Fundamentals to Improving Tinder Profile

Frustrated when getting zero matches with the girls that are up to your standards, or they just ignore your messages even if you miraculously match with them?

You’ve heard that top performers on Tinder get matches left and right and you realize that your profile is bad, but no one is clear on what is needed to get become a top performer on Tinder.

Some suggest two rules of be attractive and don’t be unattractive, others to just get better photos, others to hit the gym.

Improving Tinder profile looks to be like learning a new lifeskill while you just want to date with girls you find attractive.

There’s just so much that it’s hard to know where to even start to improve your Tinder.

Why photos are typically the main problem with a guy’s Tinder profile

For a typical guy, they are not used to taking pictures of themselves and likely don’t have a photographer at their disposal.

They don’t go around doing photoshoots, they just use pictures they have at hand like selfies, photos from vacations and group events, or even really old photos where they don’t look like their current selves anymore.

More often than not, these photos are uninteresting, might have low technical quality with bad lighting, too blurry, or clearly cropped from another picture, or the guy might have poor style suggesting they aren’t taking dating seriously.

But, why are these factors a problem for your Tinder results? After all, there are guys who get 10x your matches regardless of their shitty looks or pictures, so why couldn’t you?

These factors matter the pickier you want to be about who you date and what kind of relationships you want.

If you want to date really hot girls, you limit the pool of girls you can match with and drastically increase your competition thus you need to stand out.

If you want multiple casual relationships, you limit the pool of girls you can match with and increase your competition thus you need to stand out for those interested in it.

If you want girls interested in specific kinks such as BDSM, you severely limit the pool of girls you can match with thus you need to stand out for those interested in it.

Consider it from the girls’ point of view. If the vast majority of men have bland, poor quality pictures, what happens with a profile that is thought out and has high quality pictures showcasing a good looking dude?

Yeah, his profile stands out from the sea of average profiles like a breath of fresh air. This makes girls, who are interested in what he has to offer, more likely to not just swipe right, but also answer to his messages because the profile has piqued their interest. This interest eventually carries out to going out on a date as well.

In short, a profile that stands out improves all aspects of your Tinder dating so, so much easier, not just getting matches.

So how do you create a profile that stands out? The process is fairly simple even if it requires effort and iterations.

Guide for building a better Tinder profile

Here’s a general outline I use to improve a Tinder profile if there is no idea of a specific vibe you want to aim for, for example, in case of someone new to online dating or dating in general.

1. Ideate what photos to shoot

List out hobbies, activities you enjoy or cool one-off things you could do. In addition, you’ll often want add topics about lifestyle or otherwise good dating profile ideas such as travel and animals.

For example, my hobby and activity list includes cooking, photography, rock climbing, computers, and cafes. Then I add to that travel, dogs, and cats.

With a list of suitable topics, do a Google image search for each of these with keywords like “hot man X” and “athletic guy X”. Using my list as an example, I searches include “hot man cooking”, “hot guy photographer”, and “hot guy travel”.

Gather the best looking pictures to e.g. Google Photos album for a reference. Then, repeat the step for all photo idea topics you listed.

2. Prepare for the photoshoot

Scout and write locations for each photo.

Decide what clothes you wear for each photo. It’s paramount that you have a unique, good looking outfit for each photo you aim to and that it matches the style of the photo you’re trying to do. If you have a good inspiration picture, try to copy the picture’s subject’s outfit as closely as possible.

3. Maximize your looks in general

You want to look like you get laid – even if you aren’t yet. Therefore, dress in a way that makes you look like you get laid. For inspiration, take a look at IG models such as magic_fox, iammiari and valtterirantanen. In general, monochromatic black outfits in proper (slim) fit work wonders for majority of men.

Get your hair styled that looks good. The more edge you try to add with your style in general, the better more striking haircuts such as skin fades look on you.

If you can grow a beard, grow it and keep it trimmed. If you can’t (e.g. only grows on your neck like it does for me), just go clean shave.

Carry accessories like rings, necklaces, watches, and bracelets. These are the cheat code from plain average looks to looking like you know your shit. An average guy does not wear any accessories thus those make you stand out, which is what you want.

4. During the photoshoot

If at all possible, shoot with a proper DSLR or mirrorless camera rather than smartphone. You can get higher technical quality for nicer properly blurred backgrounds which draws the focus to you, the hot guy, instead of your background.

Try to copy the inspiration photo’s pose, framing and lighting as closely as possible.

Take hundreds of photos to maximize chances of taking a good one. Try out as many poses and angles as possible. If you are nervous and not comfortable with posing, take as many photos and as fast as possible while doing your interesting activity. This way at least a handful will have you looking natural and relaxed.

The focus should be on your face and especially your eyes, so you want those areas properly lit.

Squinch your eyes to look confident instead of fearful.

5. Edit the photos

Use Lightroom and / or Photoshop to edit your photos so the attention of the viewer is drawn to you the subject, rather than something else in the photo.

General basic adjustments I tend to do include adjusting white balance so the subject’s skin looks natural, lower the light of the background, increase the light of the subject, add clarity and haze, possibly blur the background a bit more, and remove distractions with Photoshop’s healing brushes.

6. Get feedback

Share the with people and ask them to evaluate best ones. The best places for feedback are where people are actively aiming to improve their dating life such as SwipeHelder subreddit or KYIL forums.

7. Repeat

Most likely, doing one photoshoot won’t be enough. You’ll get feedback what to improve, you get better ideas to implement, you improve your physique and style thus need to update photos, you improve your skills to take photos, or you find a vibe that resonates more with you, to mention a few.