5 online dating insights from Redditors

Tips and techniques to enhance your online dating experience

Ever wonder how your online dating experiences stack up against your peers? Here are a few experiences, shared by users of Reddit, that contain a few notes and concerns worth thinking about:

1. How much do looks matter?

Lazy openers can work if she likes your profile picture, but using a more creative opener can give you an edge if you don’t think your photos are a big enough differentiator. Even if you’re a good looking guy, data from the app The Grade shows that professional quality photos tend to get the most right swipes.

Remember that your photos, your bio and your opener are the three factors women use to make quick decisions about whether they’ll message you. If you send a lazy opener, like the one described above, she better be impressed by at least one of the other two elements of your profile.

2. High risk, high reward

Not recommended, but if you’re able to persevere through the vast amounts of rejection, you might find the one match who responds well.

3. What do women really think of the ‘hey what’s up’ message?

As stated above, if your opening message is boring, your pics and/or bio had better impress.

4. What sort of response rates should you expect?

On sites such as OkCupid and Plenty of Fish, you have room to improve if you’re not receiving responses to your opening messages at a rate in the 30- to 40-percent range. On apps such as Tinder and Coffee Meets Bagel, where you both have to swipe right on each other before messaging, an optimal response rate is around 50 percent.

5. Social responsibility

Empathize with the fact that you’re messaging with another human who is investing time and emotion. Try to avoid messaging for the sole purpose of “practice.”