Optimizing Your Dating Profile Like a Marketing Pro!
Love is in the air this time of year. Heart-shaped chocolate boxes line grocery store shelves, teddy bears and bouquets are rushed home to lucky recipients, and of course—everyone you know is posting their partner all over social media.
But if, like some of us, you don’t have a Valentine this year, you might be thinking about getting back in the game—and we all know that starts online!
While it can be fun to meet new people on these apps, it’s no secret that they can be a bit discouraging at times. Maybe you don’t get as many matches as you’d like, or the people you do match with turn out to not be a good fit. Maybe people get the wrong idea about what you’re looking for. If you’re getting tired of those sympathetic looks from the barista at your go-to first-date cafe, then we’re here to help.
What makes us qualified to help you optimize your dating profile? For one thing, we’re no strangers to these apps (not to tell on ourselves). But there’s another reason: We’ve come to realize that dating apps are just different kinds of social media. And as your resident social media unicorns, we’re here to help you tweak your dating profile like a marketing pro.
The Dating App/Social Media Connection
Before we jump into specific tips, you might be wondering how much apps like Hinge, Tinder, and Bumble really have in common with the social media apps you use. If you ask us, there are some major similarities to consider:
Both are meant to show off your personality, your taste, and what you’re all about
Both are used to find new people
Both are big on images, with text playing more of a supporting role
Both offer messaging tools to let you talk to other users
Both are ultimately about capturing someone’s attention and encouraging them to take action about it
While it’s true that social media is more focused on the people you know, the rising popularity of Instagram Reels and TikTok shows us that more people use these apps to find new accounts. While TikTok has you swiping up through videos, Tinder has you swiping left or right through profiles. Ultimately, the goal is the same: To engage people, get their attention, and hopefully make them interested in what you have to offer!
How to Tweak Your Dating Profile (According to Social Media Experts)
If you’re ready to start having some luck on your dating app journey, it all comes down to looking at the way you present yourself. In the real world, you’re so much more than a handful of photos, a quippy bio, and fast facts about whether or not you smoke or what kind of relationship you’re after. But your profile is the only way for people to begin to get to know you on these apps, which is why it’s essential to put your best foot forward.
Here are 6 social media marketing tips that can transform your dating profile!
Tell a Story with Your Pics
It’s been said a million times: The art of marketing is ultimately about telling a good story. When we do social media for a client, we’re looking for the narratives at play behind their work. Maybe we want to highlight the founders and the series of life events that made them start their businesses. Perhaps we want to look at the way a product evolved over time into its final form. Whatever the case, we know that people connect with stories more than anything else. So how do you apply this to your dating profile?
Dating apps are big on pictures, so we suggest using them to tell your story. Usually, you can upload 5-10 pics to your profile. Rather than simply posting a bunch of mirror selfies and calling it a day, we suggest thinking about the ways you can use each picture to show off a different side of your personality.
So if you’re a fitness fanatic, a cute picture in your running outfit can be a great way to show it off (maybe take the picture before you’re all sweaty, though). If you’re a musician, add a pic of you and your instrument. Throw in a candid of you and your friends, one of you looking your best at work, and another of you getting up to something silly. Really, anything goes—just no pictures with your ex.
Show Yourself Off!
When you’re shopping online, you want to get the full picture before you pull the trigger on a purchase. You wouldn’t buy a pair of shoes if all you got was one badly cropped picture. Honestly, you might not even order a pizza for delivery if you couldn’t see what it looked like first! So why treat your profile any differently?
We all have our insecurities, and it’s tempting to hide them in your dating profile. But at the end of the day, people will see you in all of your perfect imperfections as soon as you go on that first date—so why not save everyone some time and make sure your potential dates can get a good look at you from your profile? Skip the pics with your face half out of frame or your body hidden. People like what they like, and there is someone out there who’ll like you just as you are—so just be honest about what you’ve got going on, and show it off with pride!
3.Get Specific (And Maybe a Little Weird)
If we had a dollar for every generic ‘✨take me on an adventure ✨’ Tinder bio we saw… We’d probably have to start picking up the bill on our first dates! With 28 million people on Hinge, 75 million on Tinder, and around 4 million on Bumble, one thing is clear: You NEED to find a way to stand out from the rest!
What does this mean? Ditch the safe, bland bio in favour of something a little more ‘you’. Don’t be afraid to let your weird side out a little, either. If you have a hobby that’s on the unusual side, posting a pic of it can be a great conversation starter. Personally, we’d rather go out with someone who does taxidermy than yet another man holding a fish (IYKYK)!
Ultimately, the more specific and niche you can be, the better results you’ll see. Everyone loves going on adventures. Everyone loves drinking coffee in a cute cafe. Everyone loves a good book on the beach. What do you have to offer that no one else does? Find it, then flaunt it!
4. Leave Some Things to the Imagination
While we believe in being honest and open about your quirks and personality, there’s something to be said for holding a few things back. If you put everything about yourself out there all at once, it can be a bit much to take in. We see this all the time in our marketing work—ever clicked through to a company’s website or social media only to be overwhelmed by information? At a certain point, it gets too hard to digest, and before long, you’ve jumped over to the competition.
That’s why we suggest leaving a few things for the first (or second, or tenth) date. It’s not about hiding parts of yourself, but about giving your matches something to get curious about. A little intrigue and mystery can go a long way to getting people interested enough to take you out for a drink.
5. Define Your Audience
Another key element of a good marketing plan is knowing your audience. This is a huge part of our work—learning about a page’s existing audience, identifying the kind of person we’d like to reach, and creating a marketing plan designed to help us connect with them. Your dating profile is the exact same thing! Rather than casting the widest possible net and being left to sort through a sea of matches, get specific about what you’re looking for.
If you’re after something serious and long-term, say so. If you’re more in the mood for a casual romance, let people know! While you might get fewer matches this way, the people you do talk to will already know what you’re after, and your dates will go a whole lot smoother.
6. Add a Call-to-Action
This one might sound a little corny, but believe us—it works. Marketing is ultimately about enticing someone to take some kind of action, whether it’s purchasing your products, booking an appointment, or making a reservation. To do this, we introduce what we have to offer, show off why it’s so great, and entice the reader to do something about it. This might be reminding people to click the link in the bio on Instagram, drop a follow on TikTok, or click through to a website on LinkedIn.
Applying this same idea can work wonders for your dating profile. Because even if someone likes your look and your vibe, they might feel a little shy or intimidated to send that first message. That’s why a simple call-to-action (CTA) can be so useful. Apps like Hinge and Bumble make this easy with their prompts, as many of them naturally invite conversations. But you can also create your own CTA that encourages a message while also sharing something about yourself. Think “I love a good cocktail, but I can’t find a decent negroni anywhere in town. Where should we go?” or “I like bad films better than good ones. What’s the best worst movie you’ve ever seen?” The more specific, honest, and unique your CTA, the more likely you’ll get a bite.
Fall in Love with Your Social Media
Hopefully, these tips can help you level up your dating profile and start going out on the dates you deserve. Remember that, while these apps can be great ways to have a little fun meeting new people, they can also take their toll on your mental health. By allowing yourself to be honest, open, and authentic on dating apps, you’ll hopefully have more fun on your swiping journey, and with a little luck, meet someone special.
If you love these ideas for optimizing your dating profile, you won’t believe the impact we can have on your social media. We know how much work it takes to grow on socials, which is why we’re here to play matchmaker between your brand and your audience! If you’re ready to fall in love with your social media, we’re happy to set you up. Connect with the BNL unicorns today!