There are two types of men in this world. Those who opt for “Hey!”, “Hi!”, “What’s Up?” and “How’s it going?”; and those who actually see results from dating apps.
Much like with style, on dating apps, the key to standing out in a sea of sausage is to switch it up and show some originality. We spoke to the experts and sifted out all the obvious advice – Sunday at 9pm is peak time, avoid gym selfies and, please, no dick pics – to leave the lines that’ll act like the milkshake to your yard.
CHOCOLATE, BANANA OR VANILLA?
Dating app Hinge recently conducted a study in which analysts sorted 100 of the most common opening lines and put them to the test. Unsurprisingly, the outcome between men and women was vastly different.
The study found that men are 98 percent more likely to respond to assertive, invitational messages such as “Fancy grabbing a drink?” over a bog standard “Hey”.
One of the most successful topics of opening lines for women, though, was food. The result showed the fairer sex is over 40 percent more likely to respond to food-related questions like “What’s your favorite milkshake?”
Just be sure to avoid making any banana or aubergine gags, as anything that insinuated sexual activity saw a 14 percent drop in chances.
AGE IS MORE THAN JUST A NUMBER
In the same study, Hinge analyzed the data to see whether the age of the recipient was a factor in what they would and wouldn’t respond to. The answer was a resounding yes.
For someone aged 18-23, a ‘novelty’ opener is best to ensure a response. “Your portrait is being painted – what’s the backdrop?” came out on top, but basically anything slightly off-kilter works for the younger crowd.
At 24-28, people are less likely to fall for something trying to be funny, but they will respond positively to a conversation about lifestyle or activities. One of the most popular opening lines involved asking the other person how they liked to spend a Sunday (which helpfully provides a pretty easy segue into asking them out on a date).
Asking a 29-34-year-old about themselves proved most successful, with the standout response going to “Two truths and one lie – go.”
As for those aged 35 and above, pop culture references work best – the aim is to verify you are at least able to hold a conversation about the same things.
HEY IS FOR HORSES
“Hey, what’s up?” may seem like a harmless play-it-safe icebreaker, but Tinder’s own study into opening lines suggests you’re better off saying anything but.
The success of the generic opener was taken as a baseline in the study, and pretty much everything ranked above it.
Being unique, funny and referencing a match’s images was a much more successful way to grab attention. According to a study by dating site Match.com, 97 percent of women think a sense of humor is just as attractive as chiselled good looks. That explains Seth Rogen’s smoking hot wife.
GET GIFFY
Tinder’s study also looked at the success of using GIFs alongside opening lines. The findings were unanimous: easing in with an animation makes people 30 percent more likely to respond, and will double the length of a conversation.
“GIFs allow people to better say what they want to and express emotion, which is something that’s really difficult to do in text alone,” says Tinder co-founder Jonathan Badeen.
To get you started on your GIF odyssey, Tinder has even released the 20 most successful opening animations. View the top three below and check out the full list here.
You’re welcome.
1. THE OL’ JIMMY FALLON “HAAAAAAY”
2. THE SAVED BY THE BELL-O HELLO
3. THE PIZZA MY HEART
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