Life
Before I met my current partner, I was single and used dating apps to (almost) no avail for more than five years — which means I know exactly how frustrating it is when you feel like you're not having any success with online dating. In particular, I remember being baffled by Bumble when it first came out: I liked that its goal was to give women more power to control their online dating experience, but I also had no idea how to get matches on Bumble, or how to turn those matches into dates down the line.
Although the time for me, personally, to kill the game on Bumble might have come and gone, for anyone who's currently a member of the BeeHive, I have good news: as part of their annual "Year in Review", Bumble has released a round-up of statistics about their user base — and some of the stats are seriously enlightening for anyone who wants to make the most out of their Bumble profile. Obviously, there's no way to guarantee that you'll get more matches, but it doesn't hurt to have some insider info about Bumble, like when the best time to swipe is, and what kinds of messages have the best response rates.
So if you want to start the New Year off with a bang (or even just with a hot date), here are seven Bumble hacks that will hopefully help you get more matches — after that, all you have to do is let your natural charm do its thing.
1Swipe On Friday & Saturday
According to Bumble's data, users are less picky with their swiping on Fridays and Saturdays — blame it on the happy hour? Either way, if you're looking to increase your chances of getting matches, try swiping while you're out and about during the weekend (spoiler alert: save your messages for later).
2...And Don't Swipe On Monday
Whatever you do, avoid swiping on Mondays — because that's when Bumble users are pickiest about who they swipe right on. And honestly, who can blame them? Everything about Mondays is terrible, and our collective bad mood is bound to carry over into our love lives, too.
3Send Messages On Sunday
You might get a bunch of matches while you're out on a Saturday night, but if you want to really see results, you're better off waiting until the next day to send that oh-so-crucial first message. Bumble users spend the most amount of time on the app on Sundays, which means your matches will be more likely to see and respond to your message then.
4Choose Your Best Six Photos
Trying to find the best photos for your dating app profile can feel like a nearly impossible task, but there is one new enlightening stat from Bumble that can help alleviate that stress a bit: if you're torn on how many photos you should upload, the magic number for Bumble users is six. Search through your camera roll, choose your six favorite snapshots, and the matches will practically come to you.
5Make Messages Short & Snappy
Learning how to write good opening messages on dating apps takes practice, but if you want a handy hint, here it is: keep it brief. According to Bumble's data, short, snappy first messages (10-15 words) were more successful than super long-winded messages.
6Use GIFs For A Quick Response
If words really aren't your strong suit, I have great news: the best way to get a quick response from a match is to send a GIF instead of using your words. It's a win-win: sending GIFs is more fun and less nerve-wracking than trying to find the perfect witty opener.
7Start Convos In The Late Evening
Sorry, early birds: according to Bumble's data, the best time of day to send a message to your matches is between 8 and 10 p.m. It might be tempting to use messaging cuties on Bumble as a source of midday procrastination, but I guess you'll just have to resist that particular urge.
Even with all these tips, though, there's still no foolproof way to ensure you're successful at finding love on dating apps. There is one silver lining though: as long as you're being your authentic, genuine self on Bumble (and all your other apps), eventually, the right person will come along — it just requires a little patience.
