. Match with me and I’ll tell you all about how easy it is to wear the same sweats for two weeks straight. Please send 20-second hand washing song inspo. Traveling the world via Tinder swipes. Penning a written dating app bio from scratch should be treated like poetry. Every single word short has a purpose. On average women spend between 3-6 seconds looking at a profile before swiping. This means she’s not going to spend an entire minute reading the 12-line profile you just wrote.
You may think you’re a pro when it comes to online dating and your dating apps, but I think there’s always more to be learned. For instance, there’s a lot of factors, right? Think about it — aside from choosing profile pictures that best represent you, there’s what to say in your online dating profile. While pictures are important — and maybe some people (okay, a lot) seem to swipe right based on pictures alone — words are, too. Some think “a picture’s worth a thousand words,” but they do not always tell the whole story.
“It can be so easy to just look at pictures on your dating app and swipe right,” Antonia Hall, psychologist, relationship expert, and author of The Ultimate Guide to a Multi-Orgasmic Life, tells Bustle. “You’re in a flow, and they’re so attractive. What could possibly go wrong? But you’ll actually save yourself time, frustration, and potentially disastrous messaging/dating later if you’ve taken the time to read their profile from the get-go. Otherwise, you risk missing critical information like, ‘In an open relationship. Wanna join us for some fun?’ or ‘Just out of prison. Let’s do this!’ There are a lot of very attractive, but undateable, people out there.”
Yes, there are people who don’t write anything in the “bio” section. But several dating experts I spoke to recommend filling in the blanks. I used to write people’s dating profiles, and I’m telling you — having one makes a huge difference, i.e., more well-suited matches. Below, you’ll find what you should write in your online dating profile, according to the pros.
1. List Your End-Goal For “Why” You’re Dating
“The partner who knows what they want is the partner who’ll get what they want. Far too often, we enter dating without stating our true desires. We wrongly assume that will reap greater results. Yes, it will open your profile to more interest — but not to the type of person you want to date. Without your end-goal clearly stated, your prospective partners will have a greater opportunity to push their agenda. Don’t be afraid to say what you want upfront. Our ‘why’s — i.e., ‘I want to date and have fun,’ ‘I’m looking for a committed relationship,’ or ‘Looking to marry and start a family’ — need to be in sync with those we date. It saves time, energy, and a battle of wills.” — Susan Winter, relationship expert and bestselling author of Allowing Magnificence
2. Include Info That Will Start Conversations
“A lot of individuals need to have fodder to make conversation. It’s very difficult for people sometimes to put themselves forward and try to make that first move. Tinder’s double opt-in makes the process of understanding whether another person is interested in you incredibly transparent and efficient. Making the first move and initiating a conversation still may not be easy for some people because they may not be naturally confident engaging in conversations with new people. For some, thin information may feed the lack of confidence because they don’t know how or where to begin a conversation. By providing a bio, you are including information that matches can easily draw upon to get a conversation going.” — Tinder Sociologist Dr. Jess Carbino
3. Show, Don’t Tell
“Paint snapshots of your life rather than listing adjectives and your likes. Who are you and what is the essence of your life and hobbies that you want to convey? Plenty of people claim to be an adventurous lover of life who loves to travel. Give them a visual of how this is true: ‘Packed a bag and met my friend in Japan with 24 hours’ notice!’” — Antonia Hall, psychologist, relationship expert, and author of The Ultimate Guide to a Multi-Orgasmic Life
4. Include Your “Must Have”s
“Don’t be afraid of openly stating who and what you are. It will all be revealed in time, anyway. Might as well start from the best position possible. Give your prospective dates a true idea of how you live your life. Include information about the kind of hobbies, interests, and values that define your personality. Being your partner means being in agreement with your day-to-day lifestyle. Stating important truths up front will aid your ability to match with the type of ‘resonant others’ you’d like to date.
