Okay, so I saw this question online about “how to respond to basic profiles on Hinge,” and I figured, why not dive in and see what works? I mean, we’ve all been there, staring at a profile with, like, three pictures and a prompt answer that says “I like pizza.” What do you even do with that?
Operation: Engage the Bland
First, I jumped onto Hinge myself. Gotta be in the trenches, right? I started by just browsing, looking for those super basic profiles โ the ones that make you wonder if it’s a bot or just someone who’s really, really bad at online dating.
I found a few pretty quickly. One girl had a picture of her dog, a blurry group photo, and her favorite food listed as “tacos.” Minimalist, to say the least.
So, my initial strategy? Avoid the generic “Hey, what’s up?” I mean, that’s just going to blend into the sea of other messages. Instead, I tried to pick something, anything, from the profile to comment on.
- Tactic 1: The Dog Whisperer. With the dog profile, I went with: “Cute pup! What breed?” Simple, direct, and shows I actually looked at the picture.
- Tactic 2: The Foodie. For the taco girl, I asked: “Okay, serious question: hard shell or soft shell tacos?” It’s still about the tacos, but it’s a little more engaging than just saying “I like tacos too.”
- Tactic 3: The Vague-Prompt-Solver. I found another profile with a prompt answer that was basically “I’m looking for someone to hang out with.” Super helpful, right? So, I responded: “Hang out and do what? Conquer the world, or binge-watch Netflix? ๐” Trying to inject a little humor and get them to elaborate.
The Results (So Far)
Honestly, it’s a mixed bag. Some people didn’t respond at all โ maybe they weren’t active, maybe my messages still sucked. But, I did get a few replies!
The dog person responded and we chatted a bit about our pets. It wasn’t a love connection, but it was a conversation. The taco girl said “soft shell, obviously,” and we had a short back-and-forth about the best taco toppings. Again, not fireworks, but better than nothing.
The “hang out” person actually replied with a laughing emoji and said “both!” We talked a little more, and she seemed pretty cool. Still too early to tell if it’ll go anywhere, but it’s a promising start.
My Takeaway (For Now)
Responding to basic Hinge profiles is tough. It’s like trying to make a gourmet meal out of instant ramen. But, it’s possible. My main advice, from my super scientific experiment, is this:
- Find something, even if it’s tiny, to comment on.
- Avoid the super generic greetings.
- Try to be a little playful or funny.
- Don’t get discouraged if you don’t get a response. It’s a numbers game.
I’m going to keep experimenting with this. Maybe I’ll try some different approaches and see what happens. It’s all about trial and error, right? Dating in the digital age, folks โ it’s a wild ride.
