How To Get The Most Out Of Dating Sites

Perfect Your Profile

Speaking of building a great profile, this is the next important step when learning how to be good at online dating. Once you’ve picked a platform (or two), it’s time to start attracting some matches.

There are a lot of things that draw us toward other people when we’re meeting them offline. We notice their personality, their charm, their height, appearance, and their laugh, among other things. But the online world forces us to stick with a handful of pictures and a short biography of that person. So, if you want to get a good number of matches (and from people that you’re attracted to), you’ll have to learn how to sell yourself with these few features.

Our eyes are always drawn to images, regardless of how enticing your bio is. This means that your first step will be choosing the perfect photos. We detail all sorts of different techniques in our online dating tips for choosing the right photos for online dating profiles. The Sasquatch-approved method is sharing a handful of photos that show your appearance but also your passions or hobbies. Do you love the outdoors and want to find a match that shares this passion? Make sure you have a great shot of you hiking somewhere on your page! These are good ways of giving potential matches an indication of what life might look like if they decide to take a chance on you.

Some of us might have good enough photos that excuse us from crafting a great bio. Unfortunately, not all of us have this privilege. (Seriously, have you seen a Sasquatch have a good hair day? They’re few and far between.) But even if you do have match-worthy photos, your profile is the place to really sell yourself. You don’t have a lot of words, so use them carefully.

The experts recommend staying positive in your profile. This means focusing on the things you’re looking for in a potential partner and not pushing anybody away with an immediate ‘no.’ List the things you might like in your matches, but avoid writing out the things that go against your preference. You can always talk about dealbreakers once you get to the conversation stage!

Fortunately for those who find it hard to talk about themselves, there are plenty of online dating platforms that do all the hard work for you. Places like Hinge and Bumble offer writing prompts while creating your bio so that you don’t have to spend hours wondering what fun facts to write about yourself. Some commonly found prompts include:

• Two truths and a lie
• List your go-to karaoke song
• Tell us about your perfect way to spend a weekend

Don’t be afraid to look at the prompt-including apps (even if you aren’t using them) for inspiration when crafting your profile! 

Be Open Minded While Scrolling or Swiping

Let’s face it. Some of us are picky when it comes to dating. But if you’re trying to figure out how to find a good man or woman online, you’ll need to avoid the urge to cross people off your list before moving past their profile.

You won’t have time to spend hours pondering over each potential match when you’re online dating. Though, you still want to make sure that you’re at least reading past the first sentence of their bio and scrolling beyond the first picture. Don’t feel pressured to swipe on people that are miles away from your type. But just think, if you scroll too fast, you might lose the opportunity to meet your soulmate! Be open-minded about your potential matches, and remember that there’s no harm in matching with someone that may not move past the talking stage.

The other side of the coin that some people face is that they decide to move forward with every potential profile without looking at the profiles as a way of increasing their overall number of matches. This may be faster at first, but you’ll still be left with dozens of profiles to sort through before sending an introductory message. You also risk hurting the other person’s feelings if it turns out that they’re not your type after all. Try to find a strategy that works for you and stay flexible with it.

Start Out Strong

Okay, so you’ve found a few matches! You’ve mastered the first stage, but the key to learning how to be good at online dating is all about following through with your potential dates.

There are thousands of people out there who match with somebody and never bother sending them a message. Sometimes this is out of laziness or because they forget to check the sites regularly. Other times it’s about fear of sending the wrong thing or failing to ignite a spark. But just like with in-person dating, you’ll never know if you don’t try.

In addition to a friendly greeting, the best way to start a real conversation (and not a one-sided, meaningless one with no chance of leading to a date) is to ask open-ended questions. Take a look at their profile and find something that you’re interested in or that you have in common, and take it from there. Bonus points if you can use it as an opening for a date later on in the message thread! Here are a few examples of opening messages that might relate to somebody’s profile.

• “Hey! Great pictures. It looks like you’ve been to a lot of great restaurants nearby. Are there any you’ve been meaning to try recently?”
• “I noticed in your photos that you like to run. Are you training for any upcoming races? I’ve always wanted to run a marathon!”

You might not be the first one to send a message, either. It may seem as if the hard work is done for you in this case, but don’t let that trick you into sending a disinteresting response. Avoid letting the conversation grow stale by returning questions and changing up the topic if things drag on.

Don’t Keep Them Waiting

18% of adults have tried online dating. Despite this impressive number, only one-third of them have met up with a match in real life.  What’s holding the other two-thirds back?

Some online daters get so caught up in the early stages, like setting up a profile and sending the perfect first message. But if you want to learn how to get the most out of dating sites, then you’ll need to be ready to make the leap at some point!

The longer you keep a conversation growing, the harder it will be to transition into the real world. This is because you risk getting too comfortable by staying in the talking stage. So, if you feel like you’re interested in somebody (and they’re showing the same interest back), then try to set something up where you can meet in person!

The easiest way to do this is by using something that you’ve already talked about as a jumping point. One of our opening message examples in our last section suggested asking a match if there were any nearby restaurants they have wanted to try. This would be the perfect opportunity to offer to take them to the restaurant that they respond with. 

Some online daters might be afraid of meeting up in person, especially if it’s early on in talking stage. There are real dangers that come with these platforms, like meeting somebody who is not who they say they are. For some safe online dating tips, remember that if you run in to somebody who is hesitant to meet, you can always invite them for a virtual date before meeting up. A quick Zoom call can do wonders when it comes to easing one’s mind!

Don’t Give Up Hope

Some people get lucky and find the perfect partner on a dating site right away. It takes a lot longer for most of us, though. A recent study found that most people took two months to find a partner on a dating site.

The perk of online dating platforms is that there will be no shortage of folks to choose from. Even if you exhaust the dating pool on one site, you can always try another one. Or wait for new singles to join the one that you’re already used to!



Dating requires patience. You may go on a few bad dates or have a handful of conversations that go nowhere. But if you stick with it and work on our tips for how to get the most out of dating sites, then the odds are in your favour. If a sasquatch can find love in the middle of the forest, then you can find love on the internet.