Like me, your dating profile is probably gathering digital dust with terrible pun prompts and multiple unopened messages from matches you made when your self-esteem was higher. I hate to break it to you, but it’s high time for a glow-up. So, we grilled the big three — Tinder, Hinge, and Bumble — for their no-BS tips to make 2025 your year of fewer ghosters and more cute as heck dates. Because if we have to go through the admin of dating, then we’ve at least go to do it right.
Hinge’s tips:
Hinge’s mantra? “Less mystery, more you.” Their data shows profiles with clear dating intentions (think “Life Partner Seeker” or “Figuring Out My Dating Goals”) get 177 per cent more dates than vague bios. But how to stand out?
- Photos: Skip the sunglasses and “Where’s Waldo?” group shots. “Ditch the sunglasses, filters, or group shots where it’s impossible to figure out which one is you,” said Logan Ury, Hinge’s Director of Relationship Science. One group photo max, please.
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Prompts: Swap clichés like “I’ll fall for you if… you love travel” for specifics. As Hinge suggested, think of your profile as “your opening line in a conversation — something your match can respond to or ask a follow up question about”, so ditch the one-word answers. And please for the love of God, stop listing keeping your hoodie as a special skill. No more!
“You don’t want to be just one flavour so mix up the earnestness and the dad jokes. Successful profiles balance humour with other authentic, personal answers that help potential matches better get to know you and your dating intentions,” said Logan.
- Voice Notes: Drop a 30-second audio clip — tell a bad joke, rant about people ranting about pineapple on pizza, whatever. Profiles with Voice Prompts land 32 per cent more dates, and conversations with Voice Notes were 40 per cent more likely to lead to a date. Currently my voice note is about how the Barbie movies should be considered cult classics and it helps weed out the film bros and keep people with taste. I highly recommend.
We also asked about whether Roses are really worth using or if they’re cringe and apparently “sending a rose doubles your chances of going on a date”.
“They instantly show someone that you’re excited to get to know them,” said Logan.
Bumble’s tips:
According to Bumble, two in three Australian women (66 per cent) are saying they are being more honest with themselves and no longer making compromises. Which means we need to start getting real in our bios.
With 72 per cent of singles hunting for long-term love this year, authenticity rules, and unique and quirky interests are now a key to attractiveness.
- Photos: Lead with a solo shot (smiling helps), then add snaps of you hiking, thrifting, or mid-cold plunge. Again, ditch blurry pics, sunglasses and keep it to minimal group shots. Your first photo should always just be you.
- Ditch the aesthetics: Bumble’s resident sexologist Chantelle Otten says to remember humour in your profile pics. “Remember not to treat your profile like Instagram. It’s not supposed to be a highlight reel of you only dressed to the nines, but rather an authentic representation of who you are and the person you will show up as when dating,” she said.
- Interest badges: Bumble highly recommends giving your profile a refresh with new options like “House Plants” or “Crocheting” letting you flex niche hobbies. Filter matches by these to find your type faster. The app recently launched more than 30 new Interest badges such as trivia, thrifting, cold plunging, crocheting, and house plants to celebrate the many unique interests out there.
- Openers: Skip “Hey” and reference their Spotify playlist or Trivia Tuesday badge. As Chantelle said, “It shows you’re paying attention and is way more likely to spark a great conversation.” Also, who cares about how your day was, I want to know why you last cried!
Bumble also wanted to flag their Video date feature. Before you have pandemic flashbacks, think of it as a precaution for safety and vibes.
“If you decide you’re not into someone after a video date you haven’t really lost anything, and you can save the IRL dates for the ones you are really into and excited to meet,” said Chantelle.
“It’s a really great way to showcase your personality and get to know someone better, as the communication is clearer and more intimate.”
Tinder’s tips:
Tinder came out with a 2025 Dating Dictionary with some dating terms that I’ve never heard of before, but I’m hopeful they’ll help!
- Loud-look your bio: “Vague bios are out,” says Tinder’s Sera Bozza. Apparently, “Looking for…” topped Tinder bios in 2024 because it promoted clarity. As Tinder suggests, “Try the comedy ‘Rule of Three’: Two aligned traits followed by one that’s a super playful twist, the result? a bio that hooks and creates an instant opener.”
- Pitch-me dating: Highlight 3-4 traits, for example I would say: Selling Sunset addict, Real Housewives addict, Summer House addict. This is so people can quickly find out what key things make up your personality during their swipe seshes.
- Cherry bomb chats: “Faster responses mean faster sparks, so keep your messages quick, light, and fun, aka cherry bombing!” said Tinder. It seems like it’s all about momentum, if you drag on the replies too long, one of you will lose interest and an IRL date will seem further out of reach.
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Try contra-dating: Tinder wants us to shake up who we usually go for and try something different. If you love a gym bro,
seek helpmaybe go for a barista booknerd. If you’ve only ever dated creatives, maybe dabble in the STEM baddies. If you really don’t trust your taste, Tinder also has Tinder Matchmaker which allows your mates to swipe for you and make it into a group activity!
The golden rule of dating apps? Keep it real
All three apps agree: Profiles that balance humour and honesty win. So, lose the pretence, add that cringe hiking pic, and let your Spotify Wrapped do the talking. Happy swiping!
The post What Your Dating App Profile Actually Needs, According To Tinder, Hinge & Bumble appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