If you’re a dedicated athlete, that means you live a healthy lifestyle. You won’t want to waste time with someone who loves clubbing till 4 a.m. when you’re getting up to run each morning at 5 a.m. If you’re newly sober, include the fact that living a clean lifestyle is important to you, and that you neither drink nor take drugs. If you follow a specific religion or spiritual path that defines your daily lifestyle, that’s also important information to share. This can also include your sexual preferences for expression. If you know your sexual lifestyle dictates a specific type of partner, don’t be subtle. State your needs clearly to avoid future conflict.” — Susan Winter, relationship expert and bestselling author of Allowing Magnificence
5. Be Upfront About Your Relationship Status & What You Want
“If you’re interested in hookups, don’t contact people who don’t have that included in their profiles. The likelihood of you not getting a response is about 95 percent.” — Clarissa Silva, behavioral scientist and author of the relationship blog, You’re Just A Dumbass
“Your online dating profile is a great opportunity to do some of the work that dating in person would normally do if you didn’t meet online. In other words, you can use your online profile to filter for what you do and don’t want. For instance, if you’re looking for someone who’s not separated, but truly divorced, say so. Lots of people think they’re single because they’re living alone, but the reality is they’re separated and have been for years with no divorce paperwork in the process. Ask now! Save yourself some time, energy and money.” — April Masini, aka “Ask April,” New York–based relationship expertand author
“My friend began a serious relationship with a man who stated he wanted a ‘calm’ woman. She tried in earnest to amend herself for him, but what he really wanted was a seriously committed submissive. She broke off the engagement and he was stuck with having bought a home for them.” — Susan Winter, relationship expert and bestselling author of Allowing Magnificence
6. Be Honest
'Whatever your current life circumstances are, just be honest about it. Ultimately, the person you want to be with will be supportive.” — Clarissa Silva, behavioral scientist and author of the relationship blog, You’re Just A Dumbass
“Eventually you’re going to meet and date this person, so don’t lie about yourself, your hobbies, or skills. No one wants to plan a date for a ‘surf lover,’ only to discover that person can’t swim.” — Antonia Hall, psychologist, relationship expert, and author of The Ultimate Guide to a Multi-Orgasmic Life
7. Be Positive
“Keep your wording positive, confident, and succinct. At best, you get about 10 seconds to wow your perspective sweetheart. If you fill that space with negative language, what you’re not looking for in a partner, arrogance, or long, run-on sentences, you’ll be dateless.” — Antonia Hall, psychologist, relationship expert, and author of The Ultimate Guide to a Multi-Orgasmic Life
8. Show Your Sense Of Humor
“I encourage a sense of humor, something that makes your reader smile and think, not just wonder if there is attraction or not. Remember, a good match doesn’t make us feel great — we feel great because we feel great around them. If I’m smiling to myself because of what they say or write, imagine how great I’ll feel in their presence!” — Jeffrey Sumber, MA, MTS, LCPC, psychotherapist and bestselling author of Renew Your Wows!
9. Avoid Clichés
“Clichés are overused in life, but even more so in dating profiles. What makes you different and interesting? Play that up, keeping it fresh and unique to stand out from the easy-going, glass-half-full crowd looking for their ‘partner-in-crime.’” — Antonia Hall, psychologist, relationship expert, and author of The Ultimate Guide to a Multi-Orgasmic Life
After all, the more you know about someone, the more you’ll have to go on when trying to see if the person would be a good fit for you.
Images: Fotolia, Giphy
Sometimes coming up with a Bumble bio is the last thing you want to do. You log in to the app, you’re ready to start meeting people, but then you get stuck staring at that little About Me box with it’s blinking black cursor at a complete loss for what to say.
The thing is, it doesn’t have to be that hard. While some apps have long bios and profiles with multiple sections and questions, Bumble takes a more simplistic approach. And the truth is, you really shouldn’t spend too much time on your Bumble bio anyway. It just needs to reveal enough about you to make someone want to learn more.
Here are some of the best Bumble bios along with some quick writing tips and tricks to help you create a good profile as quickly as possible:
1. Greater than/less than bio
Want to start more conversations from your Bumble bio? The greater than/less than trick might be for you. Simply list out sets of things you could debate with someone, and say which you think is better. It’s a way to show who you are and also provide whoever’s looking at your profile with some conversation topics.
Examples:
Eric, 25
City life < Country life
Savory > Sweet
Black Panther > Any other superhero movie ever
RadioLab > Serial
Tracie, 27
Cold pizza < leftover Chinese
Flannel shirt > a hoodie
Sunday Funday > Thirsty Thursday
Your thoughts?
