The importance of a P.P.P. – The perfect profile picture.
The following article is aimed primarily at (straight) men on dating apps looking for a new girlfriend or who just want some fun.
“Why them?” you may ask. Well, because you should give help to whomever needs it the most.
Obviously, some of the tips can definitely be useful to everyone regardless of gender, it is just suggestions and opinions on how to level up your dating profile to make it more attractive, and some of these points can perfectly apply to everyone looking for a few pointers on how to be successful on any dating platform you choose.
After some time spent on the lookout for a new partner in crime, you have finally decided to try your luck and subscribe to one (or more) of the numerous, numerous dating apps available to you, but now you have to get down to the practicalities.
Setting up your profile on a dating app can be a very fun process for sure, but also a little stressful, don’t you agree? You have to write a great, funny and cool bio, and then upload some really hot, sexy and appealing pictures to get that perfect profile that nobody can possibly overlook. But what pictures should you choose to get that result? And which ones should you discard?
Don’t worry, we are here to help!
Why are these photos so important? Isn’t personality what matters the most? It is, yes, but your personality shows through the images of yourself that you put out there.
The images we choose to represent ourselves on social media and online in general say a lot about who we are. If for example you’ve chosen six different versions of similar selfies for your Tinder (or Hinge, or Match.com, Bumble, OkCupid…) profile, you probably aren’t going to come off as particularly interesting. If you have five pics and three of them are your dog alone, we will know what you think is the most attractive feature about you, and while a picture of your dog is great and certainly endearing, you should be in it too, because you are the focus of the situation.
So, here are our suggestions on how to pick the most successful pictures for your dating profile:
First of all, you will need to upload at the very least four photos, as the bare minimum, but it would be better to have six or seven, where the last two can be something that adds to the rest, even if it showcases a silly aspect of you – but it should still look, you know, somewhat attractive – a frog suit? … Okay, but you should still try and make what is visible of you, look good. A modicum of goofiness can be positive, after all.
Anyway, what follows are the absolute no-no’s of a tinder profile pic.
What to avoid:
- Fishing pictures, or pictures with any dead animal in general. Not into it, please refrain. We understand the sentiment, but no thank you. It is not really the win you think it is, and it is definitely not attractive or appealing in the slightest. It does NOT make us think “oh he’s a hunter, he’s a provider”, if that is what you believe.
- Group photos, especially if you are not at the center of it or are very recognizable, and absolutely to be avoided as a first slide. It’s great that you are sociable and have many friends and that can speak well of you, but we can be informed of that at the fourth or fifth slide, if you really want us to know.
- Grainy, unfocused images. We are not saying that you necessarily need a pro photographer to get those perfect, HD shots (although it’s a viable option…), but if your phone doesn’t have the best camera, maybe ask a friend with a better phone?
- Very old photos. It should be obvious that if you are posting a pic from 2016, things might get awkward if you and your match ever meet in real life and you don’t look like that anymore.
- Gym pics (only), especially if there is someone in the background, double especially if they are looking. What could be attractive turns immediately into cringe, and that is not recommended.
- OLD MEMES, for the love of whatever is dearest to you, do not use old memes. No “me gusta” “lololol” “why u” and all that genre. It was good while it lasted, keep them in the pocket closest to your heart. YOLO is not cool anymore as well. Sorry, not sorry.
- Unclear images. If they have to squint to see you in the mountains, maybe it’s not necessarily the best option. Or at least, if what you want is to show that you are an active, adventurous person, put it as third or fourth, but it is preferable that you are visible in it.
- Too staged pictures: looking at a distance casually flexing your muscles with a half smile, or in a stiff, clearly held, unnatural pose… It’s not really becoming, and gives off a feeling of either too much self-confidence in the sense of boasting, which is frankly very unattractive, or no self-confidence at all, so you have to “pretend”. It’s okay if you want to fake it ‘til you make it, but at least try to fake it in a realistic way (there are actually good tutorials about this topic).
- Grease. Not the musical, the layer on you. Your profile should show a person who cares at least a bit about their appearance, so wash your hair, don’t wear stained or super faded clothes, take care of your beard, give yourself a general grooming, make sure the environment around you looks neat and clean. No one wants to sleep at a gritty, dirty house or with a gritty, dirty man (or other), right?
- Filters, because we apparently need to talk about it. No, avoid them at all costs. It’s okay if they change the lighting and enhance colors a little bit, but nothing too visible – leave the HDR alone please! Same with the animal ears, “beauty” filters, and all of that. It’s a big no-no and it’s unlikely to come across as you intended. Forget the snapchat filters.
- Same outfit: avoid posting more than one pic with the same outfit, although you look very good in both, you will have to make a choice.
Now that you have a pretty solid list of what not to do with some corrections, let’s go to more positive advice, shall we? Since we have covered “what not to do”, here is the opposite!
What to do:
- Show off your hobby: professional Tinder photographer Jordan Shields says to avoid group shots, he suggests instead replacing them with photos where you’re doing activities “that perhaps the other person could see themselves doing with you. Sell yourself as the dream guy that someone wants to spend time with, [doing] whatever it is you do.”
You might be an athlete (sport photos are always great), you may be a chess champion, amazing at crochet, or a plant/cat/dog/bunny dad. Having an interest or hobby you pursue is always attractive, although I would ease it in with, I don’t know, magic tricks or Warhammer 40k ( or any version of it). People might share your interest and maybe take more of a liking to you for it, or they might even picture themselves sharing the activity with you. - You don’t have to be the hottest person on Tinder to attract attention, you just need to come across as quietly confident and happy in your skin, without too much of a fuss about it. This actually levels the playing field. Make sure your body language is open, that you look confident, and most importantly don’t include photos where you don’t feel good about yourself at the moment they were taken.
You want to send the message that you love yourself. - Ask a (female) friend. Boys, guys, men: ask a female friend what picture they think looks better. Get that precious feedback, it could really make a difference! They can tell you what is actually interesting and attractive and what isn’t from the perspective of your desired target. They might even offer to take some good pics of you for your profile!
- If you want actually good photos, you should consider hiring an actual photographer to take them. It’s not a bad idea, and it’s surely a boost of your self confidence. Let them help you with poses and angles and all, you can use these tips in the future, too!
- Smile! People look for someone who appears to have a good vibe, trustworthy, fun, and easy going. Nobody wants to go on a date, or potentially be in a relationship with someone who can’t (or won’t) smile.
- Get (a little) fancy. Everyone likes to get dressed up, and everyone likes a girl in a beautiful dress or a guy in a well-fitting suit, correct? Correct. You should try to include a photo of yourself dressed up to the nines, to show your possible Tinder matches your potential and how you might, one day, look on their arm at a formal event of sorts, be it a fancy night out, a wedding, or whatever else might be.
This is the end of our article, and we hope it will be helpful enough to set up a winning dating profile on any dating app you choose. Keep our suggestions in mind and dive in the dating pool!