In this week’s edition of Ro&Co, Claire shares her crash course for success on the infamous Tinder as a college student. Check out her previous post for Ro&Co about making it to the gym in the cold!
Hi Everyone! Today I’m gonna talk about how to build a Tinder bio. I’ve been an emotionally unavailable gal on the go for several months nows, so I’ve had a bit of time to experiment with my Tinder game. Here’s some of my advice for crafting a bio, and some my tidbits of advice and biggest pet peeves.
Bio
In my opinion, the bio is the most important part of any Tinder profile. It is usually the conversation starter for the first message that gets sent to you; so make sure it’s something you’re down to talk about. I’ve had a lot of experience with tinder bios (because I make my bio the funniest I’ve seen or thought of lately) and I’ve had a range of responses. A George Bush quote was a great intro for me, whereas the phrase ‘too competitive for three-ways’ led to a lot of creepy messages.
Currently I have the bio “known mansplainer” which is really just a description but it’s really fun to see what people message me about that. Basically choose a bio that reflects your personality and involves a topic that you’re willing to talk about with 3/4 of your matches.
Whatever you do though, PLEASE make an original bio. The best bios I’ve ever seen are funny things that separate you from everyone else. Some of the great bios I saw this week said things like “sponsored by Soulja boy”, “pretty much only looking to get married”, and “avid sleeper”. A longer example from one of my friends is “once sprained my thumb on a soap dispenser; message me if you’re interested in going my class action lawsuit”.
Photos
The next step of building your Tinder profile is the photos. I think that the first picture should absolutely be a solo shot. No one wants to wonder who their swiping on. Additionally, you need to have three or more photos. When I see a bio with one pic, I assume that a) I’m being catfished, or b) that picture is not an accurate representation of you. Finally, I try to have at least one or two photos of me and others (not the first photo obviously) to imply that I have friends.
Strategy
I like to be aware of the vibe I’m sending with my photos. If I’m looking for a casual hookup, I try to make my profile a smidge more risqué than I would if I were looking for friends. Obviously my profile cannot and should not be assumed to mean consent or interest in anything, but I remember that I have some control over the people I’m trying to get matches with. For instance, if I really just want people to send memes, I will literally write that in my bio. If I’m just looking for sex, I make that clear too.
You don’t have to precisely spell out “I am using this app for sex” but there are definitely funny ways to make this clear. For example, one bio I read during my research (lol) said “physics student; I’ll help you with your math and science homework if you help me understand some content for my physiology class.” This boy managed to say “I AM HERE FOR SEX” while still making me laugh, and that’s a win.
Tinder Dates
I think that one of the biggest Tinder mistakes you can make is refusing to ever go on any dates. I hear this a lot from my friends for a lot of different reasons. Some say that they’re scared to commit. Some only want to use the app for an ego boost. Some people are just afraid of meeting strangers from the internet.
My advice is to give it a chance. If you really click with someone, then maybe grab coffee. I once went on a Tinder first date where I clicked with the guy so well that we sat in a coffee shop for 4 hours talking! A lot of the people on Tinder are normal and just looking for the same things we are. That being said, I’m super scared of being killed by a serial killer so I definitely recommend having this Tinder date in a public place (instead of a secluded park at midnight).
Are you afraid of Tinder serial killers? What are your bio tips? Let me know on instagram @clairedrigs.
Check out Claire’s previous post on Ro&Co about making it to the gym in the winter!