2. First and last bio
Here’s a no fuss bio type to try out—first and lasts. Let people know the last movie you saw, book you read, person you looked up to, vacation you went on, or time you hurt yourself. It gives a fast view of who you are now, without giving everything away. Instead of saying lasts, you can flip it too. Get nostalgic instead and say your firsts—first date, first trip, first job, or first word. The more specific and oddball the better.
Examples:
Olivia, 32
First…
Crush: Joey from Blossom (Woah!)
CD: The President’s of the United States of America
Job: Interning at the mayor’s office, it was actually pretty great
Words: Ut oh (I used to throw things on the floor and say, “Ut oh!” So after that my parents called me an ut oh baby.)
Drew, 28
Last…
Place I visited: Seattle for a friend’s camping wedding (epic)
Book I read: The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood (also epic)
Thing I ate: Poke from Pacific Catch that I probably eat three times a week
Time I was humbled: The day my friend Jeff went to basic training
3. About me/about you bio
Another fast format, the this bio type is where you list details about yourself, contrasted with details about the type of person you’re looking for.
Examples:
Jesse, 38
About Me: Works hard all week so I can take off for the mountain on the weekend, loves my dog Eddie, loves to argue on first dates, isn’t afraid to make a fool of myself on a dance floor.
About You: Love adventures and the outdoors, understands me when I’m hangry, isn’t afraid to talk politics, is down to watch all three Back to the Future’s with me.
Lana, 32
About Me: I love any movie where they spontaneously break out into song, can only eat three pieces of pizza (every time I go for four I regret it), and probably work too much.
About You: Doesn’t give me too hard of a time about working too much, is down to wait in line for an amazing brunch, and understands that the best part of the burrito is the butt.
4. Three simple things bio
Another list format to play around with is the three simple things profile. Just share three completely random things about yourself.
Examples:
Fred, 40
I drink massive amounts of coffee, love anything ridiculous or bizarre, and will shamelessly use my dog to flirt with you.
Leah, 23
Halloween is my favorite holiday, Empire Strikes Back is my favorite Star Wars, and I once drove cross country with my best friend, a basset hound, and a pug.
5. One smartass comment bio
There’s something intriguing about a profile with a single comment that catches your eye.
Examples:
Maddie, 23
A group of ferrets is called a business. So when someone says they’re taking care of business, they’re really just taking care of a bunch of ferrets.
Eric, 27
I talked about Fight Club.
Amie, 32
Still upset that the word ratify doesn’t mean to turn something into a rat.
Dan, 24
Not to brag, but I’ve been told I’m a fine one to talk.
6. Obscure reference bio
Have a quote from a song, movie, TV show, or other piece of life or pop culture that you love? Use it!
Examples:
Peter, 37
I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and doggone it, people like me.
Brianne, 32
I want a guy to say bless you when I sneeze.
7. List of likes bio
So ok, you’ve probably seen this profile before so it’s not the most unique, but done right it can be pretty damn effective. To reduce the risk of sounding generic, stay away from obvious things like hiking, traveling, and your friends and family. Instead list the random, weird, not-so-obvious things you like.
Examples:
Liz, 32
I like…
The Frito smell of dog paws.
When I randomly decide to call an old friend and they say, “I was just thinking about you!”
The way little kids get grumpy and confused when they’re tired.
That moment I get that Bumble BOOM! message, and know someone I liked is into me too.
Ray, 30
Eating ice cream from the carton with a big spoon, when it’s a big holiday weekend and it feels like the city is empty, Romantic poetry (that’s right, capital R not lowercase), poop jokes and Adam Sandler movies. (What can I say, I’m super sophisticated.)
8. By day/by night bio
Nobody is any one thing, and that’s why the by day/by night bio works well. It’s a way to show two sides of yourself, what you do for work and what you do for play. It’s kind of like the mullet of dating profiles. Business in the front, party in the back.
Examples:
Beatrice, 34
UX designer by. Professional cat cuddler and semi-pretentious bibliophile by night.
Raul, 31
Sales director by day, indie music lover and garage band member by night.
What To Put On Dating App Bio
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What To Say In A Dating App Bio
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